The tiny town of Nueva Londres, Caaguazú, holds its fiestas patronales every January. But it’s not the displays of horsemanship or bravado in the bullring that pull in the crowds. Instead, visitors are drawn to the event on the final day: an all-out rave that sees thousands of revellers rolling around in slicks of thick, reddish dirt.

The origins of the Fiesta del Tujú (The Mud Party), dating back to the distant 1970s, are shrouded in mystery. Some say a group of friends got drunk and started showering each other with beer. Others claim that rain forced the cancellation of the bullfight, leading spectators to engage in grappling in the muck. Nowadays, a fire truck from nearby Coronel Oviedo provides the water, soaking attendees and forming a giant puddle.

The crowd does the rest: dancing, performing sliding tackles, and chucking handfuls of orange clay at each other. Public figures are increasingly using the festival as a platform to showcase their grounded qualities. Miguel Prieto, the mayor of Ciudad del Este and a potential 2028 presidential contender, visited in January, while the British ambassador encountered difficulties last year. “The Paraguayan Londoners” - he wrote - “know how to party.”

According to theparaguaypost.com