“Battle of Wine” Festival

Ever felt so in love with wine you wanted to bathe in it? Well, the attendees at La Batalla del Vino did yesterday – literally.

An annual festival in Haro, Spain, the “battle of wine” takes place on June 29 and involves dunking, throwing and water-gun-squirting wine at everyone. According to Decanter, 130,000 litres of wine were used, and all but 3,000 of which are donated by the participants. The tourists and locals who participate arrive in white clothing and leave, well … purple.

Before the fun and games, the festival is a bit more serious as it follows century-old traditions such as a procession with the mayor and pilgrimage to the patron saint of Haro. And of course, as with any good party there is great food involved too!

So how did this crazy and awesome festival originate? According to Decanter:

“There are various tales for the reason that wine is thrown at the celebrations…. Some claim it pays homage to a 13th century land dispute between residents of Haro and those of neighboring Miranda de Ebro, which ended with a wine fight.”

Whatever the reason, it looks like a lot of fun… and a lot of wine.