San Sebastián Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country will return to the Kursaal Palace from October 5–7, 2026, with its 28th edition focusing on the 50th anniversary of New Basque Cuisine. Under the slogan ‘The spark that lit the fire’, it will look back at one of the movements that not only changed Basque cuisine but also helped rewrite the history of contemporary Spanish cuisine.

The world’s oldest gastronomy congress will commemorate this movement, which began in 1976 and generated an energy that would go on to have an enormous influence. Leading international figures such as Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Troisgros, among other world-renowned chefs, have already confirmed their attendance, as well as chefs who have openly acknowledged the influence of New Basque Cuisine on their careers, such as Gastón Acurio, a driving force behind the international recognition of Peruvian cuisine. Joining them, of course, will be the founders and those who joined very early on in that movement that forever changed the way cuisine is understood in Spain: Juan Mari Arzak, Pedro Subijana, Tatús Fombellida, Ramón Roteta, Karlos Arguiñano, Martín Berasategui, and Hilario Arbelaitz.

San Sebastián Gastronomika Euskadi Basque Country will also focus on the legacy and influence of New Basque Cuisine on subsequent generations, featuring some of the greatest chefs who came later and found an open path in that revolution. There will also be a special segment to highlight the fundamental role of Luis Irizar, the Master, an indispensable figure for understanding the origin, essence, and human dimension of it all.

The event will also serve to reunite some of the attendees of that first Gastronomy Roundtable held in Madrid in 1976, the seed of this historic transformation. Among those who participated in that meeting were José Luis López Canís, Pedro Subijana, Rafael Ansón, and Imelda Moreno. Their presence will help revive the living memory of a decisive moment for cuisine.

This year’s edition will also feature highly symbolic tributes. The grand tribute will be for Martín Berasategui, who is celebrating half a century as a chef. A tribute born of respect, admiration, and affection for a figure who is part of the living history of gastronomy. He represents the link between those pioneers and everything that has come since. His career confirms this: his restaurant Lasarte-Oria retains its three Michelin stars, and his career remains one of the most solid and recognizable in Basque cuisine, with restaurants open in different parts of the world. A chef who has managed to turn ambition into a method while still evoking a sense of home, because he has always kept his roots in Donostia, combining haute cuisine—with its 12 Michelin stars—with its popular dimension.

The Golden Gueridón will be awarded to Luis Gutiérrez, head of The Wine Advocate in Spain, for his decisive contribution to changing the recent history of Spanish wine. Since he took over the evaluation of the country’s wines in 2013, the profile of the highest-rated wines has evolved significantly, opening opportunities for young viticulturists and winemakers, putting previously overlooked regions on the map, and restoring recognition to great historic houses—especially in Rioja—that endured difficult years during a period dominated by excessive concentration.

Meanwhile, the Pau Albornà i Torras Award will go to Russian-American journalist Anya von Bremzen, one of the leading international advocates of Spanish cuisine. An enthusiast of Basque cuisine since the early 2000s, she dedicated ten years of work to *The New Spanish Table*, a seminal book for understanding and promoting Spain’s culinary richness in the United States.

In her foreword, in fact, she acknowledges the help of several Basque chefs. Von Bremzen has written about gastronomy for publications such as The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times, as well as specialized magazines like Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure. She has also won three James Beard Awards, considered the gastronomic “Oscars” in the United States. Tradition and the sea will continue to be two of Gastronomika’s key themes. This edition will feature a program of lectures and activities designed to foster a global celebration of cod, one of the most important fish in the culinary, economic, and social history of the Basque Country. From the fisheries in Newfoundland in the 16th century to Pasaia’s transformation into the world’s largest cod port for half a century, cod will be explored in all its historical and contemporary dimensions.

The conference will offer a deeper exploration of the nearly sixty existing species of cod and introduce traditional dishes from countries where this fish also plays a central role, such as Norway, Iceland, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, Cape Verde, and Nigeria. Discussions will also cover the work of women in the cod industry on land, the rise in its consumption, and the current state of the sector.

There will even be a historic and iconic surprise: the San Juan will arrive for the first time at the port of Donosti transformed into one of those cod-laden ships returning from Newfoundland. An image steeped in memory and emotion, connecting past and present in La Concha Bay, where cod was once sorted.

Starting with this edition, the alternative stage dedicated to taverns will evolve into a more experiential format and will be renamed Taverns and Grills. Its program will expand to include tastings and educational activities. Among these, the presence of cousins Arregi, Elkano, and Kaia-Kaipe will stand out; they will be together for the first time and will reveal the secrets of their famous grilled turbot live on stage.

In addition, on Sunday there will be a tribute to baby squid, featuring at least eight different dishes prepared by as many innovative restaurants—those that created them or elevated them to gastronomic heights.

With an edition that looks to its roots to keep moving forward, Gastronomika will once again bring together memory, talent, product, reflection, and emotion. And it will remind us that sometimes a single spark is enough to ignite a change that will never be extinguished.

San Sebastian Gastronomika - Euskadi Basque Country will continue to feature a dedicated space for the trade fair. In this regard, companies interested in showcasing their products and new offerings during the congress can now send their requests and inquiries to the email address info@sansebastiangastronomika.com. Likewise, anyone wishing to attend this new edition can now register on the website sansebastiangastronomika