La Tomatina

Hello, my name is Luciana, and I’m from Spain. My favourite festival is La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain. People from all over the world come to join in. Last year, 30,000 people came. Buñol is a small town, so it becomes very crowded. The festival is one week long. There are parades, music and dancing. People can eat traditional food like paella. On the last day of the festival, there is a huge tomato fight. The festival begins when people climb a tall pole and pull down a piece of meat from the top. At 11 a.m., large trucks drive down the street. They have 100 tons of tomatoes in them.

People on the trucks throw crushed tomatoes at the people on the streets. Then everyone throws the tomatoes at each other! When a cannon is fired, it means the food fight is over. People go to the Buñol River to wash afterwards. People wear goggles and gloves to protect themselves. There is a smaller children’s festival, so kids can join in, too. I went to Buñol last year and had a lot of fun! I met some children from England and Canada. At the end of the festival each year, fire engines wash the streets. It takes a whole weekend to clean the town.