La Tomatina is a food fight festival held every year on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, a small town close to Valencia. The festival attracts over 40,000 people and is known as the biggest food fight in the world. Over 125 tons of ripe tomatoes provided by the town hall are thrown in the streets where people, locals and tourists alike, are allowed to fight for exactly one hour on that day.

What happens in Buñol on that day?

The festivities begin at around 11 a.m. on the main square of Buñol, the Plaza del Pueblo. Before the tomato fight starts, someone has to climb up a greased-up wooden pole, called the “palo jabón”, which has a ham on top. This person has to reach the ham and drop it off the pole before the tomato fight can begin. Usually this takes a while because of the difficulties that the brave volunteers are experiencing even though the dancing and singing crowd are trying to support them as best as possible. Once the ham is caught, a water shot is fired in the air and the tomatoes are distributed from big trucks. For one hour 40.000 people pelt tomatoes at each other, transforming the streets into one big playground full of tomato pulp. After one hour a second water shot is fired and the festival is over.

The History of the World’s Biggest Food Fight

It all started in 1945, when a few people began to throw tomatoes at their enemies during a political protest. The participants got arrested and the fight ended. Exactly one year later, on the same day in August, some young people from the village came together in the towns square and pelted each other with tomatoes. The police brought an end to the battle but the idea for “La Tomatina” stuck. What would later be known as the world’s biggest food fight was born and from that time on the people of Buñol started fighting for the legalization of the festival. Even though the event was banned in the 50′s by the City Council of Buñol, people kept on demonstrating and protesting until the festival was finally legally permitted in 1959. Since 1980 the town hall has organized and promoted the street party, provided the participants with tons of tomatoes and set the rules for the fight.

The Rules for Participants

- Do not bring bottles or hard objects as they can cause accidents and hurt other participants.
- Do not rip other people’s T-shirts.
- You must squash the tomatoes before throwing them as this reduces the impact.
- Ensure you keep a safe distance from the lorries.
- As soon as you hear the second shot, you must stop throwing tomatoes.

 

For more information have a look at the official website of La Tomatina! Have you already participated in the festival or are you planning on going there? Share your “Tomatina-Experience” with us and leave a comment!

Wherever you are, enjoy your time!!!

la tomatina, spanish culture, spanish festivals, valencia