Once a year, a small town near Valencia turns completely red. La Tomatina in Buñol is the world’s best-known tomato fight, and it now draws visitors from dozens of countries. Next year’s date is already in the calendar: Wednesday 25 August 2027. Read how it works in easy Spanish.
La noticia en español fácil
This story is A2, with some verbs in the preterite to tell the history.
La Tomatina es una fiesta muy famosa de Buñol, un pueblo de la provincia de Valencia con unos 10.000 habitantes. Es una batalla de tomates en la calle.
Se celebra cada año el último miércoles de agosto. En 2026 fue el 26 de agosto, y en 2027 va a ser el 25 de agosto.
La batalla dura una hora, de las doce a la una del mediodía. Unos camiones llevan miles de kilos de tomates maduros a las calles del centro, y la gente los tira.
La fiesta empezó en 1945. Durante un desfile de gigantes y cabezudos, un grupo de jóvenes empezó una pelea y usó los tomates de una tienda. Al año siguiente, los jóvenes repitieron la pelea, y así nació la tradición.
Desde 2002, la Tomatina es una Fiesta de Interés Turístico Internacional. Vienen personas de muchos países. Desde 2013, hay que comprar una entrada, y hay un máximo de unas 20.000 personas.
Hay algunas normas importantes: hay que aplastar los tomates antes de tirarlos, no se pueden tirar botellas ni otros objetos, y hay que parar cuando la fiesta termina.
Después de la batalla, las calles están rojas. La gente se lava con agua y los vecinos limpian el pueblo con mangueras. ¡En poco tiempo, todo está limpio otra vez!
«¡Hay que aplastar el tomate antes de tirarlo!»
The story in English
La Tomatina is a very famous festival in Buñol, a town of about 10,000 people in the province of Valencia. It is a tomato battle in the street.
It takes place every year on the last Wednesday of August. In 2026 that was 26 August, and in 2027 it will be 25 August.
The battle lasts one hour, from twelve to one in the afternoon. Lorries bring thousands of kilos of ripe tomatoes into the streets of the town centre, and people throw them.
The festival began in 1945. During a parade of giants and big-headed figures, a group of young people started a fight and used tomatoes from a shop. The following year they did it again, and that is how the tradition was born.
Since 2002, La Tomatina has been a Festival of International Tourist Interest. People come from many countries. Since 2013 you have to buy a ticket, and there is a limit of about 20,000 people.
There are some important rules: you have to squash the tomatoes before throwing them, you can’t throw bottles or other objects, and you have to stop when the festival ends.
After the battle the streets are red. People wash with water and the locals clean the town with hoses. In no time, everything is clean again!
Words for La Tomatina
Tap the speaker to hear each one.
La Tomatina
A2- la fiesta[lah FYEHS-tah] the festival, the party
- la batalla[lah bah-TAH-yah] the battle
- tirar[tee-RAHR] to throw
- aplastar[ah-plahs-TAHR] to squash
- maduro[mah-DOO-roh] ripe
- la entrada[lah ehn-TRAH-dah] the ticket (to get in)
- los vecinos[lohs beh-SEE-nohs] the locals, the neighbours
- la manguera[lah mahn-GEH-rah] the hose
Grammar spot: the preterite for history, and “se celebra”
History in Spanish is told with the preterite, the tense for finished actions: «la fiesta empezó» (it began), «usó los tomates» (he used the tomatoes), «repitieron la pelea» (they repeated the fight), «así nació la tradición» (that’s how the tradition was born). Start with regular -AR verbs in Lesson A2-07: The Preterite of -AR Verbs.
Se celebra means “it is celebrated” or “it takes place”. Spanish often uses se + verb when it doesn’t matter who does the action: «se celebra en agosto», «no se pueden tirar botellas» (bottles can’t be thrown). For more fiesta vocabulary at a higher level, see Lesson B2-42: Festivals and Traditions.
Good to know before you go
Wear old clothes and closed shoes you can throw away afterwards, and swimming goggles to protect your eyes. Leave phones and valuables behind, or use a waterproof case. Tickets sell out, so buy them from the official website well in advance. Buñol is about 40 kilometres from Valencia, and most visitors come by train or coach on the day.
Quick facts
- Where: Buñol, province of Valencia.
- When: the last Wednesday of August. Next: Wednesday 25 August 2027.
- How long: one hour, from 12:00 to 13:00.
- Since: 1945. Tickets required since 2013, about 20,000 people.
- Golden rule: squash the tomato before you throw it.
Try it
On which day of the week is La Tomatina?
Answer: El último miércoles de agosto: the last Wednesday of August.
Put into the preterite: «La fiesta empieza en 1945.»
Answer: «La fiesta empezó en 1945.»
What do you have to do before throwing a tomato?
Answer: Hay que aplastarlo: squash it, so it doesn’t hurt anyone.
Hungry after all that? Our Culture Note on ordering at a tapas bar has the words you need for the meal afterwards.