Why Does Buñol, Spain Have a Tomato Fight? (La Tomatina)

La Tomatina is a town festival in Buñol, Valencia—not a national Spanish tradition.

Origins (Debated)

• 1945: Youths at a Giants and Big-Heads parade grabbed tomatoes from a vegetable stand and threw them at each other.
• Alternative: Friendly food fight between rival tomato growers.
• 1950s: Banned briefly (Franco); revived 1957 with "burial of the tomato" mock funeral.
• 1980s: Town hall took over organization; grew exponentially.

Modern Festival

• Date: Last Wednesday of August (weeklong festivities).
• Participants: 20,000+ (capped; ticketed since 2013).
• Tomatoes: 120+ metric tons (overripe, from Extremadura; unfit for sale).
• Duration: 1 hour (11 AM–12 PM) – cannon signals start/end.
• Rules: Squish tomatoes before throwing; no other objects; give way to trucks.
• Aftermath: Fire trucks hose streets; participants use public showers.
• Paella feast concludes the day.

Economic impact: ~€300K revenue for Buñol (pop. 9,000). Global media phenomenon.