What Are The Rules Of La Tomatina? Essential Guidelines Revealed!
Exactly What Are The Rules Of La Tomatina?
Answer: There are actually NO OFFICIAL RULES either listed or printed by any authoritative body including the Buñol Town Council who operate the La Tomatina Festival. However, there are a set of guidelines that should be adhered to for both safety and security reasons.
Every August on the last Wednesday, Buñol transforms into the world’s biggest food fight, we all know this, and thousands gather to hurl overripe tomatoes at each other for one hour, and it’s totally fabulous!
But it’s not ALL total chaos.
There are rules people follow, although these are in reality, just guidelines. But trust me, after attending more than twenty times over thirty years, I’ve learnt why these guidelines matter.
The Main La Tomatina Rules (Guidelines) You Should Know
- Squash your tomatoes first. This is the golden rule. Hard ripe tomatoes hurled at speed can genuinely hurt someone. Crush it in your hand before throwing. It’s safer and, honestly, more satisfying when it explodes on impact.
- Stop when you hear the second signal. A cannon shot fires to start the fight at noon. Another fires at 1pm to end it. When that second cannon goes off, you stop throwing tomatoes immediately. No exceptions.
- Don’t throw anything except tomatoes. Bottles, bags, shoes, your mate’s rucksack, none of it. Only tomatoes. Any participants caught chucking other objects gets removed from the event pretty quickly although I must add here that it is incredibly hard to actually get into the fight in the first place with other objects anyway.
- Give way to the lorries. These trucks carry the tomatoes and need to move through the crowds so keep a safe distance. Do not try and climb on these tomato trucks. Getting too close to a moving lorry in a packed street covered in tomato pulp is asking for trouble. There are staff pushing people out of the way and you’ll be told to move in no uncertain terms, trust me on that.
- No ripping clothes. Your shirt will get absolutely ruined anyway. There’s no need to tear other people’s clothing deliberately. It’s just bad form and disrespectful.
What You Can’t Bring Into The Tomato Fight
Bottles and any hard or large objects are banned for obvious safety reasons.
The organisers don’t mess about with these restrictions. Security checks happen at entry points, and they will turn you away if you’re carrying prohibited items.
Here is a suggested list of prohibited items that you will likely NOT be able to take into the tomato fight with you.
- Selfie Sticks
- Umbrellas
- Backpacks
- Large Cameras
- Walking Sticks or Walking Frames (unless prior authorisation has been granted)
- Bottles of anything, even water is banned
- Any large hard object
- Drones
- Go Pros (hide them in your pants)
This list is FAR from comprehensive, as much like the Rules Of La Tomatina, there is no officially sanctioned or printed list of banned items that is consistent year to year.
Top Tip: Always remember that the local authorities will have the last word on what is permitted inside the tomato throwing zone with you – do NOT argue with them or you won’t be let in. Period.
Half the time cameras and phones rarely survive the tomato onslaught, despite people’s best waterproofing efforts. You should leave your valuables at home as valuable items can oh so easily go missing and never be found again. Seriously.
What You Must Have With You? An Official Ticket (Wristband)
You’ll need to buy an official ticket in advance. They typically cost between £10-£12 and sell out quickly.
If you have booked a La Tomatina Tour with companies like PP Travel your official ticket will be included in the package tour price and you’ll be issued with your wristband on the coach transfer out to Buñol.
Turn up with your ticket (which is actually a wristband) and ID (recommended but really, no one takes ID with them unless they are picking up tickets on the day).
Who’s Actually in Charge of The Tomato Fight?
Buñol’s town council runs the whole show and they work alongside local police and medical teams stationed around the tomato fight zone for security and safety.
Since 2013, when there was massive overcrowding, they’ve limited attendance to roughly 20,000 people with a ticketing system. This isn’t some free-for-all that spiralled out of control. It’s a well-organised event with proper safety measures.
At La Tomatina Experts, we always stress how important it is to follow these guidelines, they exist because the organisers genuinely care about keeping everyone safe.
What You Should Wear
There is no official dress code but many tomato fight combatants adorn the traditional red and white garb of the festival (funnily enough this is very similar to many other festivals in Spain).
But do wear clothes you don’t mind destroying. Closed-toe shoes with good grip are essential because those streets become unbelievably slippery.
Old clothes are a must. Tomato stains don’t come out, no matter what miracle washing powder you use.
I always recommend a peaked baseball cap over swimming goggles to protect your eyes from the acidic tomato juice. It stings more than you’d expect but goggles are so hard to clean and see through during the tomato fight.
Trainers with proper grip will save you from slipping. I’ve seen too many people in flip-flops go flying within the first five minutes. Don’t be that person.
What to Wear To La Tomatina is explained here!
Why These La Tomatina Rules Or Guidelines Matter
Pretty simple really, without rules and guidelines, this event would be genuinely dangerous. Imagine 20,000 people throwing hard objects in a confined space. It would be mayhem.
These suggested La Tomatina Rules keep the fiesta fun rather than frightening. They’ve evolved over decades based on what actually works.
The locals know what they’re doing, and at La Tomatina Experts, we’ve seen first hand how well-managed events create the best experiences.
Follow the Rules of La Tomatina, respect the guidelines, and you’ll absolutely have the time of your life throwing tomatoes.
What Are The Rules Of La Tomatina FAQs
What Are The 5 Main Rules Of La Tomatina Everyone Seems To Mention?
Squash tomatoes before throwing, throw only tomatoes and nothing else, give way to lorries and don’t try and climb on them, stop throwing tomatoes at the second canon signal, don’t grab or rip anyone’s clothing.
What Items Are Banned In The Tomato Fight?
Bottles, bags, hard objects, rucksacks/backpacks and anything that isn’t a tomato. Many different items have been banned during the Tomatina history so make sure to research before you attend.
Do I Have To Have A Ticket To Get Inside The tomato Fight?
Absolutely. You must have an official La Tomatina entry ticket which is in the form of a wristband. You cannot buy these in Valencia as many people seem to believe, and they must be purchased prior to arriving in Buñol on the day of the tomato fight.
Who Runs La Tomatina And Is In Charge Of Policing The Rules?
Buñol’s town council, working with police and medical teams are the overall authorotative bodies and their information and advice should be followed to the letter at all times.
The Full Rules of La Tomatina Explained
(But Lets Call them Guidelines Shall We)
We hope this article helped your understanding of what is and what is not permissible at when La Tomatina is Celebrated both in terms of entry to the fiesta and of expected behaviour during the tomato battle.
Hope to see you there next year for La Tomatina 2026!
