‘Delicious madness’: 22,000 people descend on Buñol to pelt each other with 150,000 tomatoes at La Tomatina

Around 150,000 kilos of ripe tomatoes distributed in seven trucks departed from the Valencian town of Silla to dye the streets of Buñol red Wednesday during the traditional Tomatina, at which 22,000 revelers are expected. The annual “battle of the tomatoes” begins at noon and lasts for around an hour, although before and after there is music and various activities throughout the picturesque town in the mountains some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Valencia.

This year, productions of the tomatoes for the festival was conducted by Frutas y Verduras Massanassa, based in Silla. The company said that as of the end of April it had been working to provide the ammunition for the Tomatina, a Festival of International Tourist Interest, which brings together people from all over the world.

The local authorities in Buñol have predicted this year will be a full house: tickets to the event start at €15 ($16.70). “There is a lot of excitement and also a lot of respect because there are many people on the route, as this year will feature seven trucks. We hope that the party goes smoothly and that at 2 p.m. we can clean up and everyone is happy,” said councilman Sergio Galarza.

This year, as a novelty, VIP tickets have been marketed at over $500 each, which offer the opportunity to ride in the trucks and throw tomatoes to “experience Buñol as we do,” Galarza said. However, the councilman admits that these tickets have not exactly flown off the shelf, with only five being sold, although he hopes that in the future there will be more interest. Participants on the trucks are held in place with a harness to prevent them from slipping.

Frutas y Verduras Massanassa pointed out that the tomatoes are produced exclusively for the Tomatina and not suitable for consumption. “These tomatoes are of the Valencian pear variety and very soft,” said Salvador Ribes, one of the owners of the family business, while expressing his pride at putting the seal of the province of Valencia on the 2024 Tomatina.

The history of La Tomatina began on the final Wednesday of August, 1945. “Some young people were hanging out in the town square to watch the parade of carnival figures and other acts at the town festival. The boys decided to try and join the procession. When they pushed their way into the parade, they caused another participant to fall over, who in a fit of rage began to lash out at everything in his path. By a whim of destiny, there was a vegetable stand that became the target of the enraged crowd: People started to pelt each other with tomatoes until the local authorities put an end to the vegetable battle,” says the official account of the origin of this unique festival.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition