Tomato Mess: La Tomatina

Spain is known worldwide for offering visitors a good mix of taste, culture and fun. We encourage you to grab your backpack, leave it in a hostel Valencia and have a front raw seat of the most popular parties: La Tomatina.

Share a room in a hostal valencia and share a room and experiences with others that are coming to Valencia with the same purpose than you.

If you have not planned your holidays yet, note in the calendar “dye myself  in red”,precisely on the 27th August.

This festival, held the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, is known throughout the world as a real battle, but with tomatoes. Put on old clothes, diving goggles, flip flops, hat, whatever you want, less tomatoes. Every year at this event more than 100,000 kilos of tomatoes are used which are thrown in the streets of  Buñol during one hour. More than 20,000 people come each year to experience it this red festival.

At 11 am, appearing on the streets of Buñol the first truckloads of tomatoes that will be distributed for battle. With the facades covered with plastic, the streets are ready for the fun and enjoyment of tourists and citizens.

But… Do you know how the Tomatina began?

One popular theory says that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration. After that, it was so enjoyed that it was repeated the next year, and the year after that, and so on. 

Some rules of la Tomatina are to squash the tomatoes before throwing them as this reduces the impact. Another rule is to stop throwing tomatoes as soon as you hear the second shot.

After exactly one hour of battle, the fighting ends when the water cannons are fired once more to signal the end. It means that no more tomatoes can be thrown. It begins the cleaning process that involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets and people with much water. 

When the party finishes, neighbors remove the protection plastics and start cleaning with a water hose. In about two hours everything is back to normal. Now we just wait a year to return to enjoy this red party with all attendees.

It is certainly an experience not to be missed. Come to Valencia on your holidays and enjoy this tomato fight, so funny and curious.

Last bit of advice… if you want to take photos, better take a water proof camera! ;-)

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