Funny And Messy Festivals

Spain is world renowned for its festivals and people from all the corners of the world come to visit it, attracted by the colorful costumes of the participants and the experience of connecting with the customs and the traditions of this amazing country. La Tomatina is one of the most famous Spanish festivals and also the messiest. The small town of Bunol gets packed with tourists and the 9,000 inhabitants turn into 40,000 over night.

The action takes place in the main square of the town, but also all along the Calle Del Cid, its most infamous street. The spectacle starts at 10 am when the participants climb up a greased pole which has a ham at the top. When the ham is thrown down, the amazing quantity of 100 tones of tomatoes are thrown from trucks in the streets, making the crowds happy and giving the signal that the fight can start.  Exactly one hour later the tomato fight stops and the streets run red with tomato juice and the people are hosed down.

The history of a funny festival

The origin of the festival was in 1944 when the Big Heads and Giants (cabezudos y gigantes) wanted a fight. The only weapons available to them came from a nearby fruit stall so they picked up the tomatoes and threw them at each other. Nobody knows the reason for the initial fight.

There are a lot of theories suggesting that the inhabitants of the town were disappointed with decisions taken by the local council; others believe that it began as a political protest against Franco and some think that a group of friends simply wanted to have some fun. Regardless of the reason, one thing is certain: it became so popular, that the town is too small for the number of tourists who want to visit it during the festival.

Travelling to Bunol during the festival

Some tourists travel thousands of miles especially for the day of the festival. Some stay in Valencia, which is very close, and take the train in the morning; these are the tourists who head back for Valencia in the afternoon. However, if you want to fully and truly live the La Tomatina experience, stay at least a week, because the celebration is more than just the fight. You will also have the chance to be a spectator of wonderful dance and music shows held in the city every evening. Visit Bunol for the festival and you will have the opportunity to participate in a fun and very exciting experience.