Fiestas!!

One thing the Spanish definitely do well are celebrations!  The amount of festivals, fiestas, free music and events in this country is amazing!  It seems like there is always something happening somewhere in town.  The spring seems to have the most going on though.  Summer slows down a bit because a lot of people are on holiday but it picks back up again in the fall.

We have seen more free music then I have ever seen in my life since moving here.  Sure we don’t know a lot of it but who doesn't love free music outside?  It’s so much fun to just be walking down the street and suddenly there is a stage set up and a band rocking away.  People are swaying to the beats and if you are lucky, which you usually are, there is a beer stand!  So now a nice wander through the city has turned into a live show and drinks.  Super fun and really puts a smile on everyones face.

They have many festivals for different saints and different times of year.  Some of these go on for a week at a time.  It is just different bands every night, activities for the kids and lots of tapas at outside booths.  At one of these festivals we got to see The Wailers for free in Plaza Mayor which was friggin amazing! (Please tell me you know who The Wailers are! Bob Marley and The Wailers) Even though it was sans Bob it was a blast and it was free!  Free shows are rare in Canada so it’s pretty great here.

One day I was walking along the river and I noticed they were putting up all these booths and several stages and I had no idea what was going on so I told Ross we should go check it out that night.  Well turns out it was this crazy celebration night called San Juan Noches and it was a wild party.  There were 4 stages set up at different points along the river with different types of music at each one, there was a huge covered area where they had a rave until 4 am, there were countless booths with food and beer and to top it all off at midnight there was a bonfire on the beach that was like 6 feet high and probably 10 feet across.  The firefighters had to be there in case anything went awry!  Did I mention this was a Monday night?  These people can party.

 San Juan Noches

I think one of the coolest things is how lax they are with booze during these events.  I am used to Canadian rules where you have a beer area and you cannot leave it with your drink and sometimes you even have to pay just to get into it.  Not here, here you can just wander around with your drink and enjoy everything that is happening.  And people are so respectful and responsible.  Not that there is never an incident but I have never actually seen one.  I always found in Canada when there is booze involved you are very likely going to see at least one fight but here its just fun.  People are not out to show off or be tough guys it is a very different attitude and I love it.  You could even have your own booze not from the booths and the police would probably leave you alone as long as you weren't being a dick, and nobody really is.

Partying at Oktoberfest in Valladolid in June

One of the festivals in the summer kicked off with a booze soaked parade.  Anyone in town can participate, although it is mostly the younger people, and it is a crazy party.  Let me set the mood for you.  Everyone meets at this one area of town and there is music on a stage and people just drinking and dancing.  You will see many costumes and water guns.  However the guns are not full of water they are full of Calimocho, a disgusting drink that is very popular here for reasons I do not understand.  It is half wine and half coke.  It is so gross but after enough of it you don’t notice anymore anyway, like any booze I guess.  So people actually have buckets of this stuff made up and once the parade starts it is all out mayhem.  You are wandering through the town, likely drunk already and spraying everyone with this wine and coke mixture, as well as just drinking it of course.  This parade goes on for what feels like hours.  I don’t think it is supposed to but you lose track of time and get too drunk to walk at a reasonable pace after a while.  Again the firefighters are out partying with us and spraying people with the fire hoses!  It is amazing.  Seriously one of the most fun things I have done.  After the parade finishes up and we all reach the destination there is just a party in the city that goes all night.  The streets were disgusting but they have some serious street cleaners here and in the morning you wouldn't even know it happened if it weren't for your now destroyed clothes and stinging eyes from getting wine sprayed in them all night.

Yes they are serious partiers and I respect that.  Also the bars here stay open until 6 or 7 am on the weekends.  When you want to go dancing here be prepared to not start until 1 am.  There are no dance clubs open before that.  I cant make it that late, like I said I am old now so by 3 or 4 am I am toast but its pretty great that people stay out all night and just have fun. Like I said I have not heard of any bad incident taking place and I live right downtown.   Very often Ross and I get up early on the weekends to catch a train somewhere for the day and there are still people out from the night before.  Always makes us laugh and sometimes wish we were kids again.  Be prepared to party when you are visiting or living here.