Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Here's everything you need to know about Spain's La Tomatina La Tomatina is a Spanish festival held annually in Buñol Spain where participants throw tomatoes at each other It’s said to be the biggest food fight in the world and it brings thousands of tourists to the region after a fight broke out between two groups of teenage boys during a parade in the town The festival takes place during the last Wednesday of August This year’s festival takes place on 28 August 2024 Here is everything you need to know about La Tomatina Witness History is history as remembered by the people who were there Listen to the BBC World Service podcast now on BBC Sounds Listen to 'Spain's La Tomatina' on BBC Sounds a fight broke out during a cultural parade “There was a parade of costumes with big hats made of cardboard depicting historical figures,” Valencian history teacher Enric Cuenca Yxeres told Witness History “The council had to decide between two groups of young people who would wear the costumes “I suppose the boys who didn’t get chosen were angry a heated argument started and one of the big hats ended up on the floor “One of the boys – we will never know which – grabbed a tomato and the tomato fight started.” One of the boys involved with the fight was Goltran Zanon told Witness History: “They didn't have bad intentions “Today you have so many options of things to do for fun but back then there was hunger and poverty “Franco's regime was very strict so I think that this was a rebellion against the council The following year the council cancelled the parade to avoid conflict the boys decided to go anyway and brought lots of tomatoes with them “They brought tomatoes from home and repeated the experience year after year until one year the council provided a lorry with tomatoes and it became a very famous celebration,” said Maria La Tomatina was banned by Spanish dictator Franco in 1957 because he believed it had no religious significance They had the hats that people used to wear when they attended a funeral “They made a coffin and they must have been growing a huge tomato because they put it in the coffin And then they marched to the council with a band playing funeral music.” a specific time limit and the obligation for participants to clean up after the festival (Photo: The funeral procession after La Tomatina was banned Goltran Zanon started Spain's huge annual tomato-throwing festival in 1945 the council of Buñol began charging a small fee which helps them purchase over 120 tons of tomatoes for the festival The maximum capacity of the festival is 22,000 “There are six or seven lorries that unload tomatoes at different points on the route to make sure they are available for everyone,” Maria said you’re left with a mountain of tomatoes and people jump on it and begin to fight.” (Photo: Truck delivering tomatoes during La Tomatina The festival begins at 12:00 (CEST) and finishes an hour later when the participants hear the shot of the second warning firework You’re not allowed to throw bottles or any other hard objects and participants are told to squash the tomatoes before they throw them You can hear Maria Jose Zanon’s full interview with Stefania Gozzer on BBC World Service's Witness History on BBC Sounds - 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find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt In a chaotic display of tomato-flinging frenzy 22,000 revellers joyfully bombarded each other during Spain's annual "La Tomatina" street showdown in the charming eastern town of Buñol Tracing its origins back to a spontaneous food skirmish among local children in 1945 culminates each year on the final Wednesday of August Gaining significant media coverage during the 1980s propelled it into a worldwide phenomenon now attracting attendees from across the globe Here are some of the best pictures from this year's food fight extravaganza The work requires prior reconnaissance to delimit the affected areas and secure the land where the footbridges will be installed The work being carried out by the Spanish Armed Forces in the localities affected by the DANA is evolving to adapt to the new requirements of the situation bilge pumping and mud removal tasks are continuing but new capacities are being added to reconstruct the area support for infrastructures that facilitate mobility and accessibility is of great importance the EMU and the Spanish Army are already working on installing three bridges they are working together to carry out the work while the Spanish Army will be in charge of another bridge installation in Ribarroja and the EMU will handle installing another one in the town of Cheste The work involves a preliminary survey and study of the area and the structuring of the work protocol for installing the footbridges The engineers are already immersed in this new mission which is reminiscent of others that have been carried out in other places the force of the water also swept away three bridges that connected the town with surrounding municipalities the Spanish Army will once again assist in reconstructing this type of infrastructure by installing Mabey logistical support bridges capable of reaching spans of up to 81 metres with great resistance and the capacity to support large volumes of traffic They are used primarily for main supply routes replacing damaged civilian bridges and replacing temporary footbridges and general support bridges They are also used as overbridges for damaged or weakened bridges and are often deployed as part of emergency responses to natural disasters This website uses its own and third-party cookies to maintain the session, offer a better user experience and obtain statistical data on user navigation. For more information see Cookies policy This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page to hurl tomatoes at each other for the annual La Tomatina festival Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Seven trucks delivered the specially prepared tomatoes with VIP tickets to ride on the vehicles going for over $500 Best in Travel is here! Discover 2025’s destinations The 30 best countries, cities and regions to visit in 2025 Plan your trip with Elsewhere, by Lonely Planet See where a Lonely Planet Membership takes you Subscribe to our weekly newsletters to get the latest travel news, expert advice, and insider recommendations Explore the world with our detailed, insightful guidebooks Stay ahead of the curve with our guidebooks Uncover exciting new ways to explore iconic destinations Every month, we release new books into the wild Search Search Close search menu Explore Best in Travel 2024 Africa Close menu Countries Antarctica Antarctica Close menu Regions Asia Asia Close menu Countries Australia & the Pacific Australia & the Pacific Close menu Countries The Caribbean The Caribbean Close menu Countries Central America Central America Close menu Countries Europe Europe Close menu Countries Middle East Middle East Close menu Countries North America North America Close menu Countries South America South America Close menu Countries If you’ve ever wanted to be saturated with tomatoes La Tomatina is the occasion to realize that particular dream © Zowy Voeten / Getty Images it’s got to be the world’s messiest festival In Buñol, Spain – 40km (25 miles) west of Valencia – La Tomatina festival is a wild very saucy tomato-throwing spectacle that draws 20,000 produce-pitching revelers each year here’s all the information you need to squeeze the most out of this chaotic The (ticketed) mayhem takes place in Plaza del Pueblo (Buñol’s main square) and Calle Cid At around 9am the palo-jabón – a large greased pole with a ham attached to its end – is hoisted into the air A mad scramble ensues as people struggle against each other to pull it down regardless of whether someone has successfully grabbed the ham (which is rare) a firework provides a signal to parked trucks to start tipping over 100 tons of overripe anarchic tomato battle – until a second firework signals the end of play The festival dates to 1945, according to the La Tomatina website when a kerfuffle during a cultural parade in Buñol led to a market stall of vegetables falling victim to a fired-up crowd Townsfolk reportedly revived the food fight the following year After the festival was banned in the early 1950s a “tomato burial” held in protest in 1957 paved the way for La Tomatina to be recognized as an official festival the festival has been ticketed to limit total attendance to a (somewhat) manageable 20,000 Are still finding bits of tomato in your hair under your nails and between your butt cheeks for days or even weeks after the festival You can usually leave this on the coach you’ll take to Buñol; if not so you can freshen up to a degree before you get back on your bus Pack a chest strap if you’re planning to film the action with a GoPro as you’ll need your hands free for hurling tomatoes (or shielding yourself from tomatoes being lobbed at you) And a fully waterproof phone case with a sturdy neck strap for your phone – if you dare to bring it Wear old clothes and closed-in shoes with decent grip and a pair of swimming goggles to protect your eyes – that acidic tomato juice can really sting Outer layers commonly get ripped off in the fray so we recommend that women wear a tight sports bra or a crop-style bikini top and a swimsuit bottom underneath Expect the tomato tossing to last for about an hour The chaos concludes after the second firework Do...ensure your tomatoes are fully squashed before you throw them Locals join in by pelting festivalgoers with their own tomato supplies from apartments above the square Do...stop throwing tomatoes when the second firework goes off The festival ticket price includes insurance; make sure the policy provides adequate coverage for your needs Don’t...bother trying to avoid getting pelted with fruit Hoop earrings in particular: these can get ripped out You won’t be allowed to bring them into the festival area Don’t...get too close to the tomato trucks You really don’t want to get pushed under those tires Don’t...drink too much alcohol the night before (or the morning of) The stench of rotting tomatoes in the midsummer sun is no fun with a hangover drink plenty of water before you enter the festival: it gets very hot waiting around for the fun to begin shoving and ripping people’s clothing on purpose is not OK so you can just come for the (messy) day if you like Keep in mind that buses from Barcelona depart at 3:30am Bringing anything to the festival that you’re not comfortable losing Most festivalgoers who aren’t just busing in for the day spend opt to stay in Valencia You can also book hostel and hotel accommodations through the La Tomatina website if you’re keen to mingle with other attendees. A range of other operators, including Busabout consider staying in Buñol for the week-long celebration Book as early as possible to secure accommodation in town There’s no age restriction at the festival but we’d advise against bring young kids as things can get very rowdy (dozens of people get injured every year) arrange a meeting point before the festival gets underway and use a permanent marker to write your phone number on their arm/s A safer option for kids is the La Tomatina Infantil (Tomatina Kids) event (ages 4–12) held in Plaza del Pueblo the week before the main festival This year’s “mini battle,” which lasts up to 40 minutes One of the benefits of staying in Valencia is the easy access to the official after-party held in the city with tickets available from the La Tomatina website Valencia is a beautiful coastal city well worth sticking around to explore afterward The low-quality tomatoes purchased cheaply for the festival are on the turn or already rotten so they are unlikely to have had an alternative future in someone’s salad Tickets are already on sale for 2024 and will sell out – so book soon. Bookmark the official ticket site to be first in line for 2025 tickets, which go on sale several months before the annual event. One of the most internationally recognised festivals Spain's ultimate tomato throwing fiesta will take place this Wednesday 28 August in the Valencia region of the country Multiple lorries will transport more than 150 tonnes of tomatoes to Buñol where at 12 noon today the thousands of participants will use them in the famous street battle that has taken place in the town every year since 1945 apart from during the worldwide coronavirus health pandemic So where did La Tomatina de Buñol come from It all began on the last Wednesday of August 1945 with a group of young people who were hanging out in the town square to watch the parade of giants and big-heads The youths wanted to take part in it but they caused one of the bigheads to fall They began to throw all kinds of fruit and vegetables at each other until authorities put an end to the improvised battle The following year the young people returned to Buñol to repeat the altercation this time with more participants joining in and becoming more and more frenzied A demonstration in which the locals carried a coffin with a large tomato inside The parade was accompanied by a brass band playing funeral marches La Tomatina was allowed and the festival was officially established the number of participants and their enthusiasm has grown year after year led to La Tomatina de Buñol being declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest in 2002 so that the little ones could enjoy the Valencian festival as adults do without running any risks It is reserved for children from four to 14 years old and is held on the last Saturday of August It has the same rules as the original Tomatina but the children's version is free of charge Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados (“CEMEX”) (NYSE: CX) announced today that it has successfully closed the previously announced sale of its white cement business for a total consideration of approximately U.S.$155 million business activities and investments in Mexico and the United States as these are not part of the announced divestment Proceeds from this divestment will be used primarily to fund the company’s bolt-on investment growth strategy in its core businesses and geographies CEMEX assumes no obligation to update or correct the information contained in this press release This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S CEMEX intends these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements in the U.S These forward-looking statements reflect CEMEX’s current expectations and projections about future events based on CEMEX’s knowledge of present facts and circumstances and assumptions about future events as well as CEMEX’s current plans based on such facts and circumstances These statements necessarily involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from CEMEX’s expectations The content of this press release is for informational purposes only and you should not construe any such information or other material as legal Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect actual results may vary materially from those described herein to update or correct the information contained in this press release March 16, 2025e-Paper The streets of a town in eastern Spain were awash in red on Wednesday (August 28 as revellers flung overripe tomatoes at each other in a high-spirited battle royale during the traditional Tomatina festival Some 22,000 participants wearing white clothes bespattered with tomato pulp engaged in the frenzy that grips Bunol —located 40 km (25 miles) to the west of Valencia — every year in the last week of August the festival originated during a brawl that ensued in 1945 when youngsters attempting to get a closer view of a parade knocked over one of the participants Several people plucked tomatoes from a nearby stand as makeshift projectiles until police restored order with some even bringing their own tomatoes The event was briefly outlawed in the 1950s under General Francisco Franco’s fascist dictatorship but resumed in 1959 with certain rules Participants attend the annual food fight festival 'La Tomatina' in Bunol A fruit company worker helps load tomatoes that is used in the Tomatina battle a resident of Bunol who has been working on the Tomatina for 40 years Revellers throw tomatoes at each other during the "Tomatina" festival as people attend the annual tomato fight festival Revellers lie in a pool of squashed tomatoes during the festival Revellers throw tomatoes at each other during the annual "Tomatina" tomato fight fiesta A participant covered in tomato pulp looks on People clean the street after the annual "Tomatina" tomato fight fiesta Terms & conditions  |  Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments We have migrated to a new commenting platform If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in you may continue to engage with our articles If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle The TimesFor 76 years tens of thousands of revellers have descended on the Valencian town of Buñol to hurl tomatoes at each other As the 77th edition of La Tomatina invited 22,000 people spending an hour throwing 120,000 kilograms of overripe tomatoes on Wednesday officials cracked down on the growing issue of sexual harassment It is one of Spain’s most famous festivals and attracts visitors from all over the world who wear protection such as swimming goggles in the face of flying fruit Organisers have gone to special efforts to ensure all participants remain safeDIEGO CUEVAS/GETTY IMAGESIn 2011 there was a notorious incident when a female reporter was harassed live on air from the event as male participants repeatedly pinched her bottom while Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain and this is never more accurate than when you establish yourself as a foreign resident in a new country Being able to quickly familiarise yourself with the culture and customs can help ease the transition during a challenging time This is why Euro Weekly News makes it our mission to provide you with a free news resource in English that covers both regional and national Spanish news – anything that we feel you will benefit from knowing as you integrate into your new community and live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain It was in August 1945 that a number of young men attended a Giants parade in the town of Buñol (Valencia) but there was a bit of an unscheduled scuffle Suddenly the peace was shattered and members of the crowd raided a vegetable stall and started pelting each other with tomatoes until the local police brought the battle to an end various groups of friends turned up with their own tomatoes and started a tradition that was  banned for some years but in 1957 there was a formal burial of a giant tomato in a coffin accompanied by a band playing the funeral march From then on it was all systems go for the event which was recognised in 2002 as a Festivity of International Tourist Interest and takes place on the last Wednesday of August each year up to 50,000 people have descended upon Buñol and it became very difficult to control so nowadays that is a maximum of 20,000 allowed and they have to purchase a ticket costing €12 to take part even to watch The tomatoes are shipped in from Extremadura as they are cheaper than local tomatoes and in theory the event can’t start until one person climbs a greasy pole and liberates a ham but because that take so long invariably mayhem breaks out as people get hold of the red fruit and start throwing it There is one major rule which is that you should squash the tomato first so it doesn’t hurt too much and that you are only allowed to battle for one hour and then you have to stop and the town starts hosing down the streets immediately If you are thinking of going, visit https://latomatina.info/entradas/ to apply for a ticket or a number of travel agents offer a range of options including coach trips and overnight accommodation with entry Kids are not allowed to take part but they have their own event normally on the following Saturday when those aged from four to 14 can enjoy their own mini-battle (with no parents allowed in the area) for about half an hour and this is a free event with no advance booking Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain by delivering news with a social conscience we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP) Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall) All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE Download our media pack in either English or Spanish '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" Thousands of people hurled tomatoes at each other yesterday in Buñol during the famous La Tomatina food fight festival Seven trucks loaded with 120 tonnes of ripe drove past the town's main street as revellers wearing white clothes threw tomatoes at each other dozens of revellers were seen trying to climb over each other in order to reach the prized Iberian ham at the top of a slippery pole Thousands of revellers hurl tomatoes in La Tomatina food fight festival (Reuters) more than 22,000 people from across the globe descend on the small town to take part in one of the world's most famous food fights The Tomatina is said to have originated from a spontaneous bust-up amongst villagers in 1945 It was banned for a while during the 1950s at the height of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship but survived to gain popularity across Spain in the 1980s and today draws large crowds of visitors from abroad as well as Spaniards Participants attend the annual food fight festival 'La Tomatina' in Bunol Spain: Turkey-based Çimsa Çimento intends to complete its acquisition of Cemex’s Buñol white cement plant in June 2021 Local government says that the purchase agreement has been in place since 2019 but has delayed by the international nature of the deal and competition concerns Çimsa Çimento agreed to buy Cemex’s white cement business in Spain It was originally scheduled for completion in the second half of 2019 Check back in with us at any time to find out what's happening President Donald Trump is planning to put a '100% tariff' on movies produced outside of America Erica Natividad with how this may impact Canada's closely tied industry The family of an Ontario man who died in a correctional facility in 2016 is calling out the provincial government for failing to act on recommendations made in an inquest into his death The film and streaming industry is the latest area of focus for U.S President Donald Trump and his tariff strategy Jack Rabb has more on what it could mean for Vancouver’s film industry President Donald Trump is planning to put a ‘100% tariff’ on movies produced outside of America Erica Natividad with how this may impact Canada’s closely tied industry Jendhel May Sico is described as a person who lived her life to the fullest Killed in a car-ramming attack on Saturday she was celebrating the Lapu-Lapu Day festival with those she loved most — her cousin speaks to reporter Kier Junos about the day their lives changed forever Huge crowds lined the streets of Vancouver to cheer on 25,000 runners making their way around the city for the 53rd annual BMO Marathon on Sunday Andrew’s Saturday in honour of the victims of the deadly Lapu-Lapu tragedy last week The accused person in the deadly car attack at the Lapu-Lapu Day block party in Vancouver on April 26th appeared at the provincial Court of British Columbia 30-year-old Kai Ji Adam Lo appeared via video in court Four people remain in critical condition in hospital and another two remain in serious condition five days after the deadly attack at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver on April 26 Jack Rabb has more on the efforts to support the victims Listen to NewsRadio Vancouver live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts weather and video from CityNews Vancouver anywhere you are – across all Android and iOS devices Some 22,000 participants wearing white clothes bespattered with tomato pulp engaged in the frenzy that grips Bunol — located 40 km to the west of Valencia — every year in the last week of August. Seven trucks distributed 150 tons of ripe pear tomatoes to eager roisterers, many of them visiting from abroad. Non-residents pay a fee of 15 euros (S$21.72), while Bunol locals enjoy it for free. "We love tomatoes! That's why we decided to come and we had a fab time," said Taylor, who came from Australia, adding that she and her friends would "make some spaghetti to have with the sauce". The start of the hour-long fight was signalled by firecrackers ignited once one of the contenders managed to climb up a slippery pole lathered in soap to snatch a leg of ham hanging from the top. Senam, from Kenya, described the event as "beautiful, wonderful, creative, mind-blowing". After the fracas ended, a cleaning crew armed with water hoses was dispatched to remove the refuse from the town's streets, which were left gleaming thanks to the tomatoes' natural acidity. The fruits, grown specifically for the festival, are considered too sour for human consumption. According to the Tomatina's official website, the festival originated during a brawl that ensued in 1945 when youngsters attempting to get a closer view of a parade knocked over one of the participants. Several people plucked tomatoes from a nearby stand as makeshift projectiles until police restored order. The following year, youths recreated the altercation, with some even bringing their own tomatoes. The event was briefly outlawed in the 1950s under General Francisco Franco's fascist dictatorship, but resumed in 1959 with certain rules. messy secretWhat really mattersIn a world with too much noise and too little context We don’t flood you with panic-inducing headlines or race to be first We focus on being useful to you — breaking down the news in ways that inform We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today by Phil Edwards The problem with that romantic myth? Buñol doesn’t grow any tomatoes, and tickets, ranging from around $12 to $75, are sold by a company called Spaintastic The history of La Tomatina is a lot like any food fight — it’s a little bit of fun that got way out of hand It doesn’t help that La Tomatina’s beginnings are appropriately messy No one really knows how it began, and the origin story is, at best, a myth. In 1995, the Wall Street Journal provided one of the best guesses (and one of the first articles about the festival): the celebration was originally a religious one One year -- either 1944 or 1945 -- there was a tussle during a procession and some boys tossed tomatoes A few say it was prompted by village rivalries But others claim it stemmed from unhappiness with Francisco Franco’s reign following Spain’s civil war “This village was against Franco,” says Miguel Sierra Galaraza “Throwing tomatoes at the priest and mayor was a way to protest against authority.” Though banned several times in the 1950s eventually becoming the centerpiece of the town’s two-week celebration Over the years, it joined Spain’s pantheon of festivals, from the running of the bulls at Pamplona to hot-coal walking in San Pedro Manrique Buñol’s connections to tomatoes were always sloppy at best Buñol always required imported tomatoes those tomatoes came from the 500-mile-away province of Extremadura The town continues to truck in tomatoes today and even if Buñolians wanted to grow their own tomatoes they wouldn’t have enough to supply the festival That unmeetable tomato demand is part of the reason the festival had to change: Buñol couldn’t keep up with the world’s tomato-throwing fever And that transformed a local tradition into an international tourist trap In the mid-‘90s, Buñol started appearing in Western media. In addition to the 1995 Wall Street Journal article, the New York Times first covered “The Running of the Tomatoes” in 1997 (the latter cited a 1983 television broadcast as helping the tomato festival turn into a phenomenon) La Tomatina became a sort of standard-bearer for a mid-‘90s Lonely Planet aesthetic: quirky and great material for impressing all your friends back home So Buñol has had to keep up with the rapid growth of its quirky festival. Though the cost of the tomatoes had been relatively low for the town (through most of the ‘90s and ‘00s, it stayed in the mid-$10,000s), when La Tomatina’s attendance grew, so did its costs. As the Daily Telegraph reported in 2013 attendance had swelled to an unmanageable — and possibly dangerous — 50,000 people and British tourists (along with a smattering of Americans) both to reduce attendance and to pay for a hefty support staff of more than 200 people La Tomatina and other tomato fights have lost some of their quirky flair and become closely regulated by city councils are fully stocked with tomato-themed merch local pride commingles with a happy profit opportunity — Buñol is now world-famous The city of Buñol saves 5,000 La Tomatina tickets for residents to make sure they can take part But there’s one other secret about La Tomatina that might make the festival As the Wall Street Journal reported in that original 1995 article workers blast away the juice and skin using high-powered hoses It turns out that the acid from the tomatoes has a curious effect on the pavement: It makes it shine Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day VideoFeb 17, 2021The invention that fixed lighthousesIt wasn’t the light VideoDec 10, 2020How tag became a professional sportTag went from childhood game to competitive spectacle “We should not be using American diplomacy for partisan political purposes,” a State Department official critical of Pompeo’s upcoming address told Vox VideoJul 23, 2020How slow motion changed moviesSlow-mo is inescapable. Here’s how it happened. Revellers throw tomatoes at each other during the annual “Tomatina” tomato fight fiesta in the village of Bunol near Valencia The tomato fight took place once again following a two-year suspension owing to the coronavirus pandemic Spain (AP) — People from around the world pasted each other with tomatoes Wednesday as Spain’s famous “Tomatina” street tomato fight took place once again Wednesday following a two-year suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic Workers on trucks unloaded 130 tons of over-ripe tomatoes along the main street of the eastern town of Bunol for participants to throw Up to 20,000 people were to take part in the festival paying 12 euros ($12) a ticket for the privilege The town’s streets are hosed down and the revelers showered off within minutes of the hour-long noon battle ending was inspired by a food fight between local children in 1945 in the town Media attention in the 1980s turned it into a national and international event drawing participants from every corner of the world Local officials said they expected fewer foreign visitors this year mainly because of continuing fears over COVID-19 in Asian countries Participants don swimming goggles to protect their eyes while their clothes Besides being the first battle since before the pandemic started in 2020 in Spain this year’s celebration had the added incentive of being the event’s 75th anniversary and 20 years since the festival was declared by Spain as an international tourism attraction there’s a festival where people turn up and throw tomatoes at one another and it sort of grew from there to a point where a woman covering the event for a local television station had her bottom pinched the organisers decided to ensure the incident would never be repeated by creating so-called “purple safe spaces” where participants who felt they were in danger could take refuge About 135 tonnes of tomatoes are dumped in the streets of Buñol for La TomatinaEVA MANEZ/REUTERSI’m not sure this will work The town's streets are hosed down and the revelers showered off within minutes of the hour-long noon battle ending rewritten or redistributed without permission People participate in the annual tomato fight in Bunol Spain (AP) — People from around the world have pasted each other with tomatoes as Spain’s famous “Tomatina” street tomato fight took place once again following a two-year suspension owing to the coronavirus pandemic Workers on trucks unloaded 130 tons of over-ripe tomatoes along the main street of the eastern town of Bunol on Wednesday for participants to throw The town’s streets are hosed down and the revelers showered off within minutes of the battle ending was inspired by a food fight between local children in 1945 in the town in a tomato-producing region eople from around the world have pasted each other with tomatoes as Spain’s famous “Tomatina” street tomato fight took place once again following a two-year suspension owing to the coronavirus pandemic.\nRead More La Tomatina draws thousands of young revellers to a small town in Valencia every summer where 150,000 squashed tomatoes are just the beginning of the carnage If you thought this was a quaint local festival What began around 1945 as a bit of a youthful ruck at a parade in Buñol has become a major event for crazy young things around the world At its peak in 2012 there were thought to be 45,000 participants in La Tomatina Since 2013 there has been a limit of 20,000 tomato-throwers and a €10 entry fee La Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday of August every year Youthful exuberance and drinking boots essential Image by Reno Tahoe under Creative Commons license Buñol's modest population of 9,000 swells ridiculously during the festival and places to stay are limited Many visitors opt for the nearby city of Valencia on Spain's east coast - and most package deals will offer accommodation here You'll need to book a ticket in advance to take part in La Tomatina, and it's advisable to buy a package from the official provider They'll sort the event wristbands before you arrive so you won't need to take your passport to this very messy party Options include hostel or hotel packages and day trips from Spanish cities including Valencia The action begins at 10am on Plaza del Pueblo when you can attempt to climb the palo jabòn (a greasy pole with a ham perched on top One pork-loving punter gets to keep the ham and the fruity fun begins in earnest at 11am with a blast from a water cannon and the arrival of the tomato trucks It's every man for themselves for the next hour Follow the rules and you'll have fun: crush your tomatoes before throwing; throw only tomatoes; watch out for the trucks; and make sure you stop when the second water cannon blasts be warned that this event is considered by many as an alternative wet t-shirt competition Old hands at the tomato-throwing game recommend that you wear clothes and closed shoes that can be binned later others tuck in their t-shirts to keep a clean piece of fabric with which to wipe splattered eyes - just have a plan because everything WILL get coated in tomato juice Those with cameras or phones are often targeted with mischievous delight the streets will be cleaned by fire trucks and the festival-goers hosed down by obliging locals a natural pool nearby perfect for a cleansing dip throw yourself into the pre and after parties (foam We can't imagine many people take children anywhere near La Tomatina (it's an adult-only zone) but there is a cute children's version on the Saturday before the main event There's a time in your life when you want to get half-naked with thousands of other young people, and party. And who says you shouldn't be covered in tomatoes when you do it? This is one mental food fight, and you should get La Tomatina ticked off your bucket list before you're past it If you enjoyed this post like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter or Google+ Written by Maxine Clarke: a writer, mummy, missus and campervan-lover. Used to travel, now enjoys a good holiday! Follow her on Twitter. held every year on the third Wednesday of August in the Spanish town of Buñol The tomato fight has been a tradition in Buñol since the end of the second world war and has drawn a large international following in recent years La Tomatina festival 2016 – in pictures Ammunition in the form of tomatoes are thrown to a crowd gathered for the annual Tomatina Festival in Bunol the famous free-for-all in which partiers pelt one another with ripe tomatoes The big party that has become an international sensation in recent years was smaller than usual in 2013 — for the first time the town sold a limited number of tickets for 10 euros (about $13.25) to indulge in the huge food fight Some 20,000 people came to this year's festival That figure was about half of last year's reported crowd due to the town's efforts to cut the size of the mob that invades it each summer In addition to safety concerns that would come with cramming 50,000 excited, tomato-throwing strangers into its streets, Bunol is also trying to tame its debt, its mayor tells European news site The Local the festival drew visitors from far outside Spain "Among the top ticket buyers were Australians with 19.2 percent of the total Spaniards with 7.8 percent and Americans with 7.5 percent," the site adds If you plan to attend La Tomatina next year it's always held on the last Wednesday of August including the requirement that any tomato be squashed a bit before it's hurled at another person tomatoes aren't the only food featured at the festival "Do not miss the Palojabón – a soap-covered pole with a Spanish ham at the top," the organizer's website says "Whoever can climb the pole and get the ham can keep it!" Become an NPR sponsor in the Spanish Mediterranean town of Bunol around 22,000 people gathered to throw 150 tons of ripe tomatoes at each other in the world's biggest annual tomato fight La Tomatina attracts tourists from around the world This year marks the 72nd anniversary of the messy fiesta We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com A collection of winning and honored images from this year’s nature-photo competition A collection of amazing recent images made with the Hubble Space Telescope Mourners of Pope Francis gathered at the Vatican scenes from the the second weekend of Coachella 2025 and landscapes of the Earth’s arctic and subarctic regions The world’s biggest food fight takes place annually the final Wednesday of August may not be as well-known as Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls What’s billed as the world’s biggest food fight takes place annually the final Wednesday of August on the narrow medieval streets of Buñol with 22,000 revelers pelting one another with 140 tons of ripe tomatoes in an hour-long fruit-filled frenzy After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic La Tomatina is back for 2022 and celebrating its 75th anniversary on August 31 And while the tomato battle is certainly the highlight there are all sorts of activities leading up to the main event the fiesta is more than simply an excuse to throw tomatoes “La Tomatina is the town’s most important showcase,” says María Vallés “All Buñoleros and Buñoleras experience it as part of our culture If you want to participate in this tomato-tossing extravaganza or if you simply want to learn more about this quirky traditional celebration read on for everything you need to know about La Tomatina La Tomatina is celebrated annually on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol a medieval town of 9,000 located about 25 miles west of Valencia The origins of La Tomatina are a bit hazy but it’s believed to have unofficially started in 1944 or 1945 following a dispute between locals during a parade honoring the town’s patron saint Legend has it that a group of rowdy youngsters knocked off the headpiece of a costumed performer and a fight ensued with the frenzied crowd grabbing tomatoes from a nearby fruit stand and hurling them at one another people decided to repeat the food-flinging event briefly banned in the 1950s under General Franco’s regime and it was very much a regional event until a 1983 television broadcast garnered it worldwide attention La Tomatina was officially declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2002 and today it attracts people from around the globe the town hall introduced a ticketing system limiting the event’s attendance to 22,000 people with crowds arriving to Buñol by train and bus–just follow the masses to the city center and join the sangria parties along the way there’s the prebattle ritual known as el palo jabón where a ham is hoisted to the top of a pole slicked with soap and people struggle to climb up and pull it down The massive food fight starts at 11 a.m.—a booming water cannon signals the kickoff—as huge trucks loaded with tomatoes dump the over-ripe fruit into the streets scoop up as many tomatoes as you can and hurl them at your fellow festivalgoers (The only rule is that they must be squashed first.) The end of the event is marked with another boom then the tomato-soaked crowds queue up to shower off Firefighters come in to hose down the streets and in less than an hour things are pretty much back to normal The party continues throughout the afternoon and plenty of sangria being served in plazas around the town The tomatoes used for the battle are cultivated especially for the event consider the flip side: “If there was no La Tomatina tomatoes would not be planted,” says Vallés “The production and purchase of these tomatoes translates into jobs in agriculture.” Tickets are 12 euros and can be purchased online from the official La Tomatina website (note that it’s only in Spanish). Because they sell out quickly, check tour sites such as tomatina.es and ticketstomatina.com which sell various packages that include bus transportation from major cities like Valencia and Madrid Since you’ll be coated in slushy tomatoes wear old clothes or anything you don’t mind throwing away Some people opt for swimsuits underneath their clothes since you’re going to get wet—both from the tomatoes and the showers afterward Goggles are also a good idea to protect your eyes; if you forget there are plenty of makeshift stalls in the town selling them Spain has lifted all mask and social-distancing restrictions La Tomatina has a Plan B to be able to carry on the event,” says Vallés Since accommodation in Buñol is extremely limited, most visitors stay in Valencia and take the train to Buñol for the day. There are trains leaving approximately every hour from Estación del Norte, Valencia’s main railway station, to Buñol on Renfe’s C3 line (the trip takes just over an hour and it costs about 10 euros each way). Be sure to buy your ticket well ahead of time. Most tours offer a prearranged round-trip journey by bus, which will make planning easier. If you’re taking the train, there are many budget hotels surrounding Estación del Norte, but the area is a bit dull. Consider staying in the lively, bar-packed Russafa (or Ruzafa) neighborhood or the atmospheric medieval Ciutat Vella (Old Town). Both are about a 15-minute walk from the station. AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.© 2025 AFAR LLC Thousands of revelers hurled some 130 tons of over-ripe tomatoes at each other on Wednesday in the eastern Spanish town of Bunol, as the “Tomatina” festival celebrated its 75th edition after a two-year lapse due to the pandemic. A reveler plays in tomato pulp during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, Spain Aug. 31, 2022. Revelers play in tomato pulp during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, Spain, Aug. 31, 2022. The tomato fight started at midday, when six trucks loaded with tomatoes drove through the main street, distributing the sappy projectiles for an hour while partygoers threw them and covered each other in red juice. The Tomatina is said to have originated from a spontaneous bust-up amongst villagers in 1945. It was banned for a while during the 1950s at the height of General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship. Revelers throw tomatoes during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, Spain, Aug. 31, 2022. A reveler lies in tomato pulp during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, Spain, Aug. 31, 2022. However, it survived to gain popularity across Spain in the 1980s and today draws large crowds of visitors from abroad as well as Spaniards. Almost a decade ago, the organizers had to limit the capacity and started selling tickets, as the festival was too crowded. A reveler washes the tomato pulp with water during the annual "La Tomatina" food fight festival in Bunol, Spain, Aug. 31, 2022.  My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSections news Alerts SpainA man falls to the ground as he takes part in the annual tomato fight, known as "Tomatina" in Bunol, eastern Spain, on Aug. 31. Some 160 tons of tomatoes were offloaded from six trucks. As the trucks pulled into the narrow streets, the revelers chanted, "Tomato! Tomato!" To avoid injuries, revelers are instructed to squelch the tomatoes before throwing them.  The hour-long battle attracts around 20,000 participants, many of them foreigners. The paid-entry event was inspired by a 1945 food fight between local children in the tomato-producing region. A resident looks at a street covered in tomato pulp during the festival. The tomato fight has been a tradition in Bunol since the end of World War Two and has drawn a large international following in recent years. After the fight, the participants and the town's streets were drenched in a sea of red pulp. Organizers hose the streets down within minutes of the event ending at noon, while participants could use public showers. began in 1945 but was banned for much of General Franco’s regime 22,000 attendees threw about 150 tonnes of ripe tomatoes Photograph: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Photograph: Europa Press News/via Getty Images A network of correspondents providing impartial news reports and analysis in 33 languages from locations around the world Up-to-the-minute news and analysis from around the world and in Chicago Hosted by WBEZ's Mary Dixon and NPR's Steve Inskeep Newshour is the award-winning flagship program of the BBC World Service the world’s largest news gathering operation 1A convenes a conversation about the most important issues of our time smart reflection on world news as it’s happening innovators and artists from around the globe with news from Chicago from WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz Reset digs into how the news has moved since you left the house discussing and 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tomatoes during La Tomatina in Buñol in what’s billed as the world’s largest food-fight festival It returned after a two-year suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic Spain — People from around the world pelted each other with tomatoes as Spain’s famed La Tomatina street tomato fight returned after a two-year suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic Workers on trucks unloaded 130 tons of overripe tomatoes along the main street of the town of Buñol in eastern Spain on Wednesday for participants to throw at each other paying the equivalent of about $12 a ticket for the privilege The town’s streets were hosed down and the revelers showered off within minutes after the end of the hour-long extravaganza which is billed as the world’s largest food-fight festival Said to have been inspired by a food fight among children in 1945 in the town it’s usually held every August on the last Wednesday of the month If you want to pelt other people with overripe tomatoes but there were fewer foreign visitors this year mainly because of continuing fears over COVID-19 in Asian countries Many of the participants don swimming goggles to protect their eyes while their clothes Terms of Use • Privacy Notice • Cookie Policy • Terms of Sale What began as a foodfight between neighbours back in 1945 has grown into an international event but like many other cultural mainstays of the Spanish calendar this year's visitors have had to shell out at least €10 (£9) for the privilege of pelting each other and random passersby with tomatoes and jump onto one of the trucks that carry the tomatoes into the town thus giving yourself the advantage of launching the first attacks The town hall can no longer afford to foot the bill for the truckloads of fresh tomatoes and the police and medical staff needed in case of a tomato-based emergency told a press conference the decision to charge visitors was one that "no one wanted to take" but that the growing popularity of the festival which last year saw around 40,000 revellers join in "without being able even to touch a tomato," and that charging would simultaneously keep numbers down and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone "This is the first year we are charging for access to this popular festival due to the need to limit the crowd for safety reasons," the town hall said in a statement Whatever the reason for the introduction of an entrance fee, the fact that throwing a tomato is no longer free is being seen as a sign of the times. The Tomatina has become "a great metaphor for the economic crisis that is crippling Spain," according to El País newspaper:"It is an irresistible image: the round red fruit bursting like a mirror of the bursting of the real estate bubble