La Tomatina : Spain
Some holidaymakers go abroad to relax in the sun, while others go looking for striking scenery. Still others seek out museums, art galleries and historical sites. Not many tourists go looking for the biggest mess they can possibly find. For the few that do, though, Spain's Tomatina festival is the perfect destination.
The origins of the Tomatina are unclear -- a number of competing stories exist. What seems clear is that the small Valencian town of Buñol saw a number of large-scale tomato fights as part of festival celebrations in the 1940s and 50s. After initially banning the practice, town authorities succumbed to popular demand and made the tomato battles an annual celebration. Today, the Tomatina is an eagerly awaited event in Buñol. The town's population can more than quadruple during a particularly lively Tomatina.
The Tomatina is part of a longer week of festivities during late August. The Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday in August. The battle is preceded by an event called the "palo jabón", in which competitors attempt to climb a greasy pole with a ham mounted atop it. Success in this event signals the beginning of the Tomatina. Lorries laden with tomatoes roll into the Plaza del Pueblo, the town square. The lorries' crews fling tomatoes from their beds into the square. Already soaked with water from fire hoses (part of the palo jabón event), the crowd eagerly scoop up the tomatoes and the battle begins.
For an hour, chaos reigns in the plaza. Town residents and tourists hurl the tomatoes, already partly squashed, at one another. Within minutes, everyone involved is coated in a slimy mess of tomato pulp. At the end of the tomato fight, a shot rings out and peace is restored. The fire hoses are turned on the participants once more to rinse off the pulp.
Careful preparation is required for Tomatina. Shopkeepers board up their windows and cover the fronts of their establishments with plastic sheet. Experienced tomato fighters don swimming goggles to keep tomato pulp out of their eyes; some also wear rubber kitchen gloves. During the hour-long combat, tonnes of tomatoes, specially imported from Extramadura, are used up -- estimates range as high as 90 or even 100 tonnes.
Accommodation in Buñol itself is limited, so many visitors stay in Valencia and make the drive or catch a train to Buñol early on Wednesday morning. A direct flight from Heathrow airport to nearby Alicante airport takes around two and a half hours. Flying to Valencia airport itself from Heathrow Airport requires a change, although there are direct flights from Stansted and Gatwick.
For more information on Stansted Airport Parking and Heathrow Parking, please click the following.
The origins of the Tomatina are unclear -- a number of competing stories exist. What seems clear is that the small Valencian town of Buñol saw a number of large-scale tomato fights as part of festival celebrations in the 1940s and 50s. After initially banning the practice, town authorities succumbed to popular demand and made the tomato battles an annual celebration. Today, the Tomatina is an eagerly awaited event in Buñol. The town's population can more than quadruple during a particularly lively Tomatina.
The Tomatina is part of a longer week of festivities during late August. The Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday in August. The battle is preceded by an event called the "palo jabón", in which competitors attempt to climb a greasy pole with a ham mounted atop it. Success in this event signals the beginning of the Tomatina. Lorries laden with tomatoes roll into the Plaza del Pueblo, the town square. The lorries' crews fling tomatoes from their beds into the square. Already soaked with water from fire hoses (part of the palo jabón event), the crowd eagerly scoop up the tomatoes and the battle begins.
For an hour, chaos reigns in the plaza. Town residents and tourists hurl the tomatoes, already partly squashed, at one another. Within minutes, everyone involved is coated in a slimy mess of tomato pulp. At the end of the tomato fight, a shot rings out and peace is restored. The fire hoses are turned on the participants once more to rinse off the pulp.
Careful preparation is required for Tomatina. Shopkeepers board up their windows and cover the fronts of their establishments with plastic sheet. Experienced tomato fighters don swimming goggles to keep tomato pulp out of their eyes; some also wear rubber kitchen gloves. During the hour-long combat, tonnes of tomatoes, specially imported from Extramadura, are used up -- estimates range as high as 90 or even 100 tonnes.
Accommodation in Buñol itself is limited, so many visitors stay in Valencia and make the drive or catch a train to Buñol early on Wednesday morning. A direct flight from Heathrow airport to nearby Alicante airport takes around two and a half hours. Flying to Valencia airport itself from Heathrow Airport requires a change, although there are direct flights from Stansted and Gatwick.
For more information on Stansted Airport Parking and Heathrow Parking, please click the following.
