Have you ever seen tomato mud?? And suppose if you get a chance to immerse in that mud, it would be quite amazing. Yeah, its true. A Spanish town, Bunol held such a festival called La Tomatina that is perfect to show your wildness and is a complete fun. The street where people gather for fiesta is covered with red color and it seems to be a river of tomato puree. This is a very unique festival that can’t be compared to any other festivals of the world. The residents of town Bunol love to paint their town in red color and thousands of tourists join them in this world’s largest tomato fight. This festival is held totally for entertainment purposes. This is one of the most popular Spanish Festivals.

Rules of La Tomatina Festival

People are so crazy about this festival and also it is very crowded. So to avoid damage and certain losses, La Tomatina festival has some rules to follow.

To Enjoy the Festival to Its Full Extent, You Should Obey the Following Rules:

• Maintain a certain distance from the lorries or trucks carrying tomatoes.

• You are not supposed to tear or throw away yours as well as others T-shirts.

• Follow the directions given by security staff.

• Mangle the tomatoes before throwing on each other, its hit would be less painful. The whole tomatoes can cause injuries and also form contuses to your skin.

• The entry of hard objects and bottles is strictly prohibited as they can cause damages to your fellow people.

• The only thing you can hit with is tomato.

• With the shot of second warning firework, you have to stop throwing tomatoes as it is the sign to end festivities.

What Actually Happens in La Tomatina

• Many trucks haul the bounty of tomatoes at around 11am into the center of the town, Plaza del Pueblo.

• The festival does not begin until a brave soul has climbed to the top of a two-story high, greased-up wooden pole and reached at the top.

• When this practice is done and a meaty prize is given to that soul, the festival starts with the splash of water. It is splashed by the celebrators from the trucks and it also comes from the house’s windows, terraces. It is the signal to begin the chaos.

• After that, most of the participants remove their T-shirts and throw away.

• Now the real madness begins- the tomato fight. The participants throw ripe tomatoes on each other. The tomatoes are coming from the terraces of houses and the people in the streets throw back tomatoes to the terraces.

• And don’t forget about lorries filled with tomatoes are moving around you, the participants of the lorries keep throwing tomatoes on each other and also at the people around them in the streets.

• This fighting ends after an hour. In that one hour, tons of tomatoes are poured on to the streets.

• With the buzzer of second siren, everyone stops throwing tomatoes and the madness comes to an end.

So guys this fiesta is not free of cost now. La Tomatina was totally free of cost from the day it was started but since 2013, the city of Bunol started charging €10 as an entrance fee for the festival full of madness. This decision was taken in account of limiting the number of participants as city gets over-crowded during this time. To ensure the safety measures of the visitors and with the growing popularity of this festival worldwide has convinced the authorities to apply charges for each entry. If you want to join this food fighting you have to book your entry tickets in advance. And if you wanna enter into lorries or trucks carrying tomatoes into the town, you have to pay more bucks that is €750 and you will get an advantage of launching the first attacks.

Venue

This festival is held in the Valencian town of Bunol situated in the East of Spain and 30 km from the Mediterranean. But due to increase in its popularity, it is also celebrated in many other countries.

Origin place: Valencian town, Bunol, Spain

Other countries influenced by this festival and organized in their own country: United States, Canada, Britain, India, Australia

Influence shown in Bollywood movie: For bollywood lovers, the movie “Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara” has shown a tomato fight to hike you eager for this festival, with the star cast Katrina Kaif, Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar.

Similar Link: Make your Nights Musical and Colorful in Ibiza: Things to Do in Ibiza

Festival Date

This food fight festival is held on last Wednesday of August every year. And this year, mark the date August 29, 2018 to be a part of this fun-filled and tomato fighting festival. The event lasts for two hours from 11am to 13pm.

La Tomatina 2018: 29th August, Wednesday

Helpful Tips:

• Wear old clothes or white T-shirts to properly get colored into red.

• To prevent your eyes from the soreness of tomato acid, wearing goggles can be a great idea.

• You can fully bathe within the tomato puree as tomato acid cleans your skin and has exfoliation properties.

• Shoes with a decent grip will prevent you from slipping.

• Follow the directions given by the security staff.

• Keep a safe distance from the lorries or trucks carrying tomatoes.

• Book your accommodation in advance.

• Use waterproof cameras if wanna click photographs.

Read More: Help Yourself With These Must Have Articles In Your Travel Checklist

History

There are several different stories of La Tomatina origin. The first food fight was happened in the year 1945 in the town Bunol. Some young people spent time in the town square to attend the Giants and Big-Heads parade. One of the participants was fallen off by the other young bloods. It made that participant enraged and he started hitting everything in his path. A market stall of vegetable fell victim of the crowd and people started to pelt each other with tomatoes until the local police come to end that fruit battle. Next year on the same day, people brought tomatoes from their home and started quarrelling by their own decision. The police broke up the early tradition of following years by arresting the participants but the absurdity continued after a long struggle with the authorities. And those young boys created history without being aware of this.

Significance of La Tomatina

This food fighting festival is held to promote happiness and it is purely for entertainment purpose. The unknowingly history created by young boys of 1945 has been continued since then. It is banned for two or three times but its popularity made the authorities to again allow this festivity of total fun and madness. Every participant of the festival has to follow the rules and guidelines provided by security staff. It is a unique event held in the town Bunol of Spain. And now it has become the
flight to spain.

So are you ready guys?? Just check out the flight to spain to explore a whole new world of entertainment. Also check and compare prices for hotel and ticket booking online. Due to its increased popularity, you are advised to book your accommodation in the town in advance to prevent further hassles. If you want to explore the place where the festival was originated, then you will have to visit Spain. Otherwise, just search on the internet if your own country is organizing the event or not. And that way, you can be a part this festival in your own country.