La Banyà in La Torre de les Maçanes
La Banyà is the best-known event of the Mare de Déu dels Fadrins festivities in La Torre de les Maçanes, Alicante: a large water fight open to residents and visitors.
Date and time
It takes place every 15 August at 1 pm, during festivities normally held in the week of 15 August.
How it is celebrated
Participants throw water over one another with buckets and other containers. The Town Council notes a distinctive rule: people should wear clothes or fancy dress, not swimwear. The large gathering turns the municipality's streets into a shared play space.
The Fadrins festivities
La Banyà belongs to the Mare de Déu dels Fadrins celebration, traditionally organised by the town's unmarried young men. The festival cycle combines paella and fancy-dress competitions, a sardine meal, a mascletà, music, Valencian pilota, theatre and religious observances, although the exact programme changes each year.
See also the festivals in La Torre de les Maçanes.
Participation
The event is open to everyone and brings together residents, festers and visitors. The water fight is the high point and most recognisable feature of the municipality's summer festivities.