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:
