A tomato lover's paradise

Looking for some messy fun? Look no further than the tomato throwing festival La Tomatina, the world's largest tomato fight, and get ready for a healthy dousing of the seedy stuff.

The town of Buñol, situated about 19 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, can be seen as a quaint, quiet little Spanish village. But during the week leading up to its famous La Tomatina tomato fight, the sound of quiet is broken with the wails of fireworks and music and the procession of parades as people from all over the globe seek fun at its annual fiesta.

Of course there is dancing (this is Spain!) and the air is filled with the juicy scent of paella. Here the young and old celebrate together, with the latter drinking copious amounts of hefty sangria. Early next morning, when the party is over however, local shopkeepers cover their shop fronts with sheets of plastic, neighbours help each other board up windows and locals prepare their seats and hoses on roof tops. The fight is about to begin.

Several interpretations exist about its origins and the details are sketchy. The most popular belief is that the first Tomatina started up in 1945, with many claiming it started with just one person throwing tomato during a brawl between bystanders at a carnival parade. Authorities did their best to ban what has now become an annual event, held in Buñol on the last Wednesday of August.

Revellers get to Plaza Del Pueblo early, as although the popularity of the festival grows, the space in which it is held does not. The street gets literally crammed with tomato goers, all being sprayed with water by industrial sized hoses and fighting for a spot in the street. The build-up to the tomato trucks proves too great for some and boys and girls better beware: it is tradition for men to rip and throw wet T-shirts at each other and it can get pretty crazy. Only when someone claws their way up a greased-up wooden pole to claim a leg of ham can the tomato fight start.

Bang on 11:00, ham down and the people hungry, huge trucks meander down the street, dumping the tomatoes as the pelting begins.

It is everyone for themselves and not one person will get away un-pulped. After about an hour the sirens call and the crowd retracts, walking off to the stream running through the town to wipe the blood-red stains away. For those not willing to trek, there is always a local on hand, ready to water down tomato-clad people with their hose.

Because of its popularity, there has been a surge in tourists attending the fight - over 40,000 this year alone. One of the best ways to participate in La Tomatina is to join up with a tour group. Cheesy as they sometimes are, many tour operators such as Tim the Tourman have been going for many years and take the pressure out of organizing the little things, such as transport to and from Buñol.

If the thought of going with a tour group makes you want to run the other way though, anyone can turn up however and whenever they choose as the festival itself is free.

Places to stay are scarce in Buñol, making Valencia the perfect place to make base camp. There are many hotels and hostels for all budgets to choose from, but for a place that includes breakfast you cannot go past The Expo Hotel, which is situated right next to the central bus station.

For more information on visiting Valencia see Turis Valencia and for other tours see La Tomatina.com

Oh, and in case you had not figured it out, do not wear your Sunday best - unless you love the smell of tomatoes!

Louise Cadell