La Tomatina 2018: Spain's Bunol Paints Itself Red Celebrating the Tomato Festival

The world's biggest tomato festival held annually in Spain has begun. The  La Tomatina event has turned the streets of Spain's Bunol bright red as people pelt each other with smashed tomatoes. The 2011 movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara showed the festival in a full-fledged manner doing complete justice to it. And since then the festival has been garnering the attention of the Indian audiences. La Tomatina was since then celebrated in many Indian cities too.

La Tomatina which was started in 1945 is organised every year on the last Wednesday of August. This year, the festival was celebrated on August 29. Tonnes of tomatoes are thrown at each other making for over an hour. In 2017, around 165 tons of tomatoes used were used as the town received a crowd of over 22,000 people. This year people from around the world gathered in Bunol to celebrated Tomatina with 160 tonnes of ripe tomatoes. Huge lorries carrying tonnes of tomatoes arrive at the area and dump it there. Like the Festival of Colours ‘Holi’, These Festivals Around the World are Equally Fun to Celebrate

While going to Tomatina ensure you carry a clean set of clothes and keep them in the locker provided to you. Otherwise, no public transport will let you get inside smelling like a rotten tomato. Make sure you don't carry expensive phones, camera, or cash as it might get destroyed or lost in the crowds. Carry some Euros if you want to buy food or drinks.

While pictures look like an absolute chaos, there are certain rules to be followed while throwing the tomatoes.

Here are the rules to the followed:

• Do not tear or throw your T-shirts or others T-shirts
• Squash the tomatoes before throwing them so that it is less painful
• Keep a safe distance from the lorries carrying tomatoes
• Stop throwing tomatoes when you hear the shot of the second firework warning
• Listen and follow the directions of security staff
• Ensure you are not carrying any backpack, bag, camera or any objects that may cause harm because they are not allowed.

Tickets need to purchased to enter the festival zone. Tickets can be bought for group or individuals depending on the number of people accompanying it. There are also group tours that take you around Spain around the festival which includes a festival ticket, after party-ticket, accommodation and transport. You can also buy various merchandise from the place including everything from T-shirts to key chains.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2018 04:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).