Written by Jaden Parker
If you haven’t heard of “The Battle of the Tomato,” then you’re in for a heck of a treat. La Tomatina of Buñol happens on the last Wednesday of August and was crowned the Festivity of International Tourist Interest by the Secretary Department of Tourism in 2002. But what exactly is this festival, and why does it draw so many tourists year after year? Well, let’s go back in time for a moment.
It was August 29th in the year of 1945. During Spain’s famous “Giants and Big-Heads Parade,” a young man knocked the headpiece off of one of the performers. Rumor has it that a vegetable—or fruit?—stand was knocked over, resulting in tomatoes being thrown. The following year, people brought their own tomatoes to replicate the prior year’s festivities. This pushed police to ban it well into the 1950s. However, in 1957, people protested with a tomato burial. They marched through the streets to the sounds of funeral music while carrying a giant tomato in a coffin! This revolt gave way for the rebirth of La Tomatina, a tomato-throwing festival. Javier Basilio reported on the festival, which helped it spread across the entirety of Spain, creating an annual, food fight party that attracts participants from all over the world.
There are rules one must abide by when joining in on the tomato-throwing fun:
- No hard objects or bottles can be thrown;
- Do not tear or throw shirts of your own or others;
- Tomatoes must be pre-squashed before being thrown;
- At the second warning firework, stop throwing all tomatoes; and
- Keep a safe distance from the Tomato Trucks.
Interested in joining in one day? We found the following tips as well to help you enjoy your time to the fullest!
- Wear old clothes; white t-shirts are the typical shirt worn
- Avoid flip-flops; they can get lost in the fight
- Wear goggles! Acid + Eyeballs is not a good combination.
- Bring waterproof cameras or a protective case for your phone for photos
- Come early! Area opens at 7am
- Check out the palo-jabón (a soap-covered pole with a spanish ham on top; climb the pole and get the ham to win it)
- If bringing a child*, write your phone number on their arm
*There is also a La Tomatina for children (“Tomatina Infantil”) that happens on the last Saturday of August before the official festival. It is geared toward children ages 4 to 14.
