On Wednesday, thousands of people are set to engage in the iconic “Tomatina,” a tomato-throwing festival that celebrates its 80th anniversary in Buñol, Spain. This spirited event sees participants flinging overripe tomatoes at each other, with the town preparing 120 tons of the fruit for this hour-long fun. Attendees, some coming from as far as different countries or nearby cities, pay a fee of 15 euros (approximately $17.50) for a ticket to be part of this unique celebration.
The “Tomatina” has its roots in a spontaneous food fight that occurred in 1945, when local children began throwing tomatoes at each other. Over the years, what started as a simple tradition has transformed into a globally recognized festival. The event briefly faced a ban in the 1950s under Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, but local protests and rising media attention in the 1980s helped it gain the popularity it enjoys today. In 2002, the Spanish government officially recognized it as an international tourist attraction, and despite interruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, it continues to draw massive crowds.
The tomatoes used in the festival are not harvested for food; rather, they are specifically grown for the event. This ensures that they are unfit for consumption, as explained by Buñol Deputy Mayor Sergio Galarza. He noted that without the festival, there would be no demand for these tomatoes, which this year originate from Don Benito, located over five hours away.
The “Tomatina” operates under a simple rule: participants should squash the tomatoes before throwing them to minimize the risk of injury. Safety precautions are also common, with many attendees opting to wear swimming goggles and earplugs. The fast-paced, chaotic atmosphere leads to an exhausted crowd by the end of the hour, often resulting in playful injuries as attendees dodge flying tomatoes.
Once the hour concludes, marked by the sound of a cannon shot, participants make their way to communal showers to clean off the tomato pulp, while the streets of Buñol are hosed down. Interestingly, the citric acid in the tomatoes acts as a natural cleaning agent, often leaving the streets cleaner than before after a few hours even though stains on clothes are usually permanent.
The concept of throwing tomatoes has inspired similar festivals across the globe, including events in Florida, London, Amsterdam, the Colombian town of Sutamarchán, and most recently, Hyderabad, India. Nevertheless, for Galarza and other locals, the “Tomatina” remains a quintessential event that defines Buñol. He expressed pride in how the festival has grown and evolved over the years, emphasizing it as a wholesome celebration that brings joy to all participants.
