The tomato reigns again in Buñol (Valencia) this last Wednesday of August. “La Tomatina is so fun and so crazy…”, describe visitors from other countries. Since the celebration started in the town due to a fight between some young people in 1945 that ended in a tomato fight, thousands of people from all continents have come to this municipality in the interior of the province of Valencia to experience this frenzy, as curious as it is fun. Today, some 22,000 participants, mostly foreigners, have turned this municipality of 9,800 inhabitants into a battlefield where the ammunition has been 150 tons of this fruit that has dyed everything and everyone red. Four people have had to be treated after being affected by pepper spray, which someone threw, according to municipal sources.
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Sergio Galarza, councilor of the Buñol City Council, explains, especially to novices, how to throw tomatoes properly: “The first thing to do is to grab it, crush it very hard so that it releases its juice, and throw it at the first person you see.” In this edition, seven trucks have left with thousands of kilos of this well-ripened fruit, not suitable for human consumption, of the pear variety and cultivated expressly to be thrown in this festival in Don Benito, Badajoz.
Dressed with the survival kit – diving or ski goggles to protect the eyes from acid, old clothes because they will end up soaked in juice, footwear to avoid slipping and, if possible, a dry change of clothes – thousands of visitors warmed up at ten in the morning and gathered around the so-called ‘Palo de Jabón’ (Greasy Pole), another tradition of the town, which consists of climbing a pole, smeared with slippery ointment, and reaching the ham waiting at the top.
Miguel Ángel Luna, a native of Buñol, is the representative of this tradition and clarifies that it has nothing to do with La Tomatina, in which he has participated dozens of times, at least five inside the truck that dumps the fruit through the streets. He is 48 years old and got into these vehicles for the first time at 14. “It’s impressive. The acid from the tomato cleans your skin; it’s a natural exfoliant. And if you wear red clothes, those on the street focus on you and ‘fry’ you,” he describes.
La Tomatina, a great attraction for international visitors, who pay an entrance fee —there are 15,000 spots for foreigners and the rest are reserved for residents of Buñol— to access the tomatodrome, is highly appreciated not only by Valencians, but also by Australians, Indians —ever since Bollywood featured it in one of its popular productions— or Japanese. Asuka Katayama, from a Japanese travel agency, comes to La Tomatina every year. On this occasion, she leads a group of 60 Japanese citizens. “It’s crazy because it’s exactly the opposite of what they see in Japan. There are festivals there, but not so fun, so crazy, and with so much interaction.” The group gets into the rhythm and lets loose with the tomato throwing.
Another group of four friends, who arrived from Delhi (India), waits for the truck near the Town Hall square, completely soaked by the water that residents throw in buckets from their house windows to cool down the wait. It’s their first time and they are amazed because in their country there are two festivals: the Holi festival of colors in spring and the Diwali festival of lights in autumn. “But this is more unrestrained,” admits one of them, 38 years old. Sonnal, from Mumbai, shouts next to her husband to make herself heard over the din, describing it as an “amazing” experience. “I loved it,” she notes while asking where the showers or hoses installed throughout the town are for people to clean off the tomato.
They are followed by two young Italians, Luca and Valerio, from Matera, a town in the south of the country near Palermo, who, as tradition dictates, ended up smeared. “It’s the first time but not the last,” they announce. “We like it because we’re all dirty but people are happy, they have a great time and nothing bad happens,” they explain.
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The firecracker that signals the start —and at 1:00 PM marks the end of the tomato feast— sounds, and from a distance, the smell of tomato puree is already noticeable. Locals experience the festival differently: “If you want, you get into the thick of it, and if not, you watch from the sidelines,” says a woman from Buñol, Giovana, sitting a few meters from where the mess is, finishing lunch at an improvised table they’ve set out on the street. “Outsiders find it hard to get in at first, but once they’re in, you can’t get them out,” adds another table companion.
Aurelio Palmer, a resident and socialist spokesperson in the City Council, explains what already seems like a ceremonial for the residents of Buñol. The people inside the truck who push with their feet to get all the load to the ground are secured with ropes or harnesses to prevent falling. And clearing the way for the trucks, there are other residents who ensure that, with so many people, no one ends up under the wheels.
The Tomatina councilor, Sergio Galarza, assures that interest in this festival continues to grow. With the aim of this unique battle, as curious as it is fun, continuing to cross borders, 45 national and international media outlets have covered this edition, which has featured more than 400 journalists, cameramen, photographers, and content creators.
This year, the tomato festival has broken down barriers after the City Council launched an accessibility plan, which includes personalized assistance and accompaniment for people with disabilities, a reinforced volunteer team, and the incorporation of pictograms in the venue.
“Ultimately, La Tomatina is a globally known international festival that encompasses many people, and those with disabilities or any kind of need are also part of that percentage,” assured the activist and head of Buñol’s Accessibility Department, Regina Martínez.
In this edition, a municipal institute has called for solidarity with public education teachers. The promoters of the initiative have encouraged Tomatina participants to wear green clothing, representative of the education strike held between May and June in the Valencian Community.