What Happens at La Tomatina: At around 11 AM many trucks haul the bounty of tomatoes into the center of the town, Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive. Technically the festival does not begin until one brave soul has climbed to the top of a two-story high, greased-up wooden pole and reached the coveted ham at the top. In practice this process takes a long time and the festival starts despite no one reaching the meaty prize. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of water cannons, and the chaos begins. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself.
After an one hour the fighting ends. At this point, no more tomatoes can be thrown. The cleaning process involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets, with water provided from a Roman aqueduct. The authorities seem more concerned with cleaning the town than cleaning the visitors, so some people find water at the Bunol River to wash themselves, although some kind residents will hose passers-by down. Once the tomato pulp is flushed, the ground is clean due to the acidity of the tomato.
La Tomatina, is a Spanish festival held in the Valencian town of Buñol, in the East of Spain. In this particular festival participants come from all over the world to get involved in harmless fight where more than one hundred metric tons of over ripe tomatoes are thrown in the street.
The annual ‘Tomatina’ battle, which has become major tourist attraction, about 160 tons of tomatoes are dumped by the trucks for around 20,000 participants in the town of Buñol.
The fight normally lasts for an hour, after which the town square is covered with tomato debris.
There are various theories which includes that it began with local food fight among friends, a practical joke on a bad musician, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade and many more.
There is a short list of instructions for the safety measures which is needed to be followed i.e. not to throw bottles or hard objects, not to rip T-shirts, tomatoes to squash before throwing on other participants, a safe distance has to maintained from trucks and after the second starter pistol shot one must stop throwing tomatoes.
The streets are then hosed down by fire trucks and participants often use hoses provided by the locals to remove the tomatoes from their bodies.
The tomato fight festival La Tomatina has been strong tradition in Bunol since 1945. There is no certainty of the fact how the tradition of this festival began.
Every year on Wednesday towards the end of August this weeklong festival begins which features music, dance, parades, and fireworks. For the participants a paella cooking festival is organized a night before the tomato fight.
Without knowing the origin of the tradition, it has kept repeating year after year as it is enjoyed so much. As said to be ‘the world’s biggest food fight’, this iconic food fiesta celebrates its 72nd anniversary and has become a major draw for foreigners particularly from the United States, Britain and Japan.
A reveller lies in tomato pulp during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ tomato food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain on August 28, 2019.
A reveller sits in tomato pulp during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain on August 28, 2019.
Revellers throw tomatoes during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain on August 28, 2019.
Revellers throw tomatoes during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain on August 28, 2019.
Revellers throw tomatoes during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ food fight festival in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain on August 28, 2019.
Revellers throw tomatoes at each other during the annual ‘La Tomatina’, tomato fight fiesta in the village of Bunol near Valencia, Spain on August 28, 2019.
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