There are those who spend a fortune restoring their hair, others who shave straight to get ahead of nature, and then there’s Villafranca del Cid, where losing hair is a reward. This inner city of Castellon is looking for its own Bruce Willis, its faithful Zidane: on November 21, a dinner will be held to crown Mr. Calvo 2026 at the El Forne gastro bar. At Villafranca, the headliner is a bald guy.
The owner insists that this is a party open to everyone, regardless of what each person has on their shoulders. All will be able to boast a roof terrace with views. If we had beauty pageants and even Elvis impersonators, it was clear that there was only one person missing to celebrate what happens when hair talent drops. If Julius Caesar’s crown is an image problem, here the crown is worn by Mr. Calvo.
How was it planned? Festa dels Calvos (and entourage) have left the bar counter. Regular customers suggested it and the owners, Elia Roig and Ruben Bo, polished it until it became an event. The establishment opened in the spring of 2025 in a building with a 13th-century stone communal hearth, formerly an inn which was closed. It is a classic of the area. In fact, their agenda already includes Pintxos Day, Halloween, Carnival, Oktoberfest and Christmas. If it works, they will repeat and crown a bald head every year.
Moreover, it seems to be a good initiative against the (capillary?) population. Villafranca has about 2,000 residents and tourism includes motorcyclists, cyclists and hikers. But its historic Marie Claire hosiery factory announced it would close in 2023 with about 190 layoffs, and it hasn’t budged since. In this landscape, a bar that gives a reason to leave the house on a Saturday in November is a good meeting point. And it is impossible to get lost: the place is located on one of the main arteries of the city.
what’s on the menu Dinner will cost 32 euros. Includes a main course to choose between starters, bread, baked sea bream and grilled meat and dessert or coffee. Looks like you can be bald but not vegetarian; At least there won’t be Rodilla sandwiches. Space is limited and must be reserved by phone. The store has already bought gifts, hats and wigs. Those without hair can use wigs and those with long hair can try on hats. Jury criteria are not public, but democratic brilliance, aerodynamics and dignity are expected.
It’s not the first. In Allo (Navarra) the patron saint of bald people has their own day during the festival. The local group is already in its seventeenth international concentration and the program includes lunch, a round of cups, the baptism of new bald men in Hoyo de la Fuente and a fraternity meal.
In Sant Boi de Llobregat, a municipality belonging to Barcelona, a lottery administration celebrates Calvos Fest. Participants pass the tithe over their heads, knowing that rubbing the bald spot brings good luck or, at least shows. A hairdresser shaved anyone who wanted to join, and this is the only documented case of a business making money by balding both ends. The tradition, however, is common throughout Latin America.
The sands of the world are coming together. I wanted to reverse how far ambition has taken this planet and I came across the Tsuruta Bald Club, which has been meeting in Japan since 1989. Their big test is a tug-of-war with suction cups attached to their heads. It’s amazing. In the United States, John T. Capps III founded the Bald-Headed Men of America in 1972 after being turned down for a job because of his appearance. Smooth heads are rewarded at their convention. Shaving is prohibited, you will be waxed like a cuttlefish.
As you can read, many noble causes. St. Baldrick’s Foundation hosts shaving event for childhood cancer research. That’s a total of about 190,500 skulls and more than $118 million. In Philadelphia, Bald Fest went viral in 2025 and inspired, they say, Don Armando Christian Perez, aka the omniscient pitbull, to gather 22,141 bald people in Hyde Park and achieve a Guinness record.
They tried to overcome it: on July 18, the largest gathering of bald people was attempted in Berlin. But no luck: its organizer explains that he saw a concentration of redheads and smurfs, but not a single bald one.
head question Fortunately or otherwise, according to a clinic survey of 4,284 people, Spain boasts the country with the most bald people: 44.5% men. This is not official information, but the line already fills a bar for those who recognize themselves in it. Because today everyone knows something about finasteride (its effects last as long as treatment), minoxidil (in 2024, 89.1% of dermatologists surveyed prescribed oral minoxidil for men) and dutasteride. Some dermatologists admit that many men take it without supervision.
The transplant has become a wardrobe secret and a strong business: the 2025 census of the ISHRS (Society of Hair Surgeons) recorded 20% more patients per surgeon than in 2021. 95% of those undergoing surgery for the first time are between the ages of 20 and 35 and 90% feel more attracted. Insparya, the Portuguese chain as partner and visible face of Cristiano Ronaldo, opened in Madrid in 2019 and added 9 million sales and 1,500 patients in its first 9 months. Today it boasts 15 clinics in 5 countries and more than 80,000 patients, and its Riyadh clinic, opened in October 2025, surpassed 550 patients in its first year.
We have already documented that about 80% of men and 40% of women suffer from androgenic alopecia throughout their lives. Science seeks a cure in an international competition with a Spanish team, a drug for arthritis and a laboratory funded by Google. Its lead researcher sees the product on the market before 2030. Until then, Villafranca offers dinner and a statue to those who don’t cover their crowns. Let us honor Kozak, Yul Brynner, Captain Picard, Colina or Don Limpio, all illustrious and inimitable.
Depositphotos cover/Zurijeta
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