Tomato-Throwing La Tomatina Festival in Bunol, Spain

La Tomatina festival in Bunol, Spain is one of the messiest festivals the world has to offer! There’s no need for tickets. All you have to do is throw squashed tomatoes at each other and get messy with tomatoes.

This is an annual festival that has been on since 1945 and continues to become more and more popular as the years go by. The festival was officially recognized in 1952. La Tomatina attracts approximately 20,000 – 50,000 tourists from around the world to Bunol, Spain. Due to the limited amount of accommodation in Bunol, many stay in Valencia and travel to Bunol by bus or train. Valencia is about 38 kilometers outside the city.

So where is the party at? La Tomatina takes place at the Plaza Del Pueblo in the small town of Bunol in eastern Spain. Held on the last Wednesday in August, La Tomatina is a week long festival. The festival is about honoring the town’s patron saint San Luis Betran and the Virgin Mary.

Shopkeepers really have to prepare for La Tomatina more than anyone else. To cover their shops from the mess, they use huge plastic covers in front of their stores. Rest of the people just get all their clothes dirty with tomatoes!

Wonder how many tomatoes are used? It is about 150,000 tomatoes, or just about 90,000 pounds of tomatoes! It is bound to be one huge tomato sauce party for sure!

You might wonder what this festival is all about. It appears no one really knows the exact reason as to how it started. Some say it began between a group of friends, and others say that it was a tradition which was started at an anti Franco rally. Which ever the reason may be, one thing is for sure. People don’t need any excuses to throw squashed tomatoes at each other!

This tomato-throwing festival features music, parades, dancing and fireworks as well. It is tradition for women to wear all white and men to wear no shirts! Now would anyone complain to this?

There are no official rules in this tomato-throwing festival. The ones that exists are for the sake of safety.

• You can throw tomatoes and tomatoes only
• They must be squashed before you throw them. Otherwise they can cause a nasty bruise
• Although the locals tend to rip each others clothing, it is officially forbidden, and as a visitor you are expected to behave

For more information about La Tomatina and the town of Buñol, contact:
The Ayuntamiento de Buñol
Tel: +34 96 250 01 51
Fax: +34 96 250 3083

For hotel accommodation in Valencia contact:
Tourist Info Valencia
C/ Paz, 48
46003 Valencia
Tel: +34 963 98 64 22
Fax: +34 963 98 64 21

For train timetable and fare information contact:
Tel: +34 902 24 02 02
www.renfe.com

For information on bus timetables contact:
Autocares Bunol
Tel: +34 96 349 14 25

Also visit the official La Tomatina website

Don’t miss the opportunity to take part in this fun and exciting festival, if you are in Spain during this time of the year! It is just pure fun and enjoyment!