History of la Tomatina
Are you curious about the history of La Tomatina? How did one of the most international festivals in Spain start?
Keep reading and find out about the history of La Tomatina. From how a small dispute in a parade of Giants and Bigheads became a party declared of International Tourist Interest.
HOW IT STARTED
The origin of this popular festival is the result of a joke and like almost all great discoveries, a fluke.
La Tomatina started in 1945 during a parade of Giants and Bigheads. Some local youth decided to take part in it, and some of the members of the party got angry. There was a small dispute near where there was a vegetable stand.
The dispute became a tomato toss between both sides, until the police ended the “conflict.”
The following year and successive years the same scenario was repeated until the authorities saw a high demand at the party. Due to this, the City Council took over the organization in 1980. Since then, La Tomatina has become popular every year and now it is a festival that each year attracts thousands of tourists of all nationalities, making it one of the festivals with a big international impact.
A mandatory festival for all those who are looking to spend a day in one of the best summer festivals in all Spain.
WHEN IS CELEBRATED?
La Tomatina is celebrated on last wednesday of August, during the week of festivities in the town of Buñol. This year, it will be on August 26.
For this, a capacity of 22,000 people and 160,000 kilos of ripe tomatoes has been established. These tomatoes are not suitable for the market and are stored for this occasion. Otherwise they would be abandoned in the field.
La Tomatina starts at 11:00h and ends at 12:00h. Although it is recommended to be at 07:00h in Buñol to avoid problems to access the town
A frantic hour throwing tomatoes at people from all corners of the world.