THE CRAZY BATTLE OF THE TOMATO! JOIN PP FOR ONE OF THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE AND MEMORIABLE EXPERIENCES OF YOUR LIFE.
The Tomatina Festival (the Tomato Battle) takes place in Bu'ol, a small town of approximately 9,000 people. Before the fiesta begins, locals protect their homes with plastic sheeting, ready for the onslaught. Then the lorries arrive and the fiesta begins.
Join PP Travel on our 3 day Hotel Tour on either the 3* or Superior 4* Option, Staying in Valencia, the third largest city in Spain. We stay in a brand new top quality central hotel and include, welcome party, return coach transfer to Bunol for La Tomatina, breakfasts Souvenir T-Shirt and services of a PP Rep.
La Tomatina - How it all began
is a festival held on the last Wednesday of August at Bu'ol, Valencia, Spain. Tens of thousands of participants come from all over the world to fight in a harmless battle where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.
Approximately 30,000 people come to the tomato fight, and 240,000 pounds of tomatoes are used. In preparation for the dirty mess that will ensue, shopkeepers cover their storefronts in order to protect them from the carnage. At around 11:00am, the first event of the Tomatina begins. A ham is placed upon a large greased pole, and the tomato fight can begin only when someone is able to climb to the top and bring it down. People struggle against each other, climbing atop one another, in order to be the one to pull down the ham. With this victory the tomato throwing begins.
Many trucks haul the bounty of tomatoes into the center of the town, Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, Spain, where they are less expensive. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of the cannon, and the chaos begins. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself, but it is not uncommon for it to develop into girls vs guys. Those who partake in this event are strongly encouraged to wear protective goggles and gloves. In addition, they must squish the tomatoes before throwing for safety precautions. Another rule is that no one is allowed to bring into this fight anything that may provoke someone into a more serious brawl, for instance a bottle. While the natives enjoy tearing the ragged clothing off other people, it is highly frowned upon to tear someone else's clothing.
Below are details of this year's series of tours - full details of our 2009 will be posted here soon.
