Spain towns seek repeat of Tomatina success
Print Edition
SPAIN’S Tomatina festival, dubbed “the world’s biggest food fight,” has given the small town of Bunol a huge economic boost — and now other Spanish towns with quirky fiestas are seeking to mimic its success.
At the annual Tomatina fiesta yesterday 160 tons of ripe tomatoes were offloaded from trucks into a crowd of over 22,000 half-naked revelers who packed the streets of Bunol for an hour-long battle.
Locals and visitors pelted each other with tomatoes, leaving the streets of the eastern town which is home to just 10,000 awash with red pulp.
The Tomatina started in 1945 when local youths brawling in the street seized tomatoes and other produce from a greengrocer’s stall and let loose.
Cash-strapped local authorities in 2013 began charging an entry fee. The colorful event has featured in several movies, such as the 2014 British comedy “Walking on Sunshine” and the 2011 Indian road movie “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,” as well as in television ads.
Other Spanish towns with unusual festivals are seeking to copy Bunol’s success.
The tiny town of Mataelpino near Madrid registered its annual fiesta, dubbed the “Boloencierro,” which involves pitting daredevils against a giant 200-kilogram polystyrene ball as it gathers steam heading downhill toward the village bullring.
The town holds the “Boloencierro,” a combination of the Spanish words for “ball” and “bull run,” every August.
Mirroring Bunol’s example, Mataelpino is helping six other towns to hold their own versions of the Boloencierro this year. The goal is to draw more visitors to its own event.
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