Seville's government tries to control world famous outdoor parties.
“Excuse me, I’d like a bottle of rum please,” she requested in Spanish with a thick American accent. The man behind the counter nodded and reached up to grab a medium sized bottle. Arms full of ingredients, she gratefully dumped them on the counter and fished for her wallet in her purse. With a satisfied smile, she walked out of the store and headed to the river to meet her friends. Let the botellón begin.
The riverbank in front of Calle Betis is peppered with groups of partiers. Americans and Spaniards of a variety of ages stand crowded around their pile of goodies, talking and laughing. A couple leans against the wall, locked in a passionate embrace. A few feet away, a Spanish boy who looks to be about 17 pretends to push one of his friends into the river while he isn’t looking. Cups in hand, the atmosphere buzzes with excitement as the botelloners get ready for a night on the town.
Botellón is a key part of the Spanish nightlife for young people between the ages of 16 and 24. Botellón, which literally translated means “big bottle,” is the practice of drinking previously purchased alcohol in the street. Groups of friends pitch in to buy a bottle of liquor, a bag of ice, and a bottle of soda to share in order to get drunk before they go out for the night.
CIEE student Kelsey McWhirter begins most of her nights out with a trip to the Dia supermarket by her Triana home. “Drinks get expensive,” she says “Its much cheaper to begin the night by botellóning and then heading to a bar or a club.”
Botellón is illegal in many cities, however it is a tradition that is still revered throughout Spain, usually during the spring and summer months. It is especially popular in southern cities like Seville, which used to be famous for its botellóning. In 2004, 70,000 people gathered in Seville for what’s called a “macro-botellón.” Again in 2006, 5,000 people congregated for a macro-botellón that attracted media attention from around the world.
In December of 2006 however, the Ayuntamiento in Seville tried to put a stop to it. They passed a law banning public drinking in the streets. The noise, trash, security and underage drinking were all factors in the decision to publicize this new law.
For Antonio Iglesias Esquina a homeowner in the center of Seville, noise is his biggest concern. “They’re out there enjoying their botellón, while I have work the next day. Its impossible to sleep with all that noise.” For Asuncion Martinez de la Ossa, who also lives in the center, trash is the problem. “I don’t have to hear the noise because I don’t live near a plaza where kids gather to Botellón, but the trash they leave behind is unbearable.” Over 20 thousand pounds of trash was picked up after the most recent macro-botellón.
But the Botellón still continues. On Friday, March 27th, 12,000 participated in a macro-botellón in Seville celebrating the beginning of spring. Word of the party was spread through the Spanish version of Myspace or Facebook, called “Tuenti.”
Since Botellón was outlawed, lawbreakers can now be punished with a ticket of around 300 Euros if caught drinking in the streets. But how well is the law actually enforced? Macro-botellón are clearly not a thing of the past, and hundreds of young people botellón in places like Plaza Salvador and along the banks of the Guadalquivir River each night without receiving a ticket. When asked about the law, one local police officer said “Yeah, it’s illegal, but go ahead and do it, especially if you’re a foreigner. If you get caught just say you didn’t know about the law and you won’t get a ticket.”
McWhirter says that as a student studying abroad, she actually feels encouraged to take part. “Before coming to Seville, all you hear and read about is people botellóning. Everyone says that its illegal, but that nobody actually cares enough to enforce the law.”
Discover Seville is a student travel company that takes American students to places like Portugal and Morocco. They also provide students with information covering everything from gym memberships to nightlife. On their website they describe the practice of Botellón. “Botellón is a Sevillian tradition that we hope will never die. Although it was outlawed in December of 2006, when the warm weather returns to Seville, there’s a good chance that botellón will too!” They then proceed to tell students where to buy the alcohol, how to ask for it in Spanish, and even explain how to put the ice in the glass without breaking it. “There’s nobody really telling us not to do it,” says McWhirter, “Something like this would not fly in the United States. The police would break it up faster than you can imagine.”
Legally, the United States and Spain take drastically different approaches when it comes to the control of alcoholic beverages. The law in the US states that a person must be 21 years old to buy or consume any kind of alcohol, and that they must provide valid identification before doing so. In Spain, a person must be 18 years old to buy or consume alcohol, yet identification is rarely asked for.
However, despite the differences in the law, the drinking culture for teens and young adults is more or less the same. American high school and college students have also found a more economical way of drinking. They participate in a practice called “pre-gaming.” Pre-gaming is where groups of friends gather at one person’s house to get drunk before they go out to a party, bar or club. Everyone chips in to buy a bottle of alcohol to share. They do this to avoid buying expensive drinks throughout the night.
Obtaining alcohol is much easier in Spain for the underage set than in the United States. “I can usually buy my own alcohol,” says 15-year-old Bea Iglesias Martinez. “Usually not in the supermarkets, but in the Chino stores, nobody cares how old you are.” A recent study done by the Organization of Consumers and Users in Spain reported that 81% of minors in Spain are able to buy Beer when they order it, and 67% are able to purchase Whiskey. Whereas 20-year-old McWhirter says that buying underage in the US is nearly impossible. “I’m not 21 yet, and so I’ve never been able to buy my own alcohol. It got easier as more of my friends turned 21, but they ID you everywhere. They’re very strict.”
Although the city is still trying to get rid of botellón, Antonio says that despite the noise, it’s not all bad. “I think that economically it is better. It is much cheaper for everyone to pitch in and buy a bottle together than to pay a lot of money for drinks at a bar.” His solution to the noise problem is simple, “I wish that the city would designate an area for botellón on the outskirts of the city. That way the younger people could drink together, not spend a ton of money, and have fun without bothering anybody.” Asuncion agrees. “I don’t have a problem with botellón, as long as everyone picks up their trash when they’re done.”
