How do you say “Paint the town red” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is irse de juerga, which literally means “to go off partying”. English speakers use paint the town red to mean to go out and celebrate noisily or enthusiastically. A close informal equivalent for going out to have a lively time. It is especially familiar in Spain. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
irse de juerga
/ˈiɾse ðe ˈxweɾɣa/
- Literal meaning
- “to go off partying”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
This phrase describes the outing directly. Music, dancing or bars may be involved, but you do not need to list them for the meaning to be clear.
“Irse de parranda” is another option in many Spanish-speaking places. Both are livelier than simply going out for dinner.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
After our final exam, we went out to paint the town red.
Spanish
Después del último examen, nos fuimos de juerga.
English
She wants to paint the town red for her thirtieth birthday.
Spanish
Quiere irse de juerga para celebrar que cumple treinta años.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01