La Tomatina: Bunol
I expected chaos, I expected mayhem, I expected madness; Never, in my wildest dreams, did I expect the Tomatina Festival to be as insane as it was. For those that don’t know, La Tomatina is the world’s biggest food fight, with you guessed it, tomatoes! This isn’t any ordinary cafeteria food fight. La Tomatina is a city-wide fight that takes place in the streets of Bunol, Spain. The festival started over 70 years ago and attracts over twenty thousand people annually.
The fight itself is only an hour-long, but the city is full of energy throughout the entire day. We arrived in Bunol around 8 am and the atmosphere was electric. Music was playing from every street, sangria being consumed by anyone that was awake, and locals dumping water on anyone they could prank. You could tell the city was waiting for this day. Our specific Tomatina organizers (Festivals All Around) had a Sangria and music party, which in itself was a ton of fun. People were dancing, drinking, and yes, even dumping sangria on one another. This otherwise small city was energized to another level. I loved it.
The Build Up
Before long, it was time to fill the streets where the fight was about to begin. After a two-second security check, we walked into the streets and saw the blue tarp covering all the walls. You just knew this was going to get wild very fast. As we got closer to the center, it felt as though we were walking into a fully packed soccer stadium. The noise volume escalated with each step, and you could hear chants getting louder and louder. Then, before we knew it, a sea of thousands of people chanting, screaming, and dancing hit us at once. It was as if the energy of a soccer stadium was taken and filled it into the small cobblestone streets of this city.
The fight hadn’t even started yet, but the party had already begun. I had my nice sangria buzz as I chanted along with anyone I could find. It’s almost hard to sit still with this kind of energy. As we all danced away, locals who lived in the apartments above the streets showered everyone with water simply for their entertainment. Before long, people on the streets started using buckets to dump water on one another as well. Everyone was just in the mindset of throwing stuff. In the very center of all the streets, you could see people trying to climb a greased pole. If anyone makes it to the top, the tomato fight automatically begins otherwise, it starts at 11 am. It was loud, it was rowdy, and it was freaking awesome. I was ready.
Fight!!!
At 11 am, a loud horn rang- It was time. I looked behind me- the streets were filled. I looked in front of me- the streets were filled. I had no idea how tomato trucks were going to get through this crowd. Then, I found my answer. Somehow someway all the people were pushed up against the walls to make way for this giant truck. The truck slowly approached us as it honked its horn in celebration. The horn got louder, and the truck more visible, and before long, I was squished against the wall too.
I could see the tomato throwers from the truck as they started firing in our direction. Tomatoes started flying everywhere as people on top of the trucks began to rapid-fire. I got nailed straight in the head. It was on! As the truck passed us, tomatoes fell off from the back, and it was officially go-time. Everyone ran to the middle of the street, grabbed anything they could, and started throwing. It took about two minutes before my goggles were covered. I picked up clumps of red salsa and threw it in every which direction. I looked around and literally couldn’t believe what was going on. This was the strangest thing I had ever done, yet one of the most fun. I tried to take off my goggles for a second and instantly was hit with many more tomatoes, now my eyes burned too. With my vision temporarily impaired, I retreated to the wall to get some cover. No luck. I had to power through it.
After it was all said and done, people began to exit the streets. At almost every turn, locals were waiting with water to shower you off. It was actually pretty cool to see. For those staying in the city, the day doesn’t end here either. The streets are flooded with bars, authentic Spanish food, and music, and there are many after-parties as well. Since we came from Barcelona we only have a couple of hours to enjoy the scene before having to head back. At this point, all I needed was a proper shower!
Overview
Smelly, painful, and crowded yet completely worth it. When the fight ended, my friends and I had one common reaction- “What just happened?” Honestly, I’m not even sure if I still truly know what happened at that hour. I have never been part of a scene like that. So much energy, chaos, and insanity mixed in a city painted in red.
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