Updated:
Many people have heard of the world famous La Tomatina festivals in Spain where you throw tomatoes on each other, but few know that it’s far from the only food battle festival in the country.
Spain is simply the king of food wars, with celebrations throughout the year using everything from grapes to flour and even eggs in their food battles.
Our Favourite Spanish Food Fight Festivals
Here are five awesome festivals in Spain when visiting Spain …
Meringue War, Vilanova i La Geltrú
La Merengada, also known as the Candy Fight, is a celebration that simply has to be every kid’s dream (as well as those with a sweet tooth like me).
While other countries and cities celebrate Fat Thursday by eating as much cake and sweets as they can before the fasting period begins, the folks in this little town head to the streets to throw their meringue pies on each other instead!
When the Meringue pies run out, the fun doesn’t end, but continues in candy throwing instead!
One piece of advice for anyone who is planning to hire a car in Spain during any of these festivals (especially sticky ones like this one): park it away from where all the action is so you won’t have to pay for a full cleaning service before handing it back!
When: February
Battle of the Wine, Haro
The Battle of the Wine festival simply sounds too good to be true: participants throw thousands of liters of red wine on each other using whatever containers they have on hand, from buckets to water pistols.
There is only one goal: to soak everyone you pass with wine!
Everyone dresses in white from head to toe with a traditional red handkerchief around your neck, and the rule is simple: there is no such thing as a “spectator” in this festival – anyone can (and will) be a target!
As you can expect there will soon be a purple ocean of people drenched in wine, all heading down from the hill where it begins to the main square of Haro for a procession around the square.
When: June
La Tomatina, Buñol
La Tomatina, Buñol – The most famous food battle in the world, La Tomatina in Buñol, is the mother of all food fighting festivals in Spain.
The tomato throwing festival has become so popular that it has inspired other cities across the world to follow in its path, such as Reno in the US. Every year during the festival the whole town is buried in a red mush of over-ripened tomatoes and people are literally bathing in it.
Approximately 150,000 tomatoes (over 90,000 pounds!) sourced from the four corners of the country are “released” from a fleet of trucks by official instigators and the battle is on!
When: Always on the last Wednesday of August
Flour Fight, Ibi
Yes, there is even a food fight for throwing eggs and flour!
Each year in the town of Ibi in eastern Spain a festival called Els Enfarinats is held, staging a massive battle using eggs, flour and firecrackers..!
A group of married men called Els Enfarinats takes control of the village for one day, pronouncing a number of silly and ridiculous laws, fining anyone who infringes them.
The other group, La Oposicio, tries to restore order. By the end of the day the money collected from the fines is donated to charity.
Checkout the slideshow with some amazing photos from the festival earlier this year.
When: End of December
La Raima Grape Throwing Festival, Pobla del Duc
Dating back to the 1930’s, this annual festival signals the end of the grape harvest by having a huge grape throwing battle!
Up to 90 tons of locally grown Garnacha Tontorera grapes are dumped on the town square in front of hundreds of waiting participants for the huge grape throwing fight.
Expect to look like one happy purple raising once it’s all over!
When: end of August
Which one would you add to your bucket list?
I would do the wine as well as the flour and eggs. I feel like they would make for the best pictures =)
I once met someone who wanted to go to the Tomatina, but she was going to miss it. I told her she should just pick a fruit, buy a sack at the local market, and start throwing them at people. It had to start somehow, right?
And that wine festival looks way more fun. All of the craziness, minus the bruises. PLUS alcohol. How can anything else compete?
sign me up for the wine festival. i don’t mind turning purple. i will just have my mouth wide open the entire time anyway 😉
Got to go to some of these one day (but not wearing white 😉
Yeah those would be my favorites too, combined they seem a bit similar to Holi in India with beautiful color and powder photos – European style 😉
Haha yeah that’s another way to go about it. The wine festival does seem awesome – and crazy!
Me too, would definitely bring along two water guns filled with red wine, it would almost be like a European Songkran 😛
Battle of the Wine – I like it. So i will come here in next year.