With a population of nearly 600,000, Boise, Idaho is the 100th largest city in the U.S., and the largest city between Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah. Home to 15,000 Basque residents, Boise’s Basque community is the second largest in the United States, and the fifth largest in the world.
Jaialdi Festival
Boise is host to the Jaialdi Basque Festival, which takes place every five years. The Jaialdi is currently held July 26th through August 1st, 2010 on the “Basque Block” in downtown Boise. Festival highlights include a performance by the Onati and Oinkari dance groups at the traditional mass on Saturday evening, and a live musical performance by Amuma Says No, a local Basque band. For those unfamiliar with the Basque region, it is a stronghold of Basque culture in the now-north of Spain. Although long-conquered, the Basque continue to uphold their own traditions, language and culture, and have been most notable for a series of terrorist-style attempts at regaining independence through the freedom-fighting separatist group ETA.
Basque Museum
The Basque Museum & Cultural Center features exhibits representative of the rich history of Basque communities in the state of Idaho. Current exhibits include “Basque Whaling: Danger & Daring on a Distant Shore,” while the museum’s permanent collection is comprised of oral and written histories, such as the Jay Uberuaga scrapbook, a photo archive, music archive, and the Joseph V. Eiguren Library. The Basque Museum is located at 611 Grove Street. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4pm, and Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $2 for children ages 6-12. Admission is free for children five and under.
Other Cultural Events
The Gene Harris Jazz Festival takes place in the spring at Boise State University. Past festivals featured performances by Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, Doug Bearvers’ Latin Jazz Orchestra, and The Monty Alexander Trio, in addition to the campus Jazz Club. The 14th annual festival is scheduled for the first weekend in April 2011.
Boise is also home to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival---one of the largest Shakespearean theater companies in the U.S. The Festival’s Amphitheater and Habitat Reserve provide seating for 770 people along the Boise River, in traditional outdoor-theater style. Performances take place in the summer, from June through September. The 2010 season opens with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from June 4th through July 30th, and closes with The Woman in Black, from September 3rd through the 26th.
Hotels
Boise accommodation is pretty standard across the city, with the usual assortment of budget hotels and upmarket digs. Hotels like the Ameritel Inn Towne Square is one of the best mid-value options, with a great location adjacent to the Boise Towne Square Mall, ranges upwards from $65 per night per double room.
Use the Hotelsio Rate Finder to find top accommodation and cheap hotels in Boise, Idaho.
(Photo:iStockPhoto/christiannafzger)
