KEEN TO GO?

Here's our range of trips:

• LA TOMATINA 4 DAY HOSTEL PACKAGE
• LA TOMATINA 4 DAY LUXURY HOSTEL PACKAGE
• LA TOMATINA 4 DAY HOTEL PACKAGE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS..

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• VISAS: Citizens of Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada can stay in Spain for up to 90-days without a visa. South Africans must obtain a visa in advance.
• VOLTAGE: Standard voltage is 220V AC, 50 Hz. Sockets require European plug with a small diameter prong (two round pins). Pack a power adaptor.
• MONEY: Spain use the EURO.
• TIME: Like most European countries Spain is 1 hour ahead of GMT.
• STANDARD TIME: GMT+1 and Summer Time = GMT+2
• HEALTH ADVICE: There are no recommended vaccinations for Spain.
• CLIMATE: Prepare yourself for the extreme heat – temperatures could easily be in the 40s.
• FOOD: Reset your stomach’s clock in Spain if you don’t want to eat alone! Generally Spaniards eat lunch between 1.30 and 4pm and dinner as late as 10 or 11pm. Tapas are the order of the day – lots of dishes that vary from chorizo sausage, calamari rings, prawn croquettes, cheese tortilla to potato bravas - all tasty, nutritious and delicious saucer-sized mini-snacks.

MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL …

La Tomatina in Bunol, Valencia is the largest food fight on Earth. It draws in excess of 40,000 tomato enthusiasts to the fiesta where five bulbous, tomato-packed rockets are sent whistling into the sky to kick-start the festival - La Tomatina! The masses congregated in anticipation then launch themselves into a one hour frenzy of tomato throwing – pure madness, or what?

La Tomato Fight:

To get things started there's a monumental 110 ton arsenal of ripe fruit dropped in the town centre. This is delivered by large trucks that stop at strategic points along the narrow street to dump the tomatoes into the waiting hands of the crowd. The local farmers sit on top of the trucks and fire tomatoes (including green ones) at the defenceless crowd. Participants then have one hour in which to hurl tomatoes at each other. Several times throughout the hour trucks come through to re-stock the street with more and more loads of tomatoes.

Whilst there are very few rules in La Tomatina it is important to follow the following rules outlined by the city council so the event runs smoothly without incident, as it has done to date.

• It is compulsory to squash the tomatoes before throwing them. 
• This is a tomato lover's festival so strictly no other projectiles are allowed to be taken in
• Be careful with the Lorries going through the village
• You must not rip t-shirts
• Tomatoes must stop being thrown once the second incendiary device is fired.

After the tomato fight has concluded, the town is transformed back to its former self. Shopkeepers take down their tarpaulins and everyone chips in to hose down the town and each other. Fire Trucks are also used to spray down the streets, with water provided by a Roman aqueduct. It is best to suggest that passengers look for locals with hoses to wash up after the fight. The river is also a popular spot to go after the fight but the water is of questionable cleanliness and there are loads of people queuing up for a chance to wash.

How La Tomatina started

There are many theories as to the origin of La Tomatina but the most reliable and historical version says that everything started in 1945. The town square (where the "tomatina" is traditionally held nowadays) was crowded with young people of that time to witness a "Gigantes y Cabezudos" parade (giant carnival figures with a grotesque head). Some of them decided to join the authority committee and music band leading the parade and to do so they pushed the ones who were wearing the giant disguises.

One of the participants fell down and when he stood up he started beating everyone around so everybody got caught up in a fight. Fate or chance, there was a vegetable stall nearby with open crates showing the goods for sale. The young people involved in the fight took the tomatoes from the crates and started throwing them at each other until the police broke up "the battle" and those responsible for the riot paid for the damages.

This riot was not forgotten and the next year on the same Wednesday of August the youths of the town met again at the square, but this time with their own tomatoes. This is how another battle started and once again was stopped by the local police. In fact, in the following years the authorities forbade the celebration of what was already popularly known as the "day of the tomatina". Nevertheless, this celebration has lived on!

One of the highlights of our tour packages is the optional excursion to a nearby village where you get to experience their all night wine & water festival. This is a ‘must-do’ so be sure you don’t miss it!

ESSENTIAL INFO

Two weeks before departure, a festival fact file filled with tips, tricks and info, will be available for you to download online, be sure to know before you go!