Dilip Kuner
IT was goggles on and chaos unleashed as 22,000 fun-seekers turned the sleepy Spanish town of Buñol into a river of squashed tomatoes this week.
The world-famous La Tomatina festival – celebrating its 80th anniversary this year – saw 120,000 kilos of over ripe tomatoes hurled through the streets in a one-hour food fight frenzy.
First held back in 1945, the fruity free-for-all has only been cancelled twice – once under Franco’s regime in the 1950s and again during the Covid pandemic – meaning 2025 marked the 78th actual edition of the event.
By noon, the cobbled lanes were unrecognisable, drenched in pulped red fruit as revellers dived, slipped and smooched their way through the mess. Some waded waist-deep in the juice while others posed for selfies covered head to toe in squishy sludge.
This year’s theme, ‘Tomatetherapy’, encouraged party-goers to embrace the messy mayhem as a way of washing away woes – particularly poignant after the devastating floods that battered Valencia earlier this year.
But it wasn’t all fun and frolics – politics also bled into the bash. A huge Palestinian flag was unfurled over the crowd, while others waved banners demanding the resignation of Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazón.
Despite the protests, the atmosphere was electric. From Power Rangers in fancy dress to couples snogging in tomato puddles, the carnage had a carnival spirit. Even the town’s pristine white walls became accidental art, splattered scarlet from top to bottom.
As the last tomato was lobbed, Buñol’s mayor declared the battle a roaring success – and vowed the town would rise from tragedy with the same energy that fuels the juiciest fiesta on earth.
And for those worried about all that wasted food – only tomatoes declared unsuitable for human consumption were used. They would have gone into landfill otherwise.
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