La Tomatina is a festival that is held in Valencia town of Bunol, a town located in the East of Spain near Mediterranean. This festival is all about throwing tomatoes and getting involved in tomato fights for entertainment purposes. Since 1945 It has been held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Bunol. People from corners of the world participate in this ‘World’s Biggest Food Fight’ where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.
In August 1945, on the last Wednesday of the month young people of Bunol town went to the town square to attend the Giants and Big-Head figures parade. They decided to join the parade with a musician. The group's excitement caused a person to fall from the float. The participant flew into a fit of rage and started to hit everything in his path. A market stall of vegetables that fell victim to what soon became a furious crowd. People started to pelt each other with tomatoes until local law enforcement ended the battle.The very next year the young people intentionally repeated the fight on the last Wednesday of August, only this time they brought their own tomatoes from home. They were again dispersed by the police. The food fight became an annual event. In 1950, the town allowed the tomato hurl to take place, but the next year it was stopped again. Many young people were imprisoned but Bunol residents forced authorities to let them go. The festival gained popularity with more and more participants every year.
How it is celebrated
The fight lasts for an hour, after which the whole town square is covered with tomato paste. Fire trucks hose down the streets and participants use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some participants go to the pool of “los penones” to wash. After the cleaning, the village cobblestone streets are pristine due to the acidity of the tomato disinfecting and thoroughly cleaning the surfaces.The crowd capacity of La Tomatina is regulated by selling tickets of the event. One can book tickets for the same through online events booking site.
Bunol
Bunol is a town and municipality in the province of Valencia, Spain and is situated approximately 38 km west of Valencia. There are several ways to get to Valencia from London. If booked reasonably early availability to Valencia is good and flights are quite competitive. Easyjet fly from London Stansted, London Gatwick and Bristol. Ryanair fly from London Stansted, Liverpool, East Midlands and Dublin. Clickair fly from Heathrow. Iberia
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