La Tomatina is a massive organized public food fight that takes place annually in the town of Buñol, Valencia in Spain. Every year, thousands of participants gather together to launch tomatoes at one another in this carefree and wild event!
It all started by accident, during a parade in 1945. The parade was the regular Giants and Big Heads celebration. This day honors the religious figure San Fermin, who was beheaded while preaching in France in 303 AD. The parade involves performers in large costumes, representing historical figures and/or comic relief characters. As the story goes, some children decided to get involved in the parade, causing a ruckus to take place near the vegetable stands. This turned into a tomato food fight, which continued until police broke it up. In the years that followed, this became a playful tradition, and eventually it gained enough popularity to become official. In 1980, the city council took over organization of the event.
La Tomatina was actually banned for a time in the early 1950’s by Francisco Franco, due to its lack of religious significance. However, it was allowed once again after 1957 when enough citizens protested. Now, the event is a massive attraction for locals and tourists alike. There is a limit of 22,000 tickets to be sold each time, and it can be very difficult to get a spot. The festival uses up a whopping 160,000 kilos of tomatoes (that’s over 350,000 pounds!) which are unsuitable for consumption and would otherwise be left in the fields.
The event begins at 11 AM, when the tomatoes are deposited. Then, participants have an hour to grab as many as they can, squish them up, and throw them at one another. The festival ends when an hour is up and the firework shot is heard. To participate, people of course wear clothing they don’t mind getting ruined, as well as secure shoes to avoid slipping and goggles to protect from the tomato acid. There is also a mini-Tomatina for children ages 4-14, so almost anyone can participate.
The celebration takes place on the final Wednesday of August every year. I think it is so cool that something which began as a silly prank by some kids turned into such a large and famous event! There was also far more historical significance than I realized. It seems like a time for the community to come together and let loose, and share in a really fun and wholesome memory.
https://www.latomatinatours.com/
https://festival.si.edu/blog/2016/giants-and-big-heads-san-fermin-day-craft-activity/
This is so cool! I have never heard about this before, but I think it is so interesting and fun. Personally, I would want to be a spectator rather than a participant because I hate food fights haha. Anyways, this is such a cute and pure tradition. I love it!
I had never heard of this before but now I kind of want to participate. Ashame they have to limit the number of participants, but I guess it’s a really competitive event to get into.
This post made me want to be a part of this tradition. It is a shame they have to limit the number of participants, but I guess it’s a really competitive event to get into.
Wow I’ve heard of this event before but never its history. All I can say is that it sounds like it would be so much fun to participate in although cleaning up the streets afterwards probably isn’t a good time.
I’ve learned about this holiday before but it is still so cool to hear about. I love how you included all the history of the event because the event is so bizarre and makes you wonder why it exists.