Each year in the Valencian region of Spain there is a very messy holiday tomato festival called La Tomatina
This amazing annual public event in becomes the biggest food fight in the world for people who holiday in Spain. People from around the world visit the messiest festival in the world to celebrate the humble tomato.
The festival kicks off with an unusual competitive event. Contestants gathered by a large greased wooden pole. At the top is a large complete ham. The first person to claim the ham starts the festival but they try to stop each other from completing the task. Therefore the first event can take up to 2 hours to finish. All the time the crowds await the festival to begin.
Holiday in Spain for the La Tomatina
Close to the Mediterranean coast
The town of Bonul situated 30 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast is host to the strange and messy holiday festival. People from all over the world fly in to take part. The festival has been running since 1945 and takes place on the last Wednesday of August each year. You can be absolutely certain of one thing. You will get messy.
Highlight of the festival is what everybody has been waiting for.
A gigantic tomato fight the likes of which you have never seen. Things get beyond messy when people get totally covered in squashed tomato’s. During this festival a staggering amount of tomato’s get thrown. One hundred metric tons of ripe and over-ripe tomato’s are gathered as ammunition for this spectacular event.
In the first place just lay back and enjoy it.
It gets to the point where you just forget about the mess and simply lay back and enjoy it.
Cancelled 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s set to come back with a splash.
Also it’s no good explaining the rules
The rules. Just pick up your tomato’s and fling them at the nearest person.
Once the massive tomato fight finishes.
In addition to locals cleaning up the local fire department comes and they hose down the whole town. The town has a large pond where everybody can wash off.
Due to the acidity of the tomato’s once everything gets washed down with water hoses leaves things sparkling clean. But I’m not sure I would like to be the one cleaning up after this mess. The local population use huge sheets of plastic to cover the front of their houses and local shops. It all ads up to an amazing day with a very unique festival. To follow up there will be of course an amazing amount of cleaning up done.
During the festival the town population of nine thousand people will swell to over capacity. In recent times between forty to fifty thousand people will find their way to the event from all corners of the world.
There are a few rues to the event to keep it fun and safe. You cannot rip other peoples cloths, you must squash to tomato in your hand before throwing it and most importantly you must have fun and not spoil the fun of others.
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