Vikaas Shanker. Etchepare, the president of the host Los Banos Basque Club, said the event has been a center of ethnic celebration.
“We have a large Basque population,” Etchepare said. “It’s a good opportunity for all of us to get together and promote our culture.”
The day starts out with a Catholic mass in English and Basque at 10 a.m. in the O’Banion Hall on the fairgrounds.
Lunch is served between 12:30 and 2 p.m., including barbecued lamb chops, lamb stew, beans, bread, cheese, wine and salads. Lunch tickets are purchased at the door, $22 for adults and $12 for children ages 12 and under.
It’s also the first year the Basque picnic will serve the Gateau Basque, or a Basque cake, Etchepare said.
Following lunch, at 2:30 p.m., performances will start. The Los Banos and San Francisco Basque dancers are coming back to perform accompanied by the San Francisco Klika and bertsolari.
New this year is a singing performance by a Basque language class with students ages 3 and up.
The festival will also bring back its weight carrying and tug-of-war competitions, in addition to more music and dance.
“It’s nice to come together to promote our culture, educate our kids on language, custom and dance,” Etchepare said.
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