Everything ready for Donostia-San Sebastian's golden regatta

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Orio

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• La Concha Flag

Crowds of nearly 100,000, many of them wearing the colors of their favorite trainera, are expected on Sunday to cover the hillsides overlooking the bay of Donostia-San Sebastian in search of the perfect spot to watch La Concha flag, the Donostia-San Sebastian traditional rowing regatta.

Qualifying rounds to decide which boats were taking place were held on Thursday in the Basque city. Zarautz, Pedreña, Orio, Hondarribia, Castro, Urdaibai and Tiran won their place in the next two Sundays' boat race .

Donostia Arraun won the place for the local boat.Tradition says that there is always a place for a Donostia-San Sebastian boat. If more than one is registered, there is a boat race between them held during the city's Great Week. Donostia-Arraun won the race this year.

The city itself will turn into a gigantic party, the streets filled with neighbors, friends and visitors who come from all over to see the event and enjoy the warm festive atmosphere. When the clock strikes twelve on Sunday and the judge signals the start of the race, cheering voices will be heard from virtually everywhere.

Bets on which trainera will take the first prize or whether a certain team will manage to shave a few seconds off its time are the topic of conversation between friends at bars and cafés throughout the city from Thursday on.