I-PLAY at JOLASean 2026: the project's games take to the streets of Errenteria

During JOLASean 2026 week in Errenteria, ABARKA took I-PLAY out onto the streets. We took part in the programme and in the round table, and one afternoon we presented the project's four traditional games and tried them out with children and their families. It was the first time the I-PLAY game sheets had been played in a public square in the Basque Country, with people of all ages.

JOLASean: a week dedicated to traditional play

JOLASean is the annual week of traditional games and handcrafted toys organised by Kroma Artisau Elkartea, the Errenteria-based crafts and social education association with which we have been collaborating in I-PLAY since the kick-off meeting in March. The 2026 edition took place from 22 to 27 September at Merkatuzar.

Its objectives match ours almost word for word: social inclusion, the educational value of play, passing on memory and building a cooperative network of associations. The programme brought together an interactive exhibition of handcrafted toys, workshops to create travelling "suitcases" of traditional games and the involvement of a network of local organisations.

The four I-PLAY games in the square

One afternoon, the ABARKA team presented the four games our organisation has documented for the I-PLAY library:

• Lokotxak, the herri kirolak corncob-gathering race, rooted in the maize harvest on Basque farmsteads.

• The snail race, a popular street and fairground game.

• Rana (the frog toss), the classic aiming game of taverns and town squares.

• The fishing game, with festive, family roots.

And we did not stop at explaining them: we tried them out there and then with children, mothers and fathers. Young and old played together. That is exactly what we want to happen with the project's 12 game sheets: for them to leave the page and be played again.

A documented game only truly comes alive when someone plays it again. At JOLASean, several generations played it at once.

What we learnt playing with families

Playing with such a diverse audience, from small children to adults, reminded us why our game sheets include adaptations:

• Distances and turns can be adjusted on the fly. In lokotxak, shortening the course or playing in relays allows young and old to compete in the same team.

• Demonstration works better than explanation. One slow example round was enough for everyone to understand the rules, without any need for lengthy instructions.

• Intergenerational play is a hit. When a grandmother or a father explains how the game used to be played, it gains history and meaning for the youngest players.

All of this now feeds back into the project as learning to improve the game sheets and prepare for upcoming activities.

The round table: traditional play and inclusion

ABARKA also took part in the JOLASean round table on inclusive projects built around traditional games, alongside other organisations from the week's network. There, we shared the I-PLAY experience: why we work across three countries, how we document games using a common template and why we have committed to ensuring that at least 40% of participants come from vulnerable groups.

The discussion left a shared conclusion: traditional play is a very powerful tool for bringing people together, provided it is designed in advance so that nobody is left out.

Thank you, Kroma

JOLASean demonstrates what our State of the Art report identified as essential: local alliances that bring territory, people and trust. Thank you to Kroma and to all the organisations in the network for opening up the square to us, and to every family who joined in the play.

What comes next

The JOLASean experience is feeding into preparations for the I-PLAY traditional sports festival in the Basque Country and the creation of the Traditional Sports Ambassadors network. If your school, association or municipality would like to host a traditional games session, get in touch via abarka.org and look up the game sheets at i-play.abarka.org.