Held on the last Wednesday of August each year, is what is said to be the world's biggest food fight – La Tomatina. Also known as Spain’s Tomato Throwing Festival, La Tomatina attracts thousands of people from all over the world, every year. Held in the Valencian town of Buñol, La Tomatina lasts for about an hour, at the end of which the people, as well as the entire area is covered in tomato pulp.
The festival is truly unique and must be on every individual’s travel bucket list. Because of the expanding number of participants each year, tickets are now only issued for 20,000 lucky individuals. Those who wish to attend must therefore make sure to buy their tickets well in advance. Also, since Buñol is a relatively small town, and offers limited accommodation, many participants choose to stay in Valencia, which is only about 38 kilometres away, and offers more accommodation. If participants which to stay in Buñol, they will have to make bookings ahead of time.
The festival starts at around 11am, when trucks dump thousands of over-ripe tomatoes from the harvest into the Plaza del Pueblo, which is the centre of Buñol. The chaos then begins once the water cannons are fired. After an hour of mayhem, the festival ends, and no more tomatoes can be thrown. The area is then cleaned up with the help of fire trucks. Participants may be able to get a hose-down from friendly locals, they can also clean up at the Bunol River, or they will have to return to their accommodation to wash themselves off.
Some of the rules of La Tomatina include; squashing the tomatoes before throwing them; to reduce the impact of the fruit, avoid bringing hard objects which could harm the other participants, and participants must stop throwing tomatoes as soon as the second shot is heard. It is also best for La Tomatina participants to wear old clothes and shoes, which can be disposed of after the festival, unless they don’t mind stained clothing. Flip flops will also not last long in the havoc of the festival. Participants are therefore advised to wear sneakers. Because the area gets crowded quickly, participants must arrive early to scout out the best location for the fight. Women participating in La Tomatina may prefer to stand away from the town centre, where the crowd gets the wildest.
Muslims participating in La Tomatina may not be able to find any Halal facilities, such as mosques and Halal restaurants in Buñol, but Valencia is known to be quite Muslim-friendly. There are quite a few mosques in Valencia, such as La Gran Mezquita de Valencia; which is the largest mosque in the city, and Mezquita de Orriols and the Islamic Cultural Center. Halal eateries can also be easily found in Valencia. Some restaurants in the city known to serve Halal food include, Balansiya, Aljuzama, Aleimuna, La Cañameria and Al Menara. Muslims must however be aware that some of these restaurants may only be partially Halal. .
