What is La Tomatina 2012?
Have you ever attended a food fight and wanted to continue or throw more food at more people? Well, that is essentially what La Tomatina is! It is the World’s Biggest Food Fight where over a hundred metric tons of tomatoes that are over-ripe are thrown in the streets.
But before this happens, there is a week of festivities which include music, parades and dancing. The night before the fight, there is a paella cooking contest for those who are attending the festival. Do not be surprised if you see shops covered with plastic before the event – store keepers do this to protect their store from damage.
When is 2012 La Tomatina?
This event is held on the last Wednesday of August so in 2012 it will be held on August 29.
What Happens?
At approximately 11 am the event begins. It technically will not begin until someone has climbed the two storey greased up pole and reached the ham at the top but rarely do the attendees wait for this to happen. Generally, once the water cannons have been fired the battle and the chaos begins.
The fight lasts for an hour and the water cannons are fired to signal the end of the fight. No more tomatoes can be tossed at this point. Fire trucks come out to spray down the streets and do not seem to concern themselves with the people. For this reason, may people go to the Bunol River to wash or will find a resident who will hose them down. The streets are clean once the fire trucks are done as the acidity cleans the roads.
What are the rules for La Tomatina?
- There are a few rules for those participating to keep the event safe for themselves and others.
- Attendees are strongly encouraged to wear protective goggles and gloves
- Tomatoes must be crushed before they are thrown
- Leave the bottles and hard objects at home as they can injure others or cause accidents.
- Do not tear other peoples clothing – this one tends to be ignored.
Advice for Attending La Tomatina
- Wear old clothing that you do not care about as they will end up stained and likely ripped.
- Wear closed shoes which can be tossed afterwards. Flip flops may not protect your feet or get lost.
- If you want to take pictures, bring a waterproof camera.
Where to stay for La Tomatina?
The town of Bunol normally has a population of nine thousand people but during this event, the town can swell to forty thousand people. For this reason, it is best to stay nearby in Valencia and take public transportation to the fight.
