Haro Wine Battle

The Batalla del Vino has roots in a boundary dispute with the neighbouring town of Miranda de Ebro, marked annually by a procession to the Bilibio cliffs where a hermitage to San Felices stands; at some point the procession turned into a wine fight, and it has run in its current form for decades, declared of national tourist interest in 1965. On the morning of 29 June participants in white shirts and red neckerchiefs walk or drive up to the cliffs, mass is said, and then several thousand people throw red wine over each other for hours using bottles, buckets, water pistols and backpack sprayers, consuming tens of thousands of litres. Everyone ends up stained purple. The crowd then walks back down to Haro for a bullfight and dancing.

What you actually see

• The wine dousing - thousands soaking each other with red wine.
• The Bilibio cliffs - a hermitage above the town where it takes place.
• The white shirts - the uniform that ends the morning stained purple.
• The walk back - the crowd descending into Haro for the afternoon.

When to go

29 June, fixed each year; the fight runs through the morning and the town holds events for several days around it. Accommodation in Haro and the Rioja books out well ahead.

Honest expectations

Clothing worn will be permanently stained and should be considered disposable, and phones need waterproof protection. The cliffs are reached by a walk or a shuttle, and the crowd is dense. Wine gets in eyes and stings; goggles help.

Nearby

The Haro wine bodegas are in the town; Laguardia and the Rioja Alavesa lie north.