Confectionery Festivals

Food fights are a feature of many culinary festivals in Spain. When the participants in La Merengada in Vilanova i la Geltrú—part of Carnival celebrations in late February or early March—run out of meringue pies to throw at each other, they substitute candies. A similar rite occurs in many Andalusian towns, including the regional capital, Seville, which holds the Cabalgata de Reyes Magos (Arrival of the Magi) festival on 23 December. Participants throw candies from floats, as they do during many Carnival festivals throughout the world. See carnival.