Throwing food feels almost…carnal. You toss aside all your worries and just go all out — playfully of course! Maybe that’s why I was tempted to partake in Spain’s La Tomatina, the World’s Biggest Food Fight, during a trip I titled “Las aventuras de Stephan en España.”
By the end of the event the streets and walls are covered with tomato sauce. Once the last tomato is thrown the real party begins. Locals come out with hoses to wash you off and there’s a DJ set up in the main square who leads everyone into an epic dance party. But I’m getting ahead of myself… Let’s talk about how unprepared I was when I arrived in Buñol for La Tomatina.
I think all the excitement made me forget the tips provided by my tour guides, hotel concierge and locals. The tips I received are critical to having a successful La Tomatina, no matter how nerdy or obvious they sound — I didn’t follow them and paid the consequences. I would highly suggest the following tips for surviving La Tomatina like a tomato-tossing veteran.
9 Tips To Survive La Tomatina
1. Wear a money belt:
Many experts say don’t bring anything, but I’m a strong believer in always having some cash and a credit card on you for emergencies. As painfully unstylish as a money belt is, it will save you from losing your wallet and you can get them for very cheap. The crowds are so big that I didn’t realize my wallet had fallen out of my pocket until it was too late. My friend who was wearing his money belt still had his valuables as they were attached to his body. Even though I left a majority of my wallet’s contents back in the hotel I did have to cancel my cards and such, which was a major pain while travelling abroad.
2. Buy a waterproof camera or phone case:
I made the rookie mistake of putting my phone in a plastic bag, thinking I could save money by not buying a waterproof protector. Bad idea. My phone ended up getting soaked with tomato guck in every crevice. I was barely able to salvage it! If you need a case many shops in Valencia sell them as well as the locals in Buñol.
3. Wear clothes you’ll never wear again:
This was a tip I took to heart and brought old clothes from a questionable fashion phase I had in university. My grandmother warned me tomato was hard to get out, but she never mentioned it smells when it dries up and mixes with your sweat. If you are going to bring old clothes make sure they’re white. It will make for an awesome before and after picture…which you should only take if you have a waterproof camera or phone case.
4. Closed toe shoes will protect your dedos de los pies:
There are so many people at this event that’s pretty much a given to have people stepping on your toes. Therefore, flip flops are not proper foot attire. Make sure to wear closed-toe shoes that you won’t mind parting with post-festival.
5. Pretend it’s a science experiment and wear goggles:
With tomatoes and water coming from every direction, goggles will save your eyes from discomfort. You don’t want to waste any time trying to get tomato gunk out of your eyes! Instead, spend those precious moments finding your next target!
6. Go past the Palojabon:
The Palojabon is a greased pole with a ham attached at the top. It’s tradition to try and climb up the pole to claim the ham. While it’s fun to watch, people bottleneck here and stay for the entire festival, making for a squished situation. Unless you want to be sardined, I suggest walking past the greasy pole.
7. Squash the tomatoes:
This is a very important rule that everyone is expected to follow. You DO NOT throw a solid tomato, it has to be squashed or you can seriously hurt someone. I was separated from my group of Aussies during the festival, but when I found them at the end, one of the girls had a black eye!
8. Agree on a centralized meeting place:
If you go with friends you’ll want to share this moment with them. Forewarning you’re probably going to lose them. There are so many people that it is almost impossible to stay together. Decide on a landmark to meet up at just in case. I suggest the Palojabon since it’s a large pole and anything high up is going to be visible from the middle of a crowd. I don’t suggest picking a house with an interesting exterior like I did because by the end of La Tomatina everything will be painted red.
9. Pet store sangria may not meet Toronto health codes, but it’s damn good:
For one day the businesses in Buñol focus sales on waterproof cases, goggles and sangria. Normally I wouldn’t accept sangria from a pet store, but it was cheap and very strong. If you want to drink before going into the festival the only place to buy booze is at a pet store or local laundromat.
This year’s festival is August 31, 2016!
For those of you going to La Tomatina, enjoy! You will have a blast! Get as messy as possible, sample some pet store sangria, make a tomato angel and let the locals hose you off. Follow these easy tips and you won’t lose your wallet, get blinded by tomato paste, damage your phone or have bruised dedos de los pies! Happy throwing!
Learn more:
Read all about the history of La Tomatina, where to stay, and how to get there by reading our La Tomatina Festival Guide.
