Colloquially known as the world’s biggest tomato fight, La Tomatina is the messy annual tomato festival hosted each summer in Buñol, Spain.
With the first recorded event in 1945, it seems La Tomatina festival started with playful serendipity (as most fun things do). At a parade for patron saint, San Luis Beltrán, an impromptu food fight broke out amongst attendees. The following year, attendees at the parade came ready to repeat the fight.
With a bit of a push and pull (and throw) the festival was banned in the 1950s but protestors resisted—even despite arrests—and the occasion was reinstated. Today, La Tomatina attracts 20,000 annual participants, many of whom are tourists visiting especially to attend the messy event. As a town with a typical population of 9,000, this is quite a significant influx that, fortunately, also lends itself to economic benefits for the area.
Ham and tomatoes? The giant food fight is kicked off by the “palo jabón,” in which a ham is secured to the top of a greased pole. Participants attempt to climb the pole while being hosed. Once the ham is retrieved, it’s time to start throwing tomatoes.
If you’re concerned about waste, rest assured that the tomatoes for the festival are grown especially for throwing. The approximately 150,000 tomatoes, grown in the Extremadura region of Spain, are of low quality and unfit for human consumption.
Safety is also of utmost importance and participants are required to squish the tomatoes prior to throwing. Unsurprisingly any other object is strictly prohibited from being thrown. Tomatoes only.
Following the hour-long food fight, participants join fire trucks in helping to clear and spray down the streets. A fun and unexpected benefit to the festival is that the acidic tomatoes also serve to disinfect and clean the streets, which are left in better shape than before the event.
La Tomatina tips to attend:
- Dress for the mess: Tomatoes stain. And tomato sauce is slippery. Wear old clothes and sturdy shoes that won’t slip off.
- Eye safety: Protect your eyes from the sting of acidic tomato juice with goggles.
- Save your smartphone: If you’re going to take your phone out to record any of the festival or snap some pics to send home with the help of your aloSIM eSIM, consider a waterproof case to keep your phone safe from any tomato pulp or errant bits.
- Hydrate: Spain can be sweltering in August and a food fight can work up a sweat. Drink plenty of water and stay sun safe.
- Remember the rules: Keep La Tomatina safe and fun for everyone by paying mind to the rules and regulations of the event.
- Ready, aim, fire: Grab those tomatoes and get to tossing (gently, and remember to squish those babies up). Forget every rule your mother told you about manners and throwing food. Have as much fun as you can at this messy, sloppy, silly, annual tomato fight.
