botellón

What it means

1. 1.

   A large open-air gathering where young people drink in a square or park before going out, chiefly because it is far cheaper than a bar.

Examples with translations

• Quedamos para el botellón en el parque a las once.

  We're meeting for drinks in the park at eleven.

• El ayuntamiento ha prohibido el botellón en el centro.

  The council has banned outdoor drinking in the centre.

  Note: It is regulated or banned in most Spanish cities, which has not made much difference.

Where it comes from

Augmentative of botella, 'bottle' — literally 'big bottle'. The practice and the word both date to the 1990s, and the phenomenon is specific enough to Spain that the word has no real equivalent.

First attested: 1990s