La Tomatina

The fight lasts one hour, and the whole day is built around it. On the morning of the last Wednesday of August, a crowd of up to about twenty thousand people in old clothes fills the streets of Buñol, and the day starts at 10:00 with the palo jabón, the soap pole. Around 11:00 the trucks with the tomatoes arrive. At 12:00 the first shell goes off and the battle begins, and at 13:00 the second one ends it.

By then roughly 150,000 kilos of tomatoes have been thrown. The rules are short: crush the tomato before you throw it, throw nothing else, keep away from the trucks, and stop at once when the shell goes off again. Afterwards the town washes down the streets, and the council puts up public showers.

The story behind it is simple. In 1945, at a parade of giants and big-heads, a fight broke out and ended with people throwing tomatoes. In 1957 a "burial of the tomato" protest helped to keep the festival going. It became a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2002, and since 2013 it has had tickets and a cap on the number of people.

How to go. Buñol is about 40 km west of Valencia, and the regional Cercanías line C3 serves the town. Check the trains before you travel and expect crowds, as cars struggle to get near in the daytime. A ticket is compulsory, from 15 euros for basic entry, and you exchange it for a wristband at a checkpoint, so print it or have it ready on your phone. Wear old clothes and closed shoes tied tightly; flip-flops are banned, and bottles, bags and selfie sticks are not allowed. Buy only from the channels approved by the Buñol town council. The date for 2027 has not been announced; it is usually the last Wednesday of August.