Alex Trelinski
BUÑOL in Valencia is getting ready to see red once again at the world-famous La Tomatina festival tomorrow(August 28) with 120,000 kilos of tomatoes being hurled in all directions.
The event always takes place on the last Wednesday of August with a noon start
The firm Frutas y Verduras Massanassa in Silla loaded up seven lorries at 9am on Tuesday and then made the 45-kilometre journey inland to Buñol.
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Company boss, Salvador Ribes, said they got the €57,600 order in April and have been looking forward to ‘loading up’ since then.
Head of production, David Camarasa, commented: “They have asked us for ripe, whole pear tomatoes, which people can step on or squash before throwing them to make a good fight.”
La Tomatina has taken place for nearly 80 years, and this time round has suffered from some controversy.
Buñol council has encountered opposition to the sale of 30 special tickets at €500 each to secure a place on one of the trucks from where the tomatoes are thrown.
The move was branded as ‘classist’ by a left-wing political party which says the tickets threaten the unifying spirit of the event.
The Izquierda Alternativa de Buñol says the tomato has a unique position of equality and not being expensive for anybody to enjoy.
The council argues that the tickets are an easy way of recouping public money.
La Tomatina started in 1945 and was prompted by young people trying to get a better view of a Buñol parade.
As they pushed their way through the by-standers, an unexpected consequence was that one of the parade participants was pushed over and lost his temper.
The jolly crowd did not take things seriously and responded by grabbing tomatoes from a stall and hurling them at him- resulting in what became the first La Tomatina.
Participants are limited to a maximum of 22,000 official ticket holders- due to safety reasons- and Buñol council said that 14% of last year’s international participants were British.
The fight lasts for an hour before fire trucks arrive to hose down the streets.
