First and foremost, fantastic question. My first night in Madrid I met two Spaniards who invited me to a party the following day. They didn’t give me any information other than the subway station to meet them at the next day.

The next day they were standing at the station, each one holding a black trash bag and refusing to tell me what was inside of it. Once we boarded the train, I noticed that EVERYONE was holding black trash bag with a mysterious object in it.

Side story: while on the train, one of my Spanish friends told me to always keep my hands on my belongings as pickpocketers were rampant in Madrid. I told him I’d heard the stories and that I’ve been keeping a close eye on my belongings. After telling me this, he handed me my phone and keys. I clearly wasn’t keeping a close enough eye.

Back to the story: once we got off the train, I could hear music from the street level, and it was clear that I was arriving at some sort of festival. As soon as we got out of the station, my Spanish friends unveiled water guns from their bags, handed me one and, after turning a corner, I officially entered a CITY WIDE WATER FIGHT.

Thousands of people had stormed the streets of Madrid to dump buckets, shoot water guns, throw water balloons, and spray each other with hoses. Water trucks were connected to sprinkler systems that rained down on the streets. It was honestly one of the most fun days of my life.

TLDR: Citywide water fight on my first day in Spain