What Is Spain's La Tomatina Festival?

Editor Shannon McMahon is always planning her next trip and often writing in her travel journal. Follow her on Twitter @shanmcmahon_ and on Instagram @shanmcmahon.

Shannon joined SmarterTravel in 2015. A former news reporter, she's lived in the south of Spain, spotted elephants in Sri Lanka, gone spelunking in the Caribbean, hiked Jordan's Petra Basin, interviewed Sao Paulo's Michelin-Star chefs, and explored China via bullet train. Travel trends, news oddities, and her visits to up-and-coming destinations are some of her favorite things to write about.

Her stories have also appeared online on USA Today, The Sun, Huffington Post, Business Insider, blog.TripAdvisor.com, Boston.com, and more. Her educational background is in journalism, art history, gender studies, Spanish, and film. She's been quoted as an expert travel source by CNBC, People.com, MarketWatch, The Washington Post, USA Today, and more.

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Every year, the Internet becomes awash with photos of revelers in tomato, as Bunol, Spain’s La Tomatina Festival turns the town’s streets red once again. But why do those crazy tourists take part in an enormous food fight every August? Here’s what you need to know about the annual event.

100 Metric Tons of Over-Ripened Tomatoes Are Sacrificed

Bunol's Plaza del Pueblo sees 220,000 pounds of tomatoes on the final Wednesday of every August. The tradition attracts tourists from around the world.

100 Metric Tons of Over-Ripened Tomatoes Are Sacrificed

Bunol's Plaza del Pueblo sees 220,000 pounds of tomatoes on the final Wednesday of every August. The tradition attracts tourists from around the world.

Thousands Of People Attend

The event became ticketed in 2013 after the participant population boomed to an unmanageable 50,000. (Before the event became super popular worldwide, only about 9,000 would attend.) Now, a comfortable 20,000 participants are able to join in the tomato-paste bath if they buy tickets before the event sells out.

The Entire Event Depends on a Ham Atop a Greased Pole

Yes, a ham. Tomatina can't begin until someone climbs atop a two-story pole to retrieve it. According to festival organizers, that usually takes too long for impatient revelers, who begin throwing tomatoes before the meat is captured. Once the ham is retrieved, however, the firing of water cannons signals the official start.

No One Knows How it Began

Legend has it that the festival first occurred in 1944 or 1945 when Bunol townspeople threw tomatoes at a city councilman, but there are many other theories. Some believe it commemorates a food fight between local friends, others say it was the response to a tomato delivery truck spilling its contents by accident.

Franco Wanted It Gone

Dictator Francisco Franco nixed the festival for decades because it was not of any religious significance, but it returned triumphantly after his fall from power in the 1970s.

Valencia Plays A Large Part

The small town of Bunol can't handle the wave of tourists that swarm the event, so many have to stay 23 miles away in Valencia until the big day. That's no problem, since Valencia is home to bull-fighting and beaches to keep them entertained.

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Local Shopkeepers Are Prepared

Business owners cover storefronts in tarps and plastic in preparation for the mess. It's no wonder why, seeing as the pelting of squashed tomatoes turns everything in sight pink.

Shannon McMahon has lived in Spain and visited most major cities on the Iberian Peninsula. She hopes to one day attend La Tomatina. Follow her on Twitter @Shanmcmahon_ .

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