Strongman competition in Bilbao

One of the highlights of Bilbao's premier festival is set to take place in August.

The annual strongman competition will see local heavyweights battle it out over a three-day period.

Forming part of the Aste Nagusia - or Big Week - Festival, the Herculean event draws crowds from across the country and is sure to appeal to families on holiday in the Spanish city.

On the opening day of the competition, contestants must test their strength by chopping and carrying gargantuan pieces of wood. Speed lifting events and races also take place. As the trials continue, the wood is replaced with stone and contestants show super-human acts of strength in pulling huge stone boulders.

The annual Aste Nagusia runs for a ten-day period from the first Saturday after the festival of Neustra Senora de Begona on August 15th.

An international fireworks competition lights up the sky on each evening of the festival and the streets of Bilbao are filled with music, dancing and food.