Another fun fiesta/food fight the night before La Tomatina
Spain has so many wine regions. There’s the famous La Rioja, the less famous, but better, Priorat; the fortified wine known as sherry can only come from Jerez, kind of like a champagne from Champagne kind of deal. One of the lesser known Spanish wine regions is not far from Valencia, on the highway to Madrid. The region is called Requena-Utiel and the overlooked wines from here are world class. It’s also home to the Water and Wine Festival (fight) that takes place the night before La Tomatina.
The Water and Wine Festival is called Noche de la Zurra by the Requena locals. It’s an all-nighter of dancing in the streets, following marching bands, while the townsfolk throw water on you from their balconies. There are also little farm tractors driving around spraying red wine into people’s mouths. This goes on all night, winding around the hillside town’s narrow streets.
Earlier in the evening, at 10pm, the town and its visitors crowd into the bullfighting ring, where they watch foolhardy and intoxicated individuals put themselves in front of fast, juvenile bulls and quite often end up flipped in the air by them. They will then drown their sorrows and/or numb the pain by imbibing in the great, free wine that’s on offer around the town.
The Requena Water and Wine Festival has been going on since 1948, and acts as a way to celebrate the beginning of the wine harvest in the area. The festival always takes place on the last Tuesday night in August, coinciding perfectly with nearby Buñol’s La Tomatina, which is the morning of the last Wednesday.
Stoke Travel runs option tours from our La Tomatina campsite and hotel to Requena for the Water and Wine Festival. We’ll get you there in time for the bullring shenanigans and back so you can have a couple of hours sleep before the tomato fight. Lack of sleep is almost essential at this event, and it’s only for one (two? three?) days. If you want to see more cultural fiestas in Spain, the Water and Wine Festival of Requena is the perfect opportunity to do so.
The Water and Wine Festival is on the last Tuesday of August, and Requena is one hour from Valencia. Stoke Travel has hotel and campsite stays for La Tomatina that feature our world-famous campsite parties and all-you-can-drink beer and sangria bar.
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