La Tomitina!!!! The funniest food fight you'll ever have with 20,000-50,000 people from numerous countries like UK, Australia, Japan, India, and even peeps from Hawaii that come together for one thing! Tossing over 100,000 tomatoes at each other and having the best time of their lives! You have to add this to your bucket list, it's a must do! read more

La Tomatina is the annual tomato throwing festival in a little town called Bunol, an hour out of Valencia. A must-do for any traveller into experiencing the weird and wonderful! Here's the history from what I learnt: It all apparently started in 1945 at a festival when a group of young people grabbed tomatoes from a nearby stall and started a harmless food fight. Police came and stopped the troublemakers, ending the battle. A year later and each year onwards, locals returned on the same day in August, taking tomatoes for their own version of La Tomatina. In the 50s it was officially banned but villagers continued and got locked up in jail. In '59 the council allowed the event to take place after public demonstrations for it, but they introduced rules, such as how the food fight was to begin. It all involved a greasy pole and a ham, by this I mean a full little pig, dead and hanging from the top of the pole. It was not until the locals retrieved the ham from the top that the food fight could start. By 1980 tomatoes were being provided by the city council and the international participants began to grow. Last year there were 30,000. Viva La Tomatina! My story: Sarah and I went nuts with the other 30,000 people, we fought our way to the top of the street where we could see the greasey pole, which meant we were in the very thick of it, and then pushed back out a bit where we had some breathing space. The crowd followed each other and so did we, chanting Ole! Ole!, clapping and singing. The locals had begun the one-sided water fight, drenching us with buckets of water and hoses from their balconies, and we just shouted for more! Crazy Spanish guys were ripping shirts off any males that crossed their path with a shirt on, no one got past alive! I watched as Trev, Joycey and Erin came battling through the crowd, and in one fell swing Trevor had lost his shirt ripped to shreds. It is a rule that you not tear t-shirts but one that cannot be controlled in such a mad craze. The crowd went wild when the horn went off to signify the ham had been got and the trucks of tomatoes would soon be making their slow path through the crowds to dump tomatoes at our feet. It took another fifteen minutes for the trucks to push through the crowds to grace us with its load. You can imagine all the people who had squished into this 20 foot wide street then had to squish into four foot on either side of the truck! They came, they dumped, they rolled on out again. And it was war. Tomatoes were going in every which direction, and I soon lost Sarah amongst wiping the tomato acid from my eyes, pelting tomatoes at random people and staying afloat. The water and the squished tomatoes turned into a pulpy puree of salsa about six inches deep. It got so tight at times that I couldn't even reach down to get tomatoes so i just jumped up and down splashing them everywhere, grabbing handfuls off the ground and sending them anywhere. Afterwards I was exhausted and out of it. I got one of the locals to hose me down a bit, the final ritual of the festival, and kind of felt like a footy player after a rain-struck match being pummelled about. A hose was pulled over an old factory so I lined up to remove the majority of tomatoes from my hair that had dried and gone crusty in the heat. I wasn't without my battlescars - both shoulders have bruises, I got a tomato in the eye, I banged up my bad ankle with everyone stepping on it, and after a few days Lija and I both came out in tomato rash from all the acid. I read somewhere that the town of Bunol sparkles after La Tomatina because the acid is a natural cleaner and they don't touch it again until the following year. How true? read more

See all

The week long festival features music, parades, dancing, and fireworks. On the night before the tomato fight, participants of the festival compete in a paella cooking contest. Approximately 30,000 people come to the tomato fight, multiplying by several times Buñol's normal population of 9,000. There are not many accommodations for people who come to La Tomatina , and thus many participants stay in Valencia and travel by bus or train to Buñol, about 38 km outside the city. In preparation for the dirty mess that will ensue, shopkeepers cover their storefronts in order to protect them from the carnage. At around 11 a .m., the first event of the Tomatina begins. A ham is placed upon a cockaigne pole (a large, greased pole), and the tomato fight can begin only when someone is able to climb to the top and bring it down. People struggle against each other, climbing atop one another, in order to be the one to pull down the ham. With this victory, the tomato-throwing begins. 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. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of the cannon, and the chaos begins. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself. Those who partake in this event are strongly encouraged to wear protective safety goggles and gloves. In addition, they must squish the tomatoes before throwing for safety precautions. Another rule is that no one is allowed to bring into this fight anything that may provoke someone into a more serious brawl, such as a glass bottle. It is highly frowned upon to tear someone else's clothing. Somewhere between an hour and two hours, the fighting ends and the cannon is fired once more to signal the end. At this point no more tomatoes can be thrown. The best time I have ever had!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

La Tomatina - Good times with friends and made a lot more friends lmao - Festivals Near Me

This is an unforgettable experience that is best spent w friends. Biggest food fight with tomatoes!!

I have never laughed so hard and feared for my life in one day! Most people were kind with their tomato throwing but some were looking for blood.. Haha! Wear clothes you don't care about because you'll end up throwing it away. Also wear some sort of eye protection. I saw a lot of red eyes! All in all it was good hilarious fun! People came dressed in costumes and there was plenty of food and drinks both alcoholic and non to purchase at very reasonable prices. The locals were ever so kind and hosed you down after the fight. You can choose to do a group tour, drive yourself or take the train to Bunol. It was definitely a life experience I'll never forget. Add it to your bucket list! But for me personally... Once is enough and guaranteed never to be forgotten! 2013 is the first year an entrance was charged. Every euro is worth it! read more

See all

This must be one of the craziest things I have ever done in my life. 30,000 people cramming into a tiny town to throw tomatoes at each other. It is fantastic fun though to be involved in a massive food fight - but be warned that if you are in close to the greasy pole in the centre of the town - it does get rough and is not really for the faint hearted. The best part is when the fight ends and everyone trudges through the town tomatoes everywhere and all the townspeople lean out of their windows to hose you down so you can get back on the train. Check the bunol website to see when La Tomatina will be each year as the date changes but usually it is the end of August. read more

Hold the tomato I guess this is not the event for me as I always say hold those things. They are not even good on a sandwich of course thats just my opinion. Is the bull thing next? Glad you guys are having a good time and thanks for sharing. Be safe. Thanks La Tomatina (http://www.whatisguide.net/0209-la-tomatina.html) read more

The festival is dedicated to "Mother of God of the Defenceless". the celebration is for a week which includes Parades, music and Paella. Tomatoes supply are free. This Festivals (http://www.travelworth.com/category/festivals) sound's weird but it is a great fun but on the other hand this is a waste of tomatoes. I mean this is the waste of natural resources. read more