Buñol is a relatively small town in the province of Valencia, Spain. Every year upwards of 40,000 people gather in the town to throw over 115,000 kilograms of tomatoes at each other. The rest of the time, this is an ordinary Spanish town that isn’t visited that often by tomato loving travellers.

Buñol itself contains its own riches worth discovering. For example, Cueva Turche is a gorgeous hiking area with breath taking waterfalls and caves. Absolutely stunning!

But of course, this is not the focus of this gallery today. Let’s dive into the Spanish tomato madness.

Australia is known for its Big Prawn, Big Banana, Big Trout and a whole bunch of other large items across the country. Maybe it’s time for a Big Tomato!?

If you decide to go to La Tomatina this year, make sure you brush up on your swimming skills!

During the week leading up to this epic battle, the 9000 inhabitants of Buñol watch as their town doubles in size. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow streets beneath the town’s medieval bell tower begin to fill with the smell of tomatoes. Excitement is in the air!

The city council provides a short list of instructions to ensure the safety of the participants and the festival. Let’s go through them: 

• Do not throw bottles or hard objects.
• Do not tear or throw tee-shirts.
• Squash tomatoes before throwing them to avoid hurting others.
• Keep a safe distance from trucks.
• Stop throwing tomatoes after the second starter pistol shot.
• Follow directions from the staff.

And if you need to take a break from all this veggie swimming, you can always find a chess partner in the crowd.

One thing is certain, if you enjoy tomatoes in your diet, you are going to have a blast.

Smiles and giggles are guaranteed!

And it’ll definitely be messy!