Everything You Need to Know About Spain’s Epic Tomato Fight
La Tomatina is the notorious festival where thousands of participants throw tomatoes in a frenzy of red. It is considered the world’s biggest food fight and held every last Wednesday of August in the small town of Buñol. Located about an hour from the amazing coastal city of Valencia, La Tomatina is a chaotic battle-royale that attracts travelers from across the globe. In this ultimate travel guide, we’ll share our experience and everything you need to survive this insane festival!
How did La Tomatina Start?
Before we begin preparation for the most epic/disgusting fight of your life, let’s start with a little history. Although the exact origin remains unclear, legends claim a brawl began in the streets and a food cart was knocked over. The ruffians began throwing tomatoes at each other marking the initial spot for the famous festival. Regardless of the story’s legitimacy, every year over 20,000 tourists flock to the city in order to chase their tomatoey dreams and cross this crazy event off their bucket list.
Top Tips for La Tomatina
Transportation
The tomato festival is a huge event with limited capacity, so I highly recommend booking everything at least 4 – 6 months in advance. The closest city to Buñol is Valencia, which makes a great base to experience more of the Spanish culture. There are many transportation options including affordable buses and trains. You can also sign up for a variety of tour packages which include transportation from Valencia (about an hour away).
Tickets
There are a variety of ticket options to select for attending La Tomatina. Of course you can purchase a really cheap ticket ($15 Euros) that will only grant you access to the event area but the other options are worth considering for the convenience. Some tour packages include transportation, lockers, or after party access. We signed up for an exclusive tour package which covered all travel expenses via bus, a paella lunch, 2 sangrias, access to the pre & post parties, plus all the equipment we needed for the fight! It’s a bit expensive, but it was more fun with a group. Check out the different options here and be sure to book early since they sell out fast!
What Items You Need to Bring
- Throw-away clothes – Be prepared to throw out anything you wear since it will be absolutely destroyed after the battle
- Goggles – It might look ridiculous, but You’ll be glad for eye protection against the stinging acidity of the endless torrent of tomatoes
- Old shoes – Be sure to bring closed toe shoes for added protection and something you don’t mind throwing away
- Waterproof phone case – Bring a case you can seal your phone in or other valuable things so you can capture the moment
- Extra clothes – After rinsing off in the outdoor showers, changing into fresh clothes is essential for riding back home
La Tomatina Rules
- Do not Throw anything besides tomatoes
- Crush up each tomato before you throw it
- Stand away from the tomato trucks
- Do not tear anyone’s t-shirts
- The battle starts exactly at 12pm, with the sound of the 1st gunshot
- Stop throwing tomatoes after 1 hour, at the sound of the 2nd gunshot
The Day Before
If you purchased a tour package, be sure to pick it up the day before along with other essential items they provide. Our meeting point was Radio City in Valencia between the opening hours of 9am – 8pm. Also, make to have hotel accommodations and transportation already reserved. Be sure to get some sleep because the next day will start very early. It is recommended you put your wristbands on as soon as you get them since they are the entry ticket.
The Day of La Tomatina
The day began at early dawn, amongst a crowd of what seemed like a thousand eager tourists in front of the IVAM museum. It was 6am and still dark, when the buses arrived one after another to load out the mob of people to Buñol. After an hour bus ride, the buses finally arrived in the sleepy town which seemed to come alive with travelers itching to throw something. We followed the blue line painted across the entire town to our designated “fun zone”. It was already buzzing with music, drinks, and food as the anticipation for the event grew. After preparing our gear and securing the rest in lockers, it was time to start marching into the battlegrounds.
All the buildings were covered in tarp and fortified in anticipation of the messy calamity that was about to ensue. Locals drenched us with buckets and hoses of freezing cold water as we pushed our way through the crowded streets. The preliminary event is the “palo-jabon”, which is a Spanish ham perched atop a soap-covered pole. Dozens of guys were voraciously climbing to the top of the pole in attempt to bring down the ham. The narrow alleyways were already hectic with hordes of tourists.
In the Chaos
All of a sudden, the clock turned 12 and the blast of the gun rang thru the air. La Tomatina had begun! The rumbles of the crowd exploded as the tomato trucks slowly plowed through the mass of people. Cherry red fruits rained down as both euphoria and terror swept over us. In the midst of the chaotic war, I picked up whatever tomatoes I could grab and compulsively threw it wherever I could. In the madness, I was trying to defend my face and head while being pelted from all angles from the crimson artillery. A lot of those tomatoes were definitely not crushed up.
The trucks continued to flow in what seemed like a never ending pandemonium of scarlet explosions. 1 hour felt like an eternity when you’re lost in the madness of the battle-royale. The floors began to overflow with sauce as the wild fight raged on. In a brief moment of bliss I was grateful to be a part of something so insane and understood why La Tomatina is on so many traveler’s bucket lists. Finally, the 2nd shot fired off and the war had come to an end. We survived the world’s largest food fight with stained clothes and covered in chunks of tomato!
The After Party
After walking back to the fun zone we rinsed off in a nearby river, tossed away our old garb, and changed into fresh garments for the after party. We ate paella, drank more sangria, and danced to the sounds of the DJ and drum band who showed up. Everyone was riding that high of accomplishing their dreams and the elation was palpable. We reveled in the enthusiasm for a few hours before headed back to the bus exhausted. The well-deserved sleep on the ride back to Valencia was divine.
The After-After Party
The official after party began later that evening at a night club venue rented out by the tour company. Honestly this was the worst part of our tomato fight experience. The buses to get to the club were not included, it was about 20mins away, buses arrived on an unpredictable schedule, the music was subpar, and the drinks were expensive. On top of that, the purchasing operation of buying a cup, drink tickets, and then finally a beverage was so confusing and unnecessary. They were blatantly ripping off guests. I would recommend avoiding the debacle that is the official after party. If you really want to party, check out Oktoberfest or Ibiza.
La Tomatina is the most insane tomato fight experience in the world. Perhaps that is what makes this Buñol festival a once in a lifetime experience that you’ll never forget. The celebration might be the most chaotic one we’ve been to, but as long as you follow our La Tomatina survival tips it should be a pleasant journey. I hope this guide has prepared you for the countdown until 2024’s event (August 28th)! For some of Spain’s most iconic dishes (with hardly any tomatoes), check out our Spain food tour guide. Thanks for reading an keep leveling up!!
Here’s our entire experience from La Tomatina in our 2023 travel vlog!
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