On the last Wednesday of August every year the town of Bunol, near Valencia, Spain hosts the world’s greatest food fight: La Tomatina. This year it will be taking place in August, and whilst it may seem a bit bonkers, you’d be mad to miss it.
The festival sees around 50,000 people from across the globe throwing over one hundred tonnes of tomatoes in the streets. Yes, you heard right: a no holds barred tomato fight descends on the otherwise sleepy Spanish town. Technically the festival only begins when someone has acquired the coveted ham, positioned atop an enormous, greasy wooden pole… However, this can be a lengthy process and so the food fight is often well under way by the time the delicious prize is won. With the firing of water cannons, the festival begins and it’s every man for himself for the hour long battle.
During the week-long festival there’s also an abundance of fireworks, dancing, parades and music, even a paella cooking competition, so if you’re not convinced that tomato-fighting is for you, there’s plenty to be getting on with whilst your friends partake in the festivities.
The reputation of La Tomatina is such that people travel from all over to attend the food-fight-come-festival and so accommodation can be in very high demand. Accordingly, many people opt to stop in Valencia and travel into Bunol by train or bus. It’s also important to note that given the nature of the event, safety precautions must be taken: protective goggles; pre-squished tomatoes to avoid injury; no glass bottles etc…
Will your Euroventure see you partaking in the world’s most famous, manic foodfight?
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