La Tomatina Tomato Throwing Festival Spain

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HISTORY

There are plenty of theories on how the legend of La Tomatina came about. The beauty of it all is no one really knows!

The old man selling cups of local brew on the street corner will tell you it all began when Don Juan, a Spanish villain and notorious womanizer, was pelted with tomatoes in response to his dreadful singing voice and appalling guitar ability.

The little kids trying to make some extra pocket money by looking after your backpack for the night, will swear it was started by a group local rascals raiding a fruit-stand in the town centre and hurling them at each other in a fleeting, moment of madness.

And the local women eagerly selling their souvenir T-shirts will say that over 50 years ago a parade, honouring the town’s patron saint Luis Bertràn, ended in carnage when a local produce cart was crushed spilling thousands of ripe tomatoes onto the streets. In true Spanish-fiesta spirit they were promptly picked up and launched at anyone in sight.

Whatever legend of La Tomatina you may hear, or choose to believe, nothing comes close to those few breathtaking hours when over 20,000 people ram the streets armed with 250,000 pounds of glorious tomatoes.

Forget the term food fight, this is an all-in war!

THE FESTIVAL

Once a year the sleepy mountain village of Buñol comes alive with thousands of people and truckloads of tomatoes for one of the most amazing spectacles you will ever see! The morning action gets underway when a ham is placed on top of a tall, greased pole in front of the local town hall. The Tomato chaos can only get underway once someone is able to climb the slippery pole and grab the ham. It's hilarious as heaps of people try to scale this pole, climbing over each other, in order to be the illustrious one to claim the ham.

Once the ham is snatched the chanting rises to a fever pitch as the trucks roll in and dump masses upon masses of ripe & ready tomatoes in the centre of town, Plaza del Pueblo, and the surrounding streets. The signal for the beginning of the throwing is the firing of five bulbous (tomato-packed rockets) out of a canon and into the air.

The crowd erupts into a deafening roar and this launches everyone into a flinging and slinging frenzy. Lock and load because it's on!

Forget that Sangria headache from the night before, you are now in the world's largest food fight! This is a salsa riot, this is insane!

FANATICS @ LA TOMATINA

Fanatics first attended La Tomatina when swanning around southern Spain a decade ago and have been going back ever since. The world’s biggest food fight combined with the sunny beaches of Valencia & Ibiza makes this the ideal European summer getaway!

WHY DO LA TOMATINA WITH FANATICS?

Accommodation

Regardless of your accommodation preference Fanatics have the pick of where to stay in Valencia. Our luxury hotel has everything you could ask for including roof-top pool and is perfectly located on the edge of Valencia's old town centre and a short metro ride from Valencia’s main beach, America’s Cup base and F1 street circuit.

We’ve also locked in the best city centre hostel where you’ll never be far from the city’s all-night party action!

Services

At each location our experienced crew will be on hand for the duration of your stay to make sure everything is taken care of for you. Our crew will be there to show you around town before heading to Valencia’s best beach & bars.

Best of all our transfers will take you from your accommodation to Buñol for La Tomatina and our crew will get you straight into the thick of the action so you don’t miss a thing. Forget standing out in the mid-day sun for hours waiting for the local train and let us get you to the festival and back in comfort!

Pre-Festival Street Fiesta, Free Sangria & Official After Party!

No one parties like the Spanish and Valencia is the ideal summer party town with plenty of cafes, bars and clubs in the historic town centre.

Our pre-festival street fiesta is in the heart of Valencia's old town with our base bar offering exclusive drink specials and a string of clubs and bars where you can kick on late!

A flask of sangria is included for everyone on Wednesday morning to make sure you're ready for the tomato action!

Finally after the last tomato has been washed away we'll head to the Official Tomatina After Party to relive the madness with everyone else who was at the world's biggest food fight!

Local Culture

As with any trip to a European festival half of the fun is mixing it up with the local people and experiencing a culture for the first time. In addition to getting stuck into a festival unlike any other in the world we’ve lined up some of the best of Valencia’s bars and nightlife for you to enjoy!

More Time At Tomatina

Our exclusive shuttles mean you’ll beat the crowds to Buñol and get a great position to see all of the action in the lead up to the throwing of the first tomato. La Tomatina happens in the village’s tiny main street and each year thousands of people miss out on seeing the thick of the action. Don’t risk it and let us take care of your travel for you!

BEFORE YOU GO

Pre-departure Information

Three weeks before the festival we will update our website with details on getting to your accommodation, what to bring and any last-minute tips to make sure you get the most out of the festival. An email with links will be sent to each booking person, otherwise check out our website at that time for details!

Fanatics Facebook Group

Sign up to the Fanatics La Tomatina Event on Facebook to keep up to date with tour details before departure, ask us any questions or chat amongst the other guys coming along on tour!

GETTING THERE

Direct flights from London to Valencia are available on Iberia, British Airways, EasyJet and Ryan Air. Valencia Airport is connected to the city centre by the local metro.

Valencia is also accessible from other Spanish cities by train and coach, see Trainline, Renfe or Movelia for details.
La Tomatina Tomato Throwing Festival Spain