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When you think of Jumilla, you think of wine. The small town, 69 kilometers from Murcia, is almost as well known for the production of the noble drink as for its waste. The latter happens every year during the Jumilla wine festival, which is always held in August. On the final day, the Great Wine Parade is a neutral and somewhat misplaced name for what is, in fact, an unabashed Bacchus ritual. The locals and many visitors gather in the center in the evening to douse each other with wine. And the rules for that? Well, there are none. Participants can expect to be sprayed with wine from the left, right, front, and back. The most commonly used weapon is a plastic bottle filled with wine and some holes in the cap. This allows the 'shooters' to aim a powerful jet at others.
Anyone who thinks they can avoid getting drenched by constantly looking around might be disappointed. In Jumilla, danger also comes from above. Residents are not shy about dumping buckets of wine from their balconies onto the heads of unsuspecting attendees. In the parade, 15 floats from various bodegas in the area ensure a constant supply of wine. Everyone can refill their plastic bottles at one of the many thousand-liter plastic barrels.
While Jumilla sings, dances, and celebrates, letting roughly 60,000 liters of their main export product flow through the streets, it all happens in good harmony. Ambulances parked on the edge of the cordoned-off area rarely need to respond. And those who are still thirsty after the 'wine battle' can quench their thirst with an extra sip at the fountain in the center. That day, even the fountain spits wine instead of water.
The wine showers in Jumilla are the culmination of ten days of festivities. People who appreciate wine for other reasons can participate in a series of activities in the preceding days, focusing on grape growing, harvesting, pressing, and everything related to wine production. Wine tasting is also on the program. With the difference that your clothes will survive this day.
