Boise is one of world’s best places to visit in 2025, magazine says. One festival is the key
National Geographic has listed Boise as one of the 25 best places in the world to visit in 2025.
The list was curated by National Geographic’s team of writers, editors and photographers. Travel experts and their international editorial teams contributed to the list, according to a news release.
National Geographic reasoned that the Basque community, and the Boise Jaialdi Festival’s return in 2025, makes for a key reason to visit next year. Jaialdi traditionally is held every five years but the 2020 festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boise is on a list that includes places in Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, New Zealand and more.
What makes Boise’s Jaialdi festival so recognized?
Idaho contains America’s largest community of Basque people, dating to Spanish and French migrants who arrived in the late 19th century. They recognize their heritage with the tradition of Jaialdi, first celebrated in 1987. It was intended to celebrate the old and new, local and international aspects of Basque culture, according to the Jaialdi website.
Carrie Westergard, executive director at Visit Boise, expressed her excitement over the recognition from National Geographic in a phone interview with the Idaho Statesman.
“The Basque culture is so much part of our history and heritage here, anytime there’s a recognition of this nature it just brings greater awareness to our community as a destination that’s a place to visit,” Westergard said. “(The festival) is a reunion, visiting friends and family.”
Westergard said her favorite part of the festival is the music, which has become a staple of the celebration.
The Basque community has continued to express its heritage with multiple traditions and festivals. Boise’s Basque community has celebrated the San Inazio Festival since the 1950s, and the festival returned in summer 2022 after the pandemic.
The Jaialdi celebration runs July 29-Aug. 3, 2025, in Boise after a 10-year hiatus. The city’s famed Basque Block downtown along Grove Street will host daily street parties, dancing and music performances, while sports night features competitions in wood chopping and wagon lifting.
