Visiting Spain at the end of summer means taking a tomato puree bath. And here is why! The reason is that exactly in August does the famous La Tomatina take place, which is definitely the reddest festival in Spain. Many globetrotters come to Spain for exactly that purpose: to attack other participants with red ripe tomatoes. That sounds simple, but it’s really fun. See it up close and personal.
The history of the festival started in Buñol in the 1940s. But no one is actually worried about its historical background. Like all the great festivals and traditions, this festival probably was born accidentally too. Children are said to be “the guilty” ones who used to fight with ripe fruits. Nowadays this festival takes place every year and serves as a tourist magnet for extreme-lovers.
If you have decided to participate in this incredible festival, you should take into account the rules. Besides the rules, we’ll provide some tips to help you survive the tomato fight.
• If you wear shoes, make sure they are closed and not your favorite ones, because you’ll have to throw it away after the festival. The high heels are also a no go. To make your movements easier, it’s more preferable to wear tight sneakers.
• Any hard objects that may cause damage to the other participants and why not to you are to be kept at your hotel room. Squash the tomatoes before throwing to avoid some unwanted consequences.
• Never wear your favorite clothes. You won’t be able to guess its initial color after all. And even more: a total stranger may become the new owner of your clothes after the festival.
• The people, who are allergic to tomatoes should stay away and overcome the temptation, because even if you have decided to look for a peaceful place to view the festival, you’ll probably be attacked by a crowd of people who cannot stand a clean person.
• Beware of the Lorries and stay away from them too.
• At the very least put your personal belongings somewhere safe, because the festival isn’t the place to take anything that is not waterproof, like documents, money or other important things.
It may sound a little bit wild at first, but the participants do follow the rules and it’s not that crazy anymore. If they didn’t take into account the rules, you would probably hear about fatal accidents every year.