Bandera de la Concha 2026 in Donostia / San Sebastián: schedule, timings and where to drop your luggage to see the regattas

On the first two Sundays of September, the bay of La Concha turns into the most beautiful sports stadium in the Basque Country. 6 and 13 September 2026 — two race days, four finals, eight traineras per heat, tens of thousands of people spread across the beach, the seafront promenade, Mount Urgull and the bay itself on boats. The Bandera de la Concha is the biggest event in world rowing, and the whole of Donostia throws itself into it.

If you're travelling in to see the regatta — from Bilbao, Pamplona, Madrid, or from the south of France coming down through Bayonne — you have a long day ahead, with two races an hour apart (11:00 women, 12:00 men), and after that the city alive. And it all starts mid-morning, well before any hotel will let you check in.

What is the Bandera de la Concha

The Bandera de la Concha — «Kontxako Bandera» in Basque — is the most prestigious trainera rowing regatta on the calendar. It's also known as the «Rowing Olympics»: along with the Spanish Championship and the Eusko Label Liga (Liga ACT), it forms the trio of most important competitions in the sport.

The first Bandera was held in 1879, when Donostia's city council decided to organise its own race after the success of the first regattas between traineras (1854). More than 130 years later, the Bandera stays true to its traditional format: two race days on the first Sundays of September, four traineras per heat, two heats per race, start and finish inside the bay of La Concha itself.

The women's category was introduced in 2008. Since then both categories share the same day — women at 11:00, men at 12:00, each with the same intensity and the same bay.

Bandera de la Concha 2026 programme

All official events published by Donostia Kultura and the City Council:

Qualifying rounds (time trials)

• Wednesday 2 September — 18:00: Men's qualifier.
• Thursday 3 September — 18:00: Women's qualifier.

The qualifiers send 7 traineras to the Sunday final. The eighth slot always goes to the Donostia team as host of the competition.

First race day

• Sunday 6 September 2026 — 11:00: Women's regatta.
• Sunday 6 September 2026 — 12:00: Men's regatta.

Second race day

• Sunday 13 September 2026 — 11:00: Women's regatta.
• Sunday 13 September 2026 — 12:00: Men's regatta.

The winners are the ones with the shortest total time across both race days. They take home the Bandera de la Concha — the coveted flag — and a legendary season.

What the regatta looks like

The competition follows the traditional style: two straight legs and a single ciaboga (turn). The men's race covers around 3 nautical miles (approximately 5.5 km); the women's, one and a half miles (2.7 km).

Start and finish are at the edge of La Concha beach. Traineras start from an imaginary line in front of the City Hall, ciaboga (turn) around a buoy at the far end of the bay, and come back at full speed to cross the line. The final 30 seconds are among the most intense moments in Basque sport — a heat of four traineras coming in together, rowing at the limit, with thousands of people shouting from the promenade and from boats anchored in the bay.

Tickets and prices 2026

• Qualifying regattas (2 and 3 Sept): free access from the beach and promenade. Only the grandstand requires a ticket.
• Finals of 6 and 13 September:
  • General admission: €4.50
  • Grandstand: €10
  • Discount (unemployed, pensioners, under 30): €2.20
  • Under 12: free (general)
  • Under 6 in grandstand: free without occupying a seat

Tickets are bought online on the Donostia Kultura website or at the grandstand ticket office and the Teatro Victoria Eugenia. Tip: for the Sunday finals, grandstand tickets sell out weeks in advance. Book ahead.

And an important reality: you don't need a ticket to experience the Bandera de la Concha. The entire La Concha promenade, Mount Urgull, the whole beach and the balconies of the bay are free viewing points with a direct line of sight to the regatta. Those who buy grandstand do so for proximity to the finish line and seating comfort; local veterans tend to prefer the beach atmosphere.

Why you need to drop your luggage if you're coming to see the regatta

The Bandera is a full-day plan. You arrive in Donostia on the morning AVE, on the ALSA from Bilbao, or by car from inland, and by 10 in the morning you're already in town. The first race starts at 11:00, the second at 12:00, and in between there's an hour for pintxos and a walk. After 12:30, once the race is over, the city explodes — bars packed, terraces down the end of the promenade, music coming from the Kursaal, the Old Town going late.

If you're staying in Donostia that night, your hotel won't take check-ins until 3 PM. Five hours with your suitcase, starting on the beach at 11 in the morning, doesn't work. If you're only coming for the day (many people come from Bilbao, Pamplona or Bayonne on the morning bus and return in the afternoon), you also have nowhere to leave the luggage while you make the most of the city.

The practical solution is the usual one: drop your suitcase or backpack at a central locker and enjoy the day light. Four or five euros for a few hours, locker closed with 24/7 QR access, and hands free for sun, La Concha and pintxos.

Where we are: 5 minutes on foot from La Concha

DSS Lockers is at Calle San Martín Kalea 46, in Donostia's Centro district — right between La Concha beach and the Old Town, in the area where the regatta ends. Walking distances from the shop door:

• La Concha beach — 5 minutes on foot
• City Hall (regatta finish line) — 8 minutes on foot
• La Concha promenade (classic regatta viewpoint) — 6 minutes on foot
• Mount Urgull (aerial view over the bay) — 15 minutes on foot
• Boulevard and Old Town (post-regatta atmosphere) — 12 minutes on foot
• Train station (Estación del Norte) — 10 minutes on foot
• Donostia bus station — 9 minutes on foot
• SABA Boulevard and Okendo car parks — 5-7 minutes on foot

It's the ideal location for the typical race-day pattern: you arrive in the city, drop luggage, head down to the beach to watch the traineras, eat in the Old Town, and pick up whenever — before hotel check-in if you're staying the night, or before the return bus if it's just a day trip.

How it works: 100% unstaffed

DSS Lockers is an automated luggage storage open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No staff on site. Everything runs from your phone:

1. Book from your phone — the night before or on the train on the way in. Pick size (S, M or XL) and hours.
2. Pincode to enter the shop. Each booking generates a unique numeric code. Keypad at the door, code, in.
3. QR for your locker. Scan it at the central kiosk. Your locker opens automatically. Drop the bag, close.
4. Come back whenever within the booked hours — same pincode, same QR, same 24-hour access.

Three sizes:

• S — handbags, camera, rain jacket
• M — daypack, cabin case (35-50 L)
• XL — full trekking trolley up to 80 L, or two cabin cases

Typical price for a race day (arrive 10:00, pick up 20:00 after pintxos): between €4 and €8 depending on size. And the lockers are climate-controlled — if the Cantabrian has rained and clothes are damp, you're not leaving them fermenting in a closed cupboard.

What to do between races (and after)

Between the women's at 11 and the men's at 12 there's a perfect hour to move from your beach spot to the Old Town and back. And once the men's is over around 12:30-13:00, the city opens up for the rest of the day. Tested plan:

Before the regatta (10:30-11:00) — Grab a spot on the La Concha promenade or on the beach itself (near the end of the promenade towards the City Hall, you can see both the start and the finish clearly). Chillida's Peine del Viento, at the western tip, is a bit far from the finish line but offers the full perspective of the bay with the four traineras coming in.

Between races (11:30-12:00) — Head down to the Boulevard for mantecadas or rusos at Otaegui, or a quick coffee in a bar on calle Fuenterrabía. Come back to the same spot for the men's.

After the regatta (12:30 onwards) — Pintxo route through the Old Town. The classics: Bar Nestor (legendary tortilla, you have to reserve your tortilla slot the same morning), Ganbara (mushrooms), Bergara (original Gilda), La Cuchara de San Telmo (foie), Txepetxa (anchovies). On race day bars fill up from 13:00 — get there early or catch off-peak hours.

Free afternoon — If the weather holds (typical Donostia September, a bit fresh but sunny), Peine del Viento to the west, Mount Urgull to the east, Zurriola beach on the other side. With your luggage stored, the city goes down easy and light.

Practical tips for the weekend

• Book your locker in advance. On regatta Sundays both locker and hotel occupancy spike. Booking two or three days ahead secures your spot.
• Reserve a table for lunch. In Donostia lunch is late (14:00-15:30) but good spots go fast on event days. Bar Nestor and La Cuchara de San Telmo don't take reservations; the rest do.
• Get to the beach early. If you want a front-row spot on the promenade, arrive before 10:30. The Bandera draws a crowd from all over the northern Peninsula.
• Layered clothing. September in Donostia is sunny but fresh near the sea. Light jacket for the promenade, T-shirt for midday.
• Battery for your phone. Videos and photos eat battery, and you'll be out of the hotel for many hours. Charger or power bank in the daypack.
• If you can't find accommodation in Donostia, consider Hondarribia, Zarautz or Getaria — all 20-40 min by Renfe or Euskotren, with direct train to Estación del Norte, 10 min on foot from our shop. Drop the bag on arrival, live the regatta, pick up before heading back.
• We are not accommodation: DSS Lockers is luggage storage only. But on race day it solves exactly the problem that everyone coming from out of town faces.

The second race day — 13 September

The first race day of the 6th is the opener. The second one, on the 13th, is the decider. Times add up and whoever has taken the least across both races takes the Bandera. If you can come to both, the 13th has extra tension — you know who was leading, who has to catch up, who needs to secure the time.

And if you can only choose one: the 13th is the definitive one. But the 6th has the season opener feel, and the debut atmosphere.

Closing — ongi etorri Donostiara

The Bandera de la Concha is not just rowing: it's Donostia as a whole dressed for celebration, the bay turned into an amphitheatre, and a tradition of a century and a half that still stirs every September. Come and see it, enjoy it light, and stay for the atmosphere that fills the city afterwards.

Leave your luggage with us, walk to the beach, and enjoy one of the most beautiful sporting spectacles on the world rowing calendar.

Book my locker at DSS Lockers →

Ongi etorri Donostiara. And may the best trainera win.