La Tomatina festival

A Guide to Attending La Tomatina in Spain (Updated 2025)

"I attended La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain — a yearly tomato-throwing festival that began as an impromptu local food fight in 1945 (briefly banned in the 1950s under Franco) and now takes place on the last Wednesday of August, drawing up to 20,000 participants. The chaos builds from early morning as people crowd trains from Valencia and converge on the city center; before the 11am start there’s a greased-pole scramble to win a ham, then an intense one-hour food fight after which the streets are ankle-deep in tomato juice and the fire department hoses everything down while people wash off in the river or get sprayed by locals. After the fight the party continues in plazas with music, dancing, sangria and plenty of eating until sunset, and I found the whole experience energetic and strangely bonding. Practical tips I followed (and recommend): wear clothes and shoes you can throw away, bring goggles and waterproof protection for cameras/phones, avoid flip-flops, stay hydrated, agree on a meeting spot with friends, don’t bring valuables because pickpocketing is common, women should consider a sports bra and watch for groping or shirt-rippers, and arrive early since capacity is capped (tickets are currently €12 and sell out — book accommodation and tickets in advance). Buñol is about 40 km from Valencia (≈40 minutes by car or BlaBlaCar; buses #265a/#265b/#2 ~60–75 minutes round-trip for just under €12; C3 train slightly over an hour at about €8 one way)." - Matthew Kepnes