La Tomatina (Late August)

The tomato fight has been a strong tradition in the town of Buñol Valencia (approx 50 mins from the villa) since 1944 or 1945. No one is completely certain how this event originated. Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local food fight among friends, a juvenile class war, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade, a practical joke on a bad musician, and the anarchic aftermath of an accidental lorry spillage. One of the most popular theories is that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration. Whatever happened to begin the tradition, it was enjoyed so much that it was repeated the next year, and the year after that, and so on. The holiday was banned under Franco for having no religious significance, but returned in the 1970s after his demise

At around 10 a.m., the first event of the Tomatina begins. Many trucks haul the bounty of approx 100 metric tonnes of tomatoes into the center of the town, Plaza del Pueblo. Technically the festival does not begin until one brave soul has climbed to the top of a two-story high, greased-up wooden pole and reached the coveted ham at the top. In practice this process takes a long time and the festival starts despite no one reaching the meaty prize. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of water cannons, and the chaos begins. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself. Those who partake in this event we strongly encourage you to wear protective goggles most people wear the swimming type.The authorities seem more concerned with cleaning the town than cleaning the visitors, so most people jump into the river water to wash themselves, although almost all the village residents will hose passers-by down. It is  Once the tomato pulp is flushed, the ground is clean due to the acidic effect of the tomato. Having been before I can confirm it is great fun but not really suitable for young children Don’t forget to bring a change of clothes for the journey home !