Go to La Tomatina Festival in Spain

Not sure when I first heard about the La Tomatina festival, but I immediately knew it would be something I would really enjoy. I was close to booking a flight to Alicante from Morocco and getting transport to Valencia/Buñol this last August. I did not have time to plan in advance and all the hostels were filled and the same for couchsurfing. I had read that people camp in the main square of Buñol the night before which would’ve been fun. Unfortunately the timing did not work out and I climbed Jbel Toubkal with a group of friends instead. I know attending next summer is ruled out as well due to other plans. I will be there one day however.

There are actually a few things I want to do in Spain that happen in the summer, including running of the bulls in Pamplona and walking El Camino de Santiago. I really need to just spend a summer in Spain and accomplish these goals.

Promised myself i will do this in 2010, somebody keep reminding please!

La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain. Tens of thousands of participants come from all over the world to fight in a brutal battle where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.

It just looks like so much fun . . .

I’m doing this this year. And I’ll go alone if I need to. Alone with 40,000 of my closest friends, that is.

I started a group on couchsurfing.com for it. http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=17142

It’s a bit early to get too excited, but hotels are already getting booked up.

I think I was the oldest ‘fighter’! I’ve started a list of things to do before I’m 60 and La Tomatina was “nd on my list and it was brilliant. A bit scary at times, especially when my friend got her t.shirt and bra ripped off but one of the best times of my life. Do it, it’s better late than never. Anyone got any suggestions for my next big adventure??

I still cannot believe I was even there. Everything happened so quickly. Its one of those things that words cannot really describe. ohh and I never realised this before, but tomatoes smell bad.

its during the vacation, on my birthday, I must go this year!!!

When is it??

This just looks plain awesome! A whole bunch of people throwing a whole bunch of ripe tomatoes everywhere! Like the coolest food fight in the world!

I did it… and it was AWESOME!

I’m ready to go again! I don’t know if I can swing it next year, so the target date is La Tomatina 2008!

See some photos here