La Tomatina

When: Last Wednesday of August each year, with the main tomato fight mid-morning.

Where: In the streets and main square of Buñol, Spain, with activity centered around the town plaza.

Cost: Paid entry with limited tickets sold in advance to control numbers.

Don’t miss: The pre-fight palo jabón (greased pole) spectacle and the one-hour tomato battle that follows.

La Tomatina is an annual tomato-throwing event in Buñol, Spain that grew out of a mid-20th-century street scuffle during the town fiestas and has since been formalized into an organized festival. What began as an impromptu brawl is now a regulated, hugely popular event with strict crowd-control measures and ticketing.

On the day, trucks haul tonnes of overripe tomatoes into the town, a water cannon signals the start, and for roughly one hour participants douse the streets and each other in tomato pulp. The atmosphere is loud, frantic and exuberant; expect slippery streets, cheering crowds, music from the plaza and a communal, carnival-like energy concentrated in the old town area.

The festival is held annually on the last Wednesday of August; the main tomato fight typically starts mid-morning and lasts about an hour. The town’s wider fiestas run in the days around the event, with a build-up of smaller parades and activities earlier in the week.

Key moments are the pre-fight climbing of the palo jabón and the signal from a water cannon to start and stop the tomato-throwing; plan to be in place well before the announced start time to get a good spot.

The closest major airport is Valencia Airport serving Valencia; from Valencia city take the Cercanias regional train (C3 line) to Buñol - the journey is roughly 40 minutes. On La Tomatina day extra trains and shuttle buses often run but services fill fast, so arrive the day before or very early and book accommodation and transport well ahead.

• Arrive early in Buñol and collect any pre-purchased tickets; accommodation and tickets often sell out months in advance.
• Wear old clothes and secure, closed shoes you don’t mind trashing; goggles protect your eyes and a waterproof case will save your phone.
• Follow local marshals’ instructions: only throw squashed tomatoes to lessen impact and never throw hard objects or glass.
• Expect lots of slipping and heavy crowds; if you have mobility issues or small children, consider watching from a distance or at elevated points.
• Bring a small towel, a plastic bag for wet items and some cash for food and drinks; the town streets are hosed down after the event but showers at hotels fill quickly.
• Be mindful of local residents: clean up after yourself where possible and respect private property while moving through the town.