World’s biggest food fight returns as tourists rush ‘Tomatina’ festival

Thousands of revellers* splattered each other with tomatoes in the Spanish town of Buñol celebrating the return of the annual “Tomatina” food fight after a two-year absence due to the Covid pandemic.

A convoy* of six trucks carrying 130 tonnes of ripe tomatoes rolled through the town’s narrow streets on August 31, as teams on board distributed the load among the cheering crowd for an hour-long frenzy.

The festival – billed as “the world’s biggest food fight” – has become a major draw for foreigners, in particular from Australia, Britain, Japan and the US.

But this year only 15,000 of the 20,000 available tickets sold as fewer people from Asia made the trip due to lingering Covid-19 travel restrictions, local officials said.

The bang of fireworks set off the free-for-all at noon and within minutes the streets were bathed in red slush.

Merrymakers, some wearing goggles to protect their eyes, bent down to pick up tomatoes from the ground to throw, while others lay in the pulp.

“We have come to the ‘Tomatina’ because it’s the craziest thing we have seen here,” Mexican tourist Patricio told local television station A Punt.

The town of about 9500 people has charged a participation fee since 2013 to control the growing numbers who had flocked to the festival, which was last held in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We were really eager to resume our beloved party, to once again be able to throw tomatoes at each other and release all the adrenaline we built up these last two years,” said Buñol’s town councillor for tourism Maria Valles.

The food fight is followed by festivities including concerts and contests which last into the night.

The “Tomatina” started in 1945 when locals brawling* in the street at a folk festival grabbed tomatoes from a grocer’s stall and let loose.

In 2002 Spain’s tourism secretary named the event a “festivity of international tourist interest” because of its popularity.

The “Tomatina” has inspired similar celebrations in Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile and the US.

GLOSSARY

• revellers: people enjoying themselves in a lively and often noisy way
• convoy: group of vehicles or ships travelling together
• brawling: fighting in a rough, noisy, uncontrolled way

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QUICK QUIZ

1. How many trucks were needed to deliver the tomatoes?
2. How much did the tomato load weigh in total?
3. How many tickets were sold and how many were available?
4. How many people live in Buñol?
5. What year did the festival start and how did it begin?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What do you think?
Is the Tomatina Festival a great event for Buñol or just a waste of food? Write a paragraph explaining your opinion on this question. Make your writing as convincing as you can.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Commerce; Health and Physical Education

2. Extension
Can you think of a fun and unusual event for your community? Describe the event, write some ground rules if needed (so people stay safe) and create a poster or online ad that will encourage people to come and take part in it. Don’t forget a catchy name.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Health and Physical Education; Visual Communication Design

VCOP ACTIVITY
What happens next?
Imagine this story is part of an animated series made up of three cartoons. The three cartoons tell the complete story and this article is only Part 1. Think about what the rest of the story could be and draw the next two cartoons that tell the story.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts; Visual Communication Design; Critical and Creative Thinking