This Granada town floods its streets with water guns and buckets this June.

If there's any Andalusian town whose name is linked to water, it's undoubtedly Lanjarón . This Granada town, with just under four thousand inhabitants and the gateway to the Alpujarra , not only has a well-known spa visited by people from all over Spain; as if that weren't enough, there's a brand of mineral water bearing its name, and a factory on the outskirts where it's bottled.

This connection is likely the reason why the Water Festival, also known as the Water Race, has been held there since 1980. It coincides with the local festivities in honor of San Juan and takes place every June 23rd. The festival has already been declared of Tourist Interest in Andalusia.

They say it all began with the custom of washing one's face on the night of San Juan, the shortest night of the year. On the coast, it's usually done with seawater, but in Lanjarón, since that wasn't possible, they used the fountains . Like many other things, what started as a small-scale event evolved into a full-blown festival. Water is still the star, of course, but now it's on a grand scale.

The participants— around five thousand in recent years—come armed with any suitable container for storing water: balloons, buckets, guns, and so on. Children, young people, and adults alike enjoy the fun atmosphere. Years ago, the good custom of collecting the water thrown into the lower part of the village, like a dam, was adopted to prevent it from being lost and to use it for irrigation. It has rained this year, and water from the melting snow in the Sierra Nevada is still arriving, but it's not a question of wasting something so precious.

The festival begins in the morning with activities aimed primarily at the little ones, although strictly speaking it must be said that at that time the main attraction is not water but another typical product of the area, Alpujarra ham, which arrives from the numerous drying sheds located in nearby places such as Pitres or Trevélez .

There, a ham is given away, but you have to work for it. It's placed on top of a metal pole, greased to make it slippery . The first person to reach the top, take it down, and return it to the ground in one piece wins. The record is 40 seconds, but it must be said that many fail in the attempt; it's not easy.

As night approaches, the battle begins. It's sometimes referred to as a water race, but it's not really a competition . It's called that because people race to throw water at others or to avoid getting soaked, which is something that ends up happening anyway. This Monday the 23rd, temperatures are expected to stay below 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit), so the risk of catching a cold is minimal.

There's not just water: there's also dancing, music—especially from disc jockeys—and, of course, fireworks , which is what San Juan Night is for. It lasts as long as the body can handle, although the most tradition-loving among us save our strength to attend the following morning's pilgrimage in honor of San Juan Bautista, the patron saint of Lanjarón.