Tomatina de Buñol

Every year, on the last Wednesday of August more than 40,000 people, hungry for fun and fiesta, get roped into tomato throwing in the Tomatina de Buñol, a friendly battle in which more than 110 tons of ripe tomatoes fly through the air. Come and enjoy a fiesta that is unique in the world with a curious protagonist that leaves everything red and that cleans and disinfects: the tomato.

At approximately 11 in the morning a convoy of lorries will begin to parade, full of tomatoes, along the street called Cid and the Town Square, dyeing the roads, pavements, walls, façades, participants, the curious and everything that crosses their path red with the red and ripe projectiles. Just one hour later the time comes to leave everything just as it was before. The restorative water will return the original colour to the buildings, and the tomato will gradually disappear down the street until everything goes back to normality. Two hours are sufficient for the cleaning brigade, with the help of the neighbours who offer their help as volunteers, to leave the streets of Buñol just as they were before the tomatoes dyed them red.

A word of advice, if you come to the Tomatina respect the rules: you have one hour for throwing tomatoes from the moment a rocket announces the start of the battle until the end, one hour later, when another rocket is set off. The tomatoes, which are ripe, should be squashed between your hands before throwing them. Grab a tomato and have fun.