Tomatina Tomato Festival Bunol Valencia

In August of 2006 I went to La Tomatina festival in Bunol, Spain to hurl tomatoes at people!

Before the event I struggled to find information on the web about any facilities available and any advice. As such I thought I would jot down the information here briefly.

  • Baggage storage is available - I found a guy with a large garage near the station who was charging 3 euros per bag. Some local residents will be happy to store stuff for you.

  • There were several stands available manned by locals selling goggles (3 euros) and waterproof cameras (12 euros). I took a non waterproof camera. It got somewhat wet from the firehoses being sprayed everywhere, but most of the photos did come out. However I would not recommend this if you really want some photos!

  • Going to the toilet is a nightmare as all the bars shut theirs. There were a few portable ones out of the way with massive queues.

  • Trains leave Valencia at 8 minutes past the hour from 0708. I went to the station at 0630 where there were already masses of people. There were quite a few who turned up for but did not manage to fit on the 0708 train.

  • Coming back is similar, with large queues to get a ticket and get on the train. You will need a top for the return journey as they won't let you on the train bare chested. I left one with the baggage store, but equally as well you could pick up one of the hundreds of ruined discarded ones.

  • Don't take anything you want to see again. Your top WILL get ripped off your back, and your trainers soaked in tomatoe puree. The swim shorts I wore were actually alright though after a wash.

  • Photos: