More than 20,000 people from around the world threw more than 100 tons of tomatoes at each other for an hour on Wednesday during Spain’s La Tomatina festival, all for fun.
The nearly 80-year-old tradition began in 1945 as a parade fight in Buñol, a town in the province of Valencia, Spain, and ended as a massive tomato fight between townspeople. Over the years, it has grown into a wildly popular annual festival that is billed as the ultimate food fight.
The August event has attracted so much interest in recent years that only 20,000 tickets are now available. The festival website also shares rules to ensure safety and respect for other participants.
For anyone who wants to sling tomatoes like a local, Travel & Leisure has a few tips:
It starts at 11am local time when a firework goes off and trucks throw over 100 tons of tomatoes on the ground, all over the square. It becomes a madhouse to grab as many as possible and throw them away in the next hour. And when the hour is up, another firework goes off and all throwing has to stop.
There is another part of this festival that takes place just before the first fireworks. That is when the pale jabonA greased pole with a ham on it is hoisted into the air and participants can do their best to reach the top before the tomato fight begins. If the ham is picked up before 11:00, the tomato throwing can begin early.
The festival has now grown into a major celebration and includes a week of festivities, including musical performances, dancing, more fireworks, and a few other parades for travelers to enjoy.
