La Tomatina is a famous festival that takes place every year on the last Wednesday of August in the small town of Buñol in Spain. It is one of the most unusual and well-known fiestas in Spain, during which participants throw ripe tomatoes at each other.
This was our second presence in this battle, so we already had some experience. We were much better prepared. Firstly - we stayed much closer to Valencia, which allowed us to sleep in longer. We also chose a later bus. This time we set off from Valencia at 9 o'clock! As you can see in the picture below, we were full of energy and optimism!
We took spare clothes with us and a huge five-litre bottle of water. Additionally, we had a spare cork with holes that was meant to serve as a shower. We hid the bottle in the bushes right after we got off the bus, and we left the bag with clothes in the luggage storage.
The lady asked me to take a picture of her. If I lost the ticket, that’s how I could retrieve my bag. Overall, quite a simple and clever system!
Our first purchase - t-shirts!
As we walked towards the battlefield, we occasionally noticed intriguing tomato elements with which the city was decorated
There were a lot of people, everyone in great spirits!
After passing through the gates, the traditional photos
We were slowly walking to "our" spot. It was 10:30. The locals were still sitting in front of their houses, drinking coffee, chatting...
There were also those who threw a big party in the street, with the traditional Spanish ham!
Note that some of the buildings were covered for the duration of the battle. When we arrived at the place where we wanted to stop, we noticed that one of the attractions had already started.
At the top of a wooden pole, covered in soap, is a traditional Spanish ham. Participants are tasked with retrieving it. Whoever does so first will receive the ham and eternal fame! No one has managed to achieve this so far!
Also this year, Spanish television wanted to interview me
Although more so, they probably wanted to talk to Zosia's hat;)
We managed to take our first photo together with Ancia. For some reason, Ancia insisted that the photo be in portrait mode. It makes no sense.
The crowd thickened. It was 10:40...
...and the ham was still hanging on the pole.
The street was slowly filling up with people. There were more and more of them.
We took our positions. Zosia and I in the crowd, Ancia... behind the glass ;)
At exactly 12:01, the fight began. In the crowd, the first truck loaded with tomatoes slowly appeared.
At one point, the lorry stopped to dump tomatoes onto the street!
And it all began
We were exchanging tactics with Zosia!
The fight was scheduled to last an hour. There were six or seven lorries.
After about half an hour, we started to feel tired, so Zosia and I went to visit Ancia.
We decided to treat Ancia to a little tomato ;)
Grandma Ancia also threw herself a few times ;) By the way, it's worth noting her hair. It was wet because someone from the block behind her was splashing people with water
The fight continued, so I went into the crowd once again.
Exactly at 13:03 we heard a bang and the fight was over.
This year, unlike last time, instead of running away first, we went to see what the street looks like. And we wanted to swim in the little tomatoes!
The city looked... as if it had been through a battle ;)
At this stage, Ancia was still clean. We were about to leave the battlefield when someone from the crowd took a cup, scooped up some tomato pulp and ... poured it over Ancia's head!
A moment later, we found a gentleman in one of the narrow alleys who was thinking about the participants.
After the initial wash, we headed towards the coaches. We passed by several, if not a dozen, of such wash stations for tourists. There was a queue set up for each one.
Before we picked up our luggage, we stopped for a small meal. We wanted to taste the paella prepared by ordinary Spaniards..
As you can see, we have settled in like royalty.
"Yours is better!" said Ancia as she took the photo. After the meal, we went to collect clean clothes from the locker, and I grabbed a bottle of water from the bushes so we could have an extra shower. We headed to the bus parking and then on to Valencia, where we parked our car.
And so our adventure with La Tomatina 2024 came to an end. I wonder if we will ever come back here again?
History of La Tomatina:
- Origins: The festival began in 1945, although there is no definitive version of what exactly initiated this tradition. The most popular theory suggests that a fight broke out during a local parade. To have some fun, young people started throwing tomatoes at each other from a vegetable stall. This incident was repeated in the following years, until it eventually became an annual event.
- Development of the festival: Over the years, La Tomatina has transformed into an officially organised festival. In 1957, after the intervention of local authorities banning the event, residents held a "tomato funeral procession," which led to the festival's reinstatement. Since then, it has gained popularity and attracts thousands of tourists from around the world.
- Rules and preparations: To ensure the festival runs safely, several rules have been introduced, such as the prohibition of throwing glass bottles, the necessity of squashing tomatoes before throwing them (to prevent injuries), and the recommendation to wear protective glasses.
- The course of the festival: The festival begins with a cannon signal at 11:00, after which participants throw tomatoes at each other for an hour. It is estimated that around 150 tonnes of tomatoes are used during La Tomatina.
