La Tomatina Tomato Fight, Buñol
La Tomatina is a tomato fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Buñol in the region of Valencia. Tens of thousands of participants come from all over the world to fight in the brutal tomatoe battle where more than 125 tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.
The week-long festival features music, parades, dancing, and fireworks. On the night before the one hour tomato fight, participants of the festival compete in a paella cooking contest. It is tradition for the women to wear all white and the men to wear no shirts.
This traditional battle of tomatoes has been held for 64 years and is dedicated to San Luis Beltran and the Virgin of the Helpless.
At around 10 a.m., the first event of the Tomatina begins. The first feat is for the crowd to figure out how to get people to climb up a greased pole with a ham at the top. While this is happening, the group works up a frenzy singing and dancing while being showered from hoses. Once someone is able to release the ham from the pole, several trucks haul the bounty of tomatoes into the center of the town, Plaza del Pueblo.
A water cannon is fired to signal the beginning of the fight and the fun begins. Those who take part in this event must squash the tomatoes to soften them before throwing them for safety precautions. After exactly one hour, the fighting ends when the water cannons are fired once more to signal the end.
The cleaning process involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets, with water provided from a Roman aqueduct, washing the tomato juice into a local stream. Two hours after the event and there is little evidence of the preceding chaos.
Where to Stay
Approximately 20,000 – 50,000 tourists come to witness or take part inthe tomato fight, several times Buñol's normal population of slightly over 9,000. There is limited accommodation for people who come to La Tomatina, and most participants choose to stay in Valencia and travel by bus or train to Buñol.
Many choose Valencia hostel accommodation or check out some great deals on hotels in Valencia
On the morning of the festival trains run from Valencia Central Station at eight minutes past the hour, which is 38km from Buñol, (check at www.renfe.es). There is no need to book tickets in advance and the journey takes 50 minutes.
Getting There
Your best booking a flight to Valencia.
Check her if you are thinking of hiring a car, booking a train ticket or booking a bus ticket from Valencia to Buñol.
Rules of La Tomatina
The following rules have been set down by the Bunyol Town Council:
- It is illegal to bring any kind of bottles or other objects that could cause an accident.
- You must not tear t-shirts.
- Tomatoes must be crushed before throwing so they don't hurt anybody on impact.
- You must be careful to avoid the lorries which carry the tomatoes into town.
- As soon as you hear the 2nd cannon firing you must stop throwing tomatoes.
La Tomatina, Tomato Throwing Festival, Buñol