30 Comments

  1. Dealing with Crowds - Ctrl Alt Travel
    October 3, 2013 @ 8:16 am

    […] Not all crowds are created equal. Venice was crowded and chaotic at Carnevale time. Tomatina near Valencia was a madhouse which shredded nerves. Markets in Istanbul was crowded and chaotic but […]

  2. Reflections on 2012 - Grounded Traveler
    December 31, 2012 @ 3:14 pm

    […] did Tomatina last year and were both miserable. This year we thought it would be fun going to Carnevale in […]

  3. Park GΓΌell - Details and Views - Ctrl Alt Travel
    September 25, 2012 @ 8:01 am

    […] We ended up in Barcelona in late August. It was hot. We should have learned this from being in Valencia in late August last year. We apparently did not learn this. So we spent most of our time in the apartment under […]

  4. Doors of Barcelona and Valencia - Ctrl Alt Travel
    September 16, 2012 @ 8:12 am

    […] went to Valencia last year in August to participate in Tomatina. Since we were there with our friends we rented an apartment in a residential area of town. It was […]

  5. Summer Plans - Grounded Traveler
    August 10, 2012 @ 8:01 am

    […] went to Tomatina in Spain in August last year, so kind of making it a […]

  6. At Home in Valencia » Grounded Traveler - Expat Adventures in Germany
    November 23, 2011 @ 11:44 pm

    […] Home in Valencia 23 November, 2011 Tweet0When Ali started planning the group trip to Tomatina near Valencia she booked an apartment. With four of us there, a full apartment was far cheaper than […]

  7. Jaime
    November 15, 2011 @ 10:39 pm

    How is it I am barely seeing this… wow I am so late!

    I know me & Val had a blast, sorry you and Val didn’t have as much fun. It was a great experience either way for all of us. It was so nice to finally meet you and Val in Valencia and spend a whole week together not doing much!

    • Andrew
      November 16, 2011 @ 12:23 am

      HIya.. I so totally linked to your post. One thing, my wife is Ali. We only had the one Val. Yeah, I am happy we went down and did Tomatina. I am happy to have done it, but will never want to do it again. Or anything similar. The running of the donkeys sounds more my speed.

  8. Oktoberfest, in Spain? » Grounded Traveler - Expat Adventures in Germany
    October 21, 2011 @ 12:22 am

    […] in Spain? 21 October, 2011 Tweet0Wandering around Valencia for the week of Tomatina we kept seeing posters for Oktoberfest in town. Since we had pretty much nothing planned for the […]

  9. Jen
    October 7, 2011 @ 10:19 am

    *shudder* This looks like a total nightmare! I saw this on a travel show once and they made it look so cool and fun. This is definitely not for me. πŸ˜€

    • Andrew
      October 9, 2011 @ 12:12 pm

      It wasn’t a total nightmare. It was crowded and pushy and a long wait for an hour of action. In the end not SO much different than a College Football game back home, except there you have your own seat and there are bathrooms in easy reach. Here was a similar packed atmosphere without the comforts. I’m sure there are people though that would thrive on that kind of crowd and think it was the greatest thing ever. There are also those that were too drunk not to have fun.

  10. Dani | Globetrottergirls
    September 27, 2011 @ 9:05 pm

    La Tomatina looks crazy!! Every time I had heard about it I thought it sounded like a really cool festival but now, after looking at your pictures, I am not sure if I would enjoy it.

    • Andrew
      September 29, 2011 @ 6:05 pm

      It was crazy . It was also a cool festival. I think if you could get into the spirit of it, it would be great. I couldn’t, it wasn’t. I still enjoyed doing stuff with Ali, Jaime and Val; but the tomato part wasn’t my thing.

  11. Sabina
    September 17, 2011 @ 7:36 am

    I’ve only heard of the Tomatina festival and never read such an in-depth account. I really appreciate your honesty. That barricaded bathroom does seem unreasonable with all of the people there. I think if I was ever in the vicinity of this festival I would go, but I wouldn’t make a special trip just to experience it.

    • Andrew
      September 18, 2011 @ 3:04 pm

      Thanks. I guess I understand that they don’t want to have to clean up a bathroom or be the only place with an open one that isn’t a port-a-potty, but it just pissed me off in the moment.
      If you are in the area, it is worth staying on the edges and seeing the thing from afar, I wouldn’t recommend a specific trip. Especially as it is just one day. Even we didn’t do much else that week, though it does take some recovery time.

  12. Jan
    September 16, 2011 @ 9:49 pm

    The only way I would go to something like that is if I could watch the whole thing from a balcony…but I think reading about it here is close enough! πŸ™‚

    • Andrew
      September 18, 2011 @ 3:02 pm

      I was reading somewhere about trying to get a balcony. The best spots are definitely the houses that line the road. So if you want to get such a view make friends with a local. And don’t be late. I was sitting in one spot and the tarp had already been secured behind us. A girl came and was banging on the tarp shouting for her mother. She never did get in.

  13. Jeremy Branham
    September 15, 2011 @ 6:01 pm

    I am with you completely on this one. A food fight with a bunch of drunk people isn’t my kind of fun. You and I agree on this one. Sure makes for a fun story with photos but there are plenty of better ways to spend a day in Spain.

    • Andrew
      September 18, 2011 @ 3:01 pm

      A story it definitely was.

  14. My thoughts on La Tomatina (the good & the bad)!!! | Breakaway Backpacker
    September 15, 2011 @ 11:23 am

    […] thoughts -” Tomatina: Seeing Red in Spain“ ~SHARE THE […]

  15. Tomatina - Part 2 | Ali's Adventures
    September 15, 2011 @ 2:06 am

    […] Andy: Tomatina – Seeing Red in Spain […]

  16. Scenes of Spain: Ham Obsession » Grounded Traveler - Expat Adventures in Germany
    September 14, 2011 @ 8:37 pm

    […] went to Spain to fight with tomatoes, but landed in the a world of ham. Ham as a chip flavor. It really tasted like crispy ham. All of […]

  17. Giulia
    September 14, 2011 @ 1:27 pm

    I don’t think I would enjoy La Tomatina either… too many people (and drunk, crazy ones among them), and I don’t like being in the middle of a big crowd. I make some exceptions for concerts but I can see my endurance is smaller now than when I was younger!
    I’d probably watch from a higher building and take tons of (dry) photos, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t join the crazy crowds :p
    Anyway I’m sure it was an experience!!!

    • Andrew
      September 14, 2011 @ 9:00 pm

      Concerts are different. There is a purpose and a distraction. They don’t last so long and usually have avenues to move about it to go to the bathroom. I am not a big concert goer, but Tomatina was very different from even the most crazy concert. I am glad I went though.
      Higher building would be good. You can probably see an old lady in the upper window in one of the plaza/truck pictures. That looked like a good vantage point. Though these are all local’s homes, so good luck getting in.

  18. Debbie @ European Travelista
    September 13, 2011 @ 5:26 am

    I have to say Tomatina doesn’t seem to be calling me. I really don’t like festivals with that many people.

    • Andrew
      September 14, 2011 @ 8:58 pm

      Definitely not a festival for you then. 40,000 doesn’t even fill most big stadiums, but it is more than enough in such a small town.

  19. Sabrina
    September 12, 2011 @ 6:19 pm

    Sounds like quite an experience! I think this is something I would have liked when I started traveling in my early 20ies: huge party, many people, alcohol, a food fight, what’s not to love πŸ™‚ Now I would prefer a tapas & wine kind of night out if I ever make it to Spain πŸ™‚

    • Andrew
      September 14, 2011 @ 8:57 pm

      I am totally with you. A quiet square with a wine and a plate of cheese. We actually did that in Valencia, it was nice.

  20. Rohrerbot
    September 11, 2011 @ 7:15 pm

    I feel your pain:) I hate crowds and this looks like absolute torture. Some festivals get too big for their own good and then they become painful to attend….like the San Diego Comicon. I won’t go to that again. Nasty! Plus it sounds like a nasty international backpacking party of spring breakers. I had thought about attending this but I think about all the logistics involved with something like this. Nasty and dirty people, tomatoes, bathrooms, etc…..Now I do travel A LOT just not where the college crowds go:) Final thought for today…..if there weren’t any bathrooms around for people to use, where were all these people going? What was in the tomato sauce? “Food” for thought:)

    • Andrew
      September 14, 2011 @ 8:56 pm

      Yeah, some crowds I can deal with. I go to a game conference with easily this many people in a conference center for 4 days and that is somehow more ok. They are moving and not throwing things.
      There were certainly port-o-potties around, but not enough for the number of people. I guess a lot of people just held it or peed in corners or something. It was thankfully just slightly rotten tomatoes. Though it got mixed with all the debris so not anything appetizing. The smell of tomato was a bit overwhelming for a bit in the center. I swore on the day to not have spaghetti sauce again, but thankfully it hasn’t that particular scar on me.