What is Tomatina?
Spain Tomato Festival is one of the most popular festivals around the world, and takes place in the Valencian municipality of Buñol. It is famous all over the world, since tens of thousands of people have been able to enjoy it in the last thirty years, and it has been the protagonist of numerous reports on televisions in dozens of countries.
During this popular Bun festival, the participants, coming from the most remote places on the planet, throw tomatoes at each other until they are completely soaked with the red juice of this vegetable. It is the great battle of the tomato.
That’s why the Tomatina de Buñol is known as one of the most fun parties in the world, with an appointment every year on the last Wednesday of the month of August.
The Tomatina uses about 150,000 kilos of tomatoes and brings together 20,000 people in the most spectacular tomato battle royale held every year.
The Valencian town receives thousands of tourists every year from more than 100 countries from the 5 continents, since it is a festival of tourist interest, at the level of international recognition of the Fallas of Valencia or the Sanfermines of Pamplona. The most numerous visitors, besides the Spaniards, are the British, Japanese, Indians, Australians and Americans. All of them arrive every year excited to enjoy the Tomatina of Buñol.
The best photos of Spain tomato festival…
Find the most spectacular photos of the Tomatina of everyone who decided to join the party, by clicking here
When is the Tomatina 2024 celebrated
The Spain Tomato Festival of Buñol 2024 will be held on Wednesday, August 28th.
Watch out for tomatina.eu because on this website we inform you where the tomatina is from, when the tickets go on sale and what their price is so that everyone can participate in the tomato festival in Buñol next August 2024.
In addition, you can purchase individual tickets or with a tourist package to travel to this corner of Spain this summer and fully experience the Tomatina festival.
Spain tomato festival 2024 tickets
The price of the tickets for 2024 can be seen here.
Some tour operators and travel agencies put on sale packages with the trip, stay, parties and even the option of doing more activities within the Valencian Community.
Click here to access the official ticket sales page. Tickets for 2024 are already on sale.
Where is the Tomatina
The Spain Tomato Festival is celebrated in the central streets of this Spanish municipality that gives its name to the fiesta de Buñol, declared of tourist interest, among which are the Plaza del pueblo, Calle del Cid, and the surrounding areas, from Calle San Luis to Avenida País Valenciano.
A route of just over a kilometer and a half, where around 20,000 people gather every year ready to enjoy an hour releasing adrenaline, where everything is dyed red.
Schedule of the Spain tomato festival 2024
The Tomatina de Buñol takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (it lasts one hour). Remember, the last Wednesday of August, which this year is the 28th.
Strictly, with punctuality, the casings sound to give the beginning to the throwing of tomatoes. And with the same punctuality they ring 60 minutes later. It is forbidden to throw tomatoes after the last carcass until the following year, let it be repeated again.
Don’t worry, you’ll hear it!
Tomatina festival: the rules of the game
If you want Spain Tomato Festival to remain as fun as the popular party it is, you must respect these rules:
- Do not enter bottles or hard objects; you can cause accidents and damage to your battle companions
- Don’t tear up or throw T-shirts at people
- Crush the tomatoes before throwing them – the blow will be less forceful
- Keep a safe distance from trucks
- Stop throwing tomatoes when you hear the shot of the second casing
- Follow the instructions of the security staff at all times
Tomatina 2024: Tips
You will always have fun at Spain Tomato Festival, but if you want to make it unforgettable, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose closed-toe sneakers that you can throw away later – it is preferable to flip-flops, which you can lose in the heat of this battle.
- Take old clothes or ones that you won’t wear anymore; when you’re done you’ll have to throw them away.
- Diving goggles can come in handy. The acid of the tomato stings in the eyes, but cleanses the skin that gives taste.
- If you want to take photos, use a waterproof camera.
- If you are not from Buñol and you have to spend the night, do not forget to look for accommodation in advance.
- It is recommended to arrive early to Buñol: at 7.00 the car accesses to the urban area are closed and you can only enter on foot. The ideal is to park on the outskirts.
- Do not miss the palojabón: a post smeared in soap and from which a ham hangs. The one who manages to get to him, keeps him.
- And, of course, enjoy to the fullest. It is a joy to release adrenaline by punching tomatoes left and right for an hour in a gigantic pitched battle.
ChildrenTomatina
Safety and fun in equal parts! And as it could not be otherwise, the Tomatina also has its mini version for the little ones. Because throwing tomatoes at someone else is not just an adult’s game.
When is the Children’s Tomatina celebrated?
The Children’s Tomatina takes place in Buñol, on the Saturday before the Tomatina, that is, this year it will be on Saturday, August 24th. At 11 o’clock in the morning the little ones gather in the town square to start the tremendous fun of throwing tomatoes at each other.
The children’s tomato battle will begin when the initial casing sounds and will end with the same sound indicator at 12 o’clock noon. It is important that you do not throw any tomatoes from it and be attentive to the indications of the security staff, who will also indicate the water points to be able to clean the little ones.
Who can participate in the Children’s Tomatina?
All those boys and girls between 4 and 14 years of age.
Are tickets needed?
As it is an event for children, no access bracelet is needed and it is completely free. The children will enter the enclosure prepared for it, while the parents can observe them from outside the fence capturing the funniest snapshots.
Tomatina infantil: recommendations
It is necessary, when dealing with children, to teach them that they should crush tomatoes before throwing them at other children, to avoid causing damage.
Just like the older ones, let them wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that they are going to throw away later.
All that’s left is to enjoy, laugh and release as much adrenaline as possible by throwing tomatoes!
How did Spain tomato festival come about?
The Spain Tomato Festival is a popular festival with a tremendous and great history behind this festivity of the Valencian municipality of Buñol, which began with a tomato war of a group of young people in a simple vegetable stand, where some started throwing tomatoes at others unleashing the battle that today gives its name to the celebration.
In this 2023 it celebrates 76 years as one of the most important festivals in the world: the great battle of tomatoes that dyes the town red, which began, as we have mentioned, when some young people started throwing tomatoes at another, the less curious!Spain
La Tomatina sound track (BSO)
Buñol presented in July 2020 a new composition commissioned on the occasion of its 75th anniversary.
Already in 2008 the Buñol rock group ‘Malsujeto’ created the song ‘Everything is the same color’ dedicated to the most international party of Buñol. This is how they have put sound to the tremendous tomato party:
Where do tomatoes from la Tomatina come from?
The Tomatina festival consumes around 150,000 kilos of tomatoes, the main instrument for the great pitched battle that takes place, let’s remember, on the last Wednesday of the month of August.
Tomatoes usually come from the Valencian Community.
Sometimes from La Llosa, a Castellon region that provides ammunition to locals and tourists; but other times they also come from Xilxes, Moncofa or Almenara.
The tomatoes of La Tomatina are not suitable for human consumption, since they are too ripe and many of them would stay in the field without being picked. In fact, thanks to the fact that they are very mature and, therefore, soft, when they throw from one to another they do not cause physical damage.
La Tomatina in film and television
The interest in the Tomatina de Buñol has come to include this particular celebration in the culture of cinema, television and other forms of entertainment.
Perhaps the Tekken fighting video game sounds familiar to you, or the interpretation of the great Alejo Saura in ‘The Red Dot’, a short film released in 2011 about the origins of La Tomatina. These and other curious appearances of La Tomatina, who has traveled, by the way, to Bollywood you can discover them here.
La Tomatina as a national and international claim
The month of August is synonymous with Tomatina in the Valencian municipality of Buñol. But also in various parts of Spain and the world this festival has become a celebration with a high claim, national and international.
On the last Wednesday of August every year La Tomatina brings together a crowd of people from different countries of the world. In fact, it is known that its popularity has already reached levels of interest of the Fallas of Valencia or the Sanfermines of Pamplona.
People, groups of friends and even whole families travel to the town of Buñol to participate in the funniest tomato battle in the world, La Tomatina. And it is that up to 60% of the people who live this popular holiday come from countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, the United States, India and Russia, among others.
La Tomatina says NO to sexist violence
With the aim of combating each and every one of the situations of abuse and at the same time being able to continue enjoying a festive tradition of more than 70 years, the City Council of Buñol approved a few years ago the Protocol of Action against possible behaviors and actions that could lead to sexist and homophobic violence in these popular festivities, and it remains always activated.
It is necessary, after the aberrations that have occurred in recent years during the celebration of San Fermin (Pamplona) and having acquired an international popularity, that the Tomatina de Buñol has launched from the Buñol City Council this message to the world under a series of recommendations and protections, necessary always activated, to prevent violence of all types of abuse during the celebrations.
The party has different security personnel who ensure compliance with the rules so that each celebration is a success.
What you didn’t know about La Tomatina!
150 tons of ripe tomatoes, watch out! not suitable for human consumption, they are thrown left and right during a day, mounting a real tomato war, in which absolutely everything is dyed red What curiosities did you not know? Here we tell them to you:
1. A Whole Universe around the Tomato
And it is that la Tomatina, in addition to the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, is present throughout the summer a Tomato Universe remembers and commemorates this enormous tradition with tons of tomatoes.
Therefore, dyeing yourself red not only means going to the tomato war, but also getting dressed up and enjoying endless activities around the Tomatina that are held in Buñol.
But also, different Buñol locals join the theme by serving TAPAS AND COCKTAILS at the most international party with the indispensable protagonist: the big Tomato.
In addition to the TOMATINA SOUND FESTIVAL, where different national and electronic music artists come together to get all the Locals and tourists up with an authentic festival in the popular festivities of Buñol.
2. Declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2002
And it all started because of a fight of young people, who was going to tell us? Year after year, thousands of people of various nationalities gather in the Plaza de Buñol and adjacent streets, to participate in the biggest tomato launch of the year.
3. The battle of the ham
And as in every battle, the participants not only compete to see who ends up the reddest and most tomato-stained, but also to get a ham, which is usually placed on top of a post, house or construction and the participant who manages to climb up to it will be the winner, who can take it home.
4. Theme of the Japanese amusement park
The Japanese liked La Tomatina de Buñol so much that in ‘Parque España’ the amusement park they have in Japan with a theme of our country, in which there are several attractions set in Spain, they have also included an attraction dedicated to La Tomatina. It recreates both the festive atmosphere, the town square and the great battle of tomatoes. A real honor for the Buñolenses. Will they notice the difference when they come as tourists?