What City Has an Annual Tomato Fight?

What city has an annual tomato fight? It might surprise you to learn how many cities in the world lay claim to being “that place with the annual tomato fight.” In fact, towns or cities that have an annual tomato fight include:

Bunyol, Spain

Pittston, Pennsylvania

Reno Nevada

Sutamarchán, Columbia.

Let's learn more about two of the cities who have annual tomato fights: Bunyol, Spain and Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Many cities have an annual tomato fight; however, two of the most well-known are the fights in Bunyol, Spain and Pittston, PA. These are just two out of, well, more cities than you’d expect, where you can experience this kind of fun.

So, what can you expect if you visit a city which has an annual tomato fight?

In both Bunyol and Pittston, there’s more to the festivities than just the tomato fighting. Both locations lay claim to tradition and fun along with the fighting, and the events are filled with good food (lots of pasta and red sauce, of course), parades, contests, and lots of good old neighborhood bonding.

Bunyol, Spain

Likely the source of the idea, Bunyol, Spain is the most famous location of tomato fighting. Each year, the La Tomatina Festival takes place on the last Wednesday of August. At noon, locals and tourists alike (and plenty of people travel to the city just for this event) gather downtown for the festivities.

Approximately 30,000 people from around the world gather to watch the fighters  throw tomatoes at each other. The theory is that this started in 1945 with a parade incident that got out of control. Whatever the origin of the event, today it’s all in good fun, with a week of festivities surrounding it, and local fire trucks hosing the city clean afterwards. 

Pittston, Pennsylvania

If you’re jonesing for a good tomato fight but you can’t travel to Spain for it, find one in the good old U.S. by visiting Pittston during the annual Tomato Festival at the end of August. Celebrated by a weekend full of activities centering around tomatoes, the Festival features highlights like a Miss Tomato Queen, a parade, a cooking competition, and, yes, the tomato fight. 

Unlike the fight in Bunyol, Pittston’s throwdown isn’t so much about watching, as it is about participating. You don’t have to be authorized to join in the throwing, although things are as organized and civil as a tomato fight can be. Two opposing groups meet in a parking lot, and things get juicy. Anyone can join in, and almost everyone does. Nobody pays much attention to which side wins, but for most participants that’s hardly the point. 

Why Have An Annual Tomato Fight?

So, now you know what cities have an annual tomato fight... but how did it start in Spain and why does it continue?

• In Spain, in a 1944 parade, a fight occurred and tomatoes from a nearby fruit stand were thrown as a part of that dispute.
• The following year, people came back with tomatoes from home and began to throw them at each other again.
• After several years of the police trying to break up the tomato fight, eventually the fight became a sanctioned event.

So, now you know what cities have an annual tomato fight, and a little bit about why, and you can grab your tomatoes and join in the fun... if you so choose.