La Tomatina 2027: Spain's Giant Tomato Fight Travel Guide

La Tomatina is exactly what it sounds like: the world's largest organized food fight, when the small Valencian town of Buñol — population under 10,000 the rest of the year — is overtaken by tens of thousands of participants throwing an estimated 150 tons of overripe tomatoes at each other for about an hour. The 2027 edition falls on August 25, the last Wednesday of August, following the festival's fixed annual scheduling tradition.

What began in 1945 as a spontaneous local food fight has grown into one of Spain's best-known events internationally, to the point that Buñol's small size genuinely can't absorb unlimited demand — since 2013, participation has been strictly ticketed and capped at 20,000 people, a significant change from the event's uncontrolled early decades.

The exact origin is, fittingly for an event this chaotic, genuinely disputed — nobody wrote it down at the time. The most commonly repeated version has a group of young men disrupting a Giants and Big-Heads parade in August 1945, one of them getting knocked down, and the fallen participant lashing out at everything nearby, including a vegetable stall, which escalated into a spontaneous tomato-throwing melee that local police eventually broke up. Other versions blame a fight between friends, or a bad street musician pelted with tomatoes bought specifically for the purpose. Whatever the truth, Buñol's town council banned it more than once in the following years before eventually embracing and formalizing it into the ticketed event it is today.

What Actually Happens

The fight itself lasts about an hour, beginning when a participant successfully climbs a greased pole to retrieve a ham at the top (the traditional 'palo jabón' signal). Trucks then deliver the tomatoes into the town's central streets, and the organized chaos begins — safety rules require squashing tomatoes before throwing them to reduce injury risk, and a second signal ends the fight precisely on schedule.

How Much Does a Trip Cost?

Because this is a single-day event, overall trip costs are relatively modest compared to multi-day festivals — most of the expense is the ticket itself plus a Valencia base, since Buñol's own accommodation is very limited.

Getting There & Around

What Else to Do in Valencia

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the exact date of La Tomatina in 2027?

August 25, 2027 — the festival is always held on the last Wednesday of August.

Do I need a ticket for La Tomatina?

Yes — since 2013, participation has been strictly ticketed and capped at 20,000 people. This is not a free, walk-up event, and tickets should be purchased through official channels well in advance.

Should I stay in Buñol or Valencia?

Valencia — Buñol is a small town with very limited accommodation, so most visitors base themselves in Valencia (about 40km away) and take organized transport in for the day.