Tomato Festivals in 2024: Where, When and More to Find a Tomato Festival Near You!

Looking for a Tomato festival in December 2024? There is no other listing as complete and current as this list, just updated! Tomato festivals are held through the United States, Canada, Britain, and Australia and much of the world. All the Tomato festivals we can find are listed on this page! If you love apples, look for a festival near you below! And I'm looking for more Tomato festivals! Please write me, if you know of any to add! I update the dates as soon as the festivals publish their information, but you can always click on the links (usually the name of the festival) to see the current information on the festival's own website.

Especially this year, due to Coronavirus, be sure to click on the links (the blue, underlined name of the each festival) to confirm this year's dates on the website for each festival. If they don't have a website, call the phone number provided, but ALWAYS CONFIRM THIS YEAR'S DATES AND TIMES BY EITHER VIEWING THEIR WEBSITE OR CALLING.

Click here for the form to add a festival and have detailed information; or click here if you have general information and are not connected with the event!

Tomato Festivals in 2024: Where, When and More to Find an Tomato Festival Near You!

[United States] [Canada] [Britain] [Australia] [Japan]

United States

• Know of any others? Write me!

Alabama

• Latham United Methodist Church Farmer's Market Tomato Festival - late July or early August
  109 Weatherly Road, Huntsville, AL 35803. Our Annual Tomato Fest is a beloved market tradition full of door prizes, free tomato sandwiches, special entertainment, and children's activities! The regular farmer's market is open Tuesdays from 3 pm to 6 pm from May to September, beginning May 7th.
• Slocomb Tomato Festival - mid June
  Slocomb, AL. Phone: 334-886-2334. Come and enjoy this family-friendly festival! There will be entertainment, parades, music, gospel singing, recipe contests, a Ms. Tomato Pageant and more.

Alaska

Arkansas

• Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival - June - see their website for this year's dates.
  Warren, Arkansas. Phone: 870/226-5225. All-tomato luncheon, and Miss Pink Tomato and Miss Petite Pink Tomato beauty contests. There's something for everyone - food, shopping, arts, crafts, contests, pageants, parade, carnival, games, live music - you name it, it's probably there. The Tomato Festival happens only once a year - so start making your plans to attend. You wouldn't want to miss it. See the Schedule of Events
  

California

• Click here for Northern California tomato festivals
• Click here for Central California tomato festivals

• Click here for Southern California tomato festivals

Colorado

• Nature Sweet's best tasting tomato contest - August - Note: I haven't found any information for this year - Anyone know where/when it will be held?
  It is at the King Sooperr's parking lot in Arvada, Colorado. (Denver metro area). First prize for the large and cherry tomatoes is $2400.00."

Connecticut

Florida

• Ruskin Tomato and Heritage Festival - late April
  2401 19th Avenue Northwest, Ruskin, FL 33570. Phone: (813) 846-1316. Email: jennifer@jens-market.com. Directions: From I-75 South, exit at Apollo Beach exit to west. Go to US highway 41 S and turn south. Turn west on EG Simmons Road at the traffic light by the McDonalds and follow road into park. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. Click here for our Facebook page. The Tomato Festival is an annual event, with arts & crafts, a Kids Zone, live music all day, lots of tasty food and cold beer! Admission is $5 per person, kids under 12 free. Pet friendly. Tomato Sandwiches for $2! Cartons of tomatoes available also. The Festival is sponsored by and a benefit for the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, a 501 c 3. concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties, restrooms, picnic area(ADDED: March 20, 2018)

Georgia

• Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival - Annually, on a Sunday in mid-July, from 1 pm to 5 pm, (Rain or shine)
  Westside Provisions District (behind JCT. Kitchen & Bar), 1198 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30318. The annual festival is a benefit for Georgia Organics. Join us at Park Tavern on Sunday from 1:00 to 5 Pm Enjoy tomato-based treats from dozens of chefs and mixologists and live music..

Illinois

• Chicago Tomato Blast - Mid July (last held in 2014, their Facebook page says they are planning for 2017, but that's come and gone...)
  Soldier Field Festival Lot, 1410 S. Musuem Campus Dr., Chicago. IL. Approximate price: $49.99 for participants. $24.99 for spectators. Goggles $4.00. All ages are welcomed. 14+ to participate in tomato fight. 21+ to consume beer.

Indiana

• Pierceton Heirloom Tomato Festival - August 25, 2018 from 8 am to 4 pm
  Brower Park, Pierceton, IN. Includes Agricultural Art Show and 5K Run/Walk. There will be crafts, fried green tomatoes, salsa contest, treasure hunt, green tomato pie contest and auction, 5k run, home made ice cream, a speakers tent for educational talks, largest heirloom tomato contest, exhibit of over 100 heirloom tomatoes and vegetables, blue grass music, kid's tent, complimentary tasting of tomato fancies, seed saving instructions and related exhibits, and Qwenten Flaggs Rock-n-Roll Show. Prizes are to be awarded.

Iowa

Kansas

Louisiana

• Great French Market Tomato Festival - June, every year, 11 am to 6 pm - see their website for this year's dates.
  French Market, New Orleans, LA. The festival is held at the market in New Orleans' French Quarter. There are cooking demonstrations, tasting sessions, talks on different recipes, music and dancing, with tomato dishes from local restaurants.
• OLPS Tomato Festival - typically held in early May
  2320 Paris Road, Chalmette,LA 70043. Phone: 271-2953. Email tomatofest@olpsschool.org. A St. Bernard Tradition for 63 Years. Raw and Grilled Oysters, Tomato-a-la-Chalmette, BBQ Shrimp, Jambalaya, Shrimp Fettuccini, Crawfish Fried Rice, Pizza, Funnel Cakes, Chicken Strips, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and much more. Amusement Rides, too. Come hang out and enjoy some good food, student performances, and great music! A $2 gate fee will be charged on Saturday and Sunday starting at 3pm. Children 5 and under are free.

Massachusetts

• Red Fire Farm Tomato Festival - Late August, every year, in 2012 it is August 25, 2012
  Red Fire Farm, 7 Carver Street, Granby, MA 01033. Phone: (413) 467- SOIL. Email: events@redfirefarm.com. Directions: Hampden County, MA. Click here to get directions to RFF. It's a great day at the farm, with everything from a 5K Tomato Trot field race to hay rides to cooking demonstrations to live music to crafters and a smorgasbord of local fare from area producers. Come and visit!

Maine

Maryland

• Dorchester County Historical Society Great Eastern Shore Tomato Festival - Saturday, August 17th
  1003 Greenway Drive, Cambridge, Maryland 21613. Phone: 410-228-7953. Email: DCHS@verizon.net. Open: Saturday, each August, in 2013 it's August 17th. Directions: on the waterfront in historic Vienna, MD. The festival celebrates the rich agricultural heritage of Dorchester County and features canning exhibits, tomato tasting, cooking contests, musical entertainment, demonstrations, great foods, and the ever popular tomato wars.

Michigan

Mississippi

• Crystal Springs Tomato Festival - Occurs on the last Saturday in June
  Crystal Springs, Mississippi. Phone: (601) 892-2711. Email: crystalspringschamber@gmail.com. Events include farmers market, art competition and contests for the biggest, ugliest, tastiest, tomato. Directions: From Jackson, Mississippi: Take Interstate 55 South to Crystal Springs. Take the first Crystal Springs exit, number 72. Turn left off the exit ramp. Turn right on U.S. Route 51 South. Turn left at the first stop sign to get to the downtown area. For more information, contact the Crystal Springs Chamber of Commerce or write to P.O. Box 519, Crystal Springs, MS 39059. Ask for Donna Wells or Monty McDonald.

Missouri

Montana

New Hampshire

New Jersey

• See this page for New Jersey tomato festivals
  

New York

• Central New York Tomato festival - mid September
  Emerson Park, Owasco Lake, Auburn, NY. This annual September event at Emerson Park helps not-for-profit organizations raise money to feed the hungry. Directions and information on purchasing cookbook.
• Harbes Family Farm and Orchard - Annual Tomato festival , AUGUST 3, 2019 and AUGUST 4, 2019.
  5698 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901. Phone: 631-298-0800. Alternate Phone: 631-298-0700. Fax: 631-298-1332. Email: harbesfamilyfarm@gmail.com. Open: early September to October 31 on weekends from 9 am to 6 pm (Corn Maze open 7 pm to 10 pm). Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: Take the LIE (495) east to exit 71. Make a left onto Edwards Avenue and continue north for 4 miles. Make a right on Sound Avenue. Continue East on Sound Avenue for 8.6 miles. The farm is on the north side (left) of the road. The orchard is 1 mile west of Harbes Family Farm and Vineyard. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. The whole family will enjoy seeing who's crowned Tomato Eating Contest King and Queen! We will be hosting two fun-filled tomato eating competitions daily in our courtyard area. Tomato eating contest entry is FREE and open to all ages. There will also be tomato games to enjoy for the kids! We will be having tomato relay races and tomato rolling competitions as well as potato sack races, tug of war, and other fun games.There'll be FREE LIVE MUSIC in our courtyard/picnic area both days from 1 pm to 5 pm. Saturday and Sunday. While you're here you can visit Harbes Barnyard Adventure for hours of family fun! Harbes Barnyard Adventure is an 8-acre, family-friendly experience for all ages. The Barnyard includes a Singing Hayride tour of our 100-acre farm, our famous pig races and hosted children's activities throughout the day. There are also farm animals, our very popular "Jumbo Jumpers" bounce pillows, a Sports Zone with baseball, football and basketball tossing games, "Lil' Farmers PlayLand" filled with lots of fun activities for preschoolers, a trike track, and our musical animatronic chicken show. We will also be debuting some exciting new attractions for 2019! Harbes u- pick orchard also features an evening spooky walk corn maze. (UPDATED: July 11, 2019, JBS)

North Carolina

• Tomatopalooza - July - see their website for this year's dates.
  Raleigh, NC. Tomatopalooza™ is the annual tomato tasting event held each year near Raleigh, NC. This is the web site where you can find details of upcoming events, as well as links to pictures of past events. If you have any questions, please send an email to Lee Newman at leetomato@gmail.com or Craig LeHoullier at nctomatoman@gmail.com .
• Tomato Festival Henderson County Tailgate Market - August 4, 2018
  100 N King St, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Phone: (828) 697-4891. The Henderson County Tailgate Market is ready to once again celebrate the beloved tomato for the 14th annual Tomato Festival. North Carolina ranks seventh nationally in the production of tomatoes destined for fresh market. Every year nearly 3,000 acres of this tasty favorite are grown across the Tar Heel state with many of them harvested in Henderson County. Vendors will offer a variety of Henderson County fresh tomatoes and more. Come grab a free tomato sandwich, listen to some tunes and shop at our various booths for all kinds of North Carolina goodness including fresh produce, eggs, chicken, flowers, plantings, honey, baked goods, natural beauty products and more. The Henderson County Tailgate Market opened in 1979 featuring fresh county grown produce. It is one of the oldest and successful open air markets in Western North Carolina. Besides the festival, the market is open to the public every Saturday, rain or shine, from April 7 through October 27 from 8am to 12noon at 100 North King Street in the parking lot of the county office building. (ADDED: July 23, 2018)

North Dakota

• Great Tomato Festival - August - see their website for this year's dates.
  Minot, ND. Phone: (701) 838-4445. Email: greattomatofestival@srt.com. Good food, live music and supporting a good cause all on the agenda for the Great Tomato Festival at the North Dakota State Fair Center August 8, 2018. This year's proceeds will go to the Minot Symphony Orchestra, Minot Public Library, Taube Museum of Art. The gates open at 5:30pm for browsing and the event begins at 6pm with a social hour and dinner begins at 7pm. There will be a silent auction taking place during the event featuring Medora packages, golfing and restaurant certificates, gift baskets and more. The annual Great Tomato Festival will feature a menu that is sure to please any palate and includes Haider's Salsa and Chips, Assorted Tomato Hors d'oeuvres, Smoked Pork Chops by the Master Chefs, Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Beer Batter Bread and Chocolate Brownie.

Ohio

• Miamisburg Annual Rock N Green Tomato Festival - June, Friday and Saturday
  Rock 'N' Green Tomato Festival, Miamisburg, OH 45343. Phone: (937) 847-2442. Email: info@rockngreentomato.com. The Eighth Annual Rock 'n' Green Tomato Festival, sponsored by MidUSA Credit Union, kicks-off Friday, Music begins at 5 pm with the band "The Revelators", followed by our headliner at 8 pm "Blair Carman and the Bellview Boys". Enjoy great music, food and craft vendors throughout the evening. Then Saturday, 12 pm to11 pm is sure to be a hit for the entire family. Events and entertainment performed live outside in Riverfront Park next to Ron's Pizza in Downtown Miamisburg! Come join us for a day filled with Great Food, Vendors, Contests, Cornhole Tournament and some great FREE Live Rock 'n' Roll Music throughout the entire day. Three bands are scheduled starting at noon "Night Magic", at 3 pm "The Drunk Uncles", followed by our headliner at 7:30 pm "Comeback Special" a 14 piece Vegas Era Elvis band.
• Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival - August - see their website for this year's dates.
  Huber Park, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Email: visitmary@aol.com Each year, the festival draws thousands of visitors, not only the people of Reynoldsburg, but also people from around Central Ohio and from around the state who want to enjoy home-grown family fun. This year's festival takes place August 20 and 21 at Huber Park on Davidson Drive, just south of E. Main Street. Festival-goers enjoy tomato displays and contests, concessions, arts and crafts exhibits, live musical entertainment, children's activities, and the opportunity to meet the friendly people of Reynoldsburg.

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

• Pittston Tomato Festival - Thursday, August - see their website for this year's dates.
  35 Broad Street, Pittston, PA 18640. Phone: 570-655-1424. Email: Lori Nocito. The Annual Pittston Tomato Festival will be held in downtown Pittston. Over fifty thousand people will attend the four-day event that has been touted as one of the best festivals in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Delicious food, a variety of live entertainment, a parade, 5K run, games, rides, arts and crafts, bingo and of course home-grown Pittston tomatoes keep bringing an enthusiastic crowd to the festival year after year. Don't miss the Tomato Fights, which will be held on Saturday, August 19th at 1:30 pm in the parking lot of Cooper's on the Waterfront Restaurant, 304 Kennedy Blvd., Pittston. The entry fee is $10, which includes use of protective eye goggles. All proceeds will benefit local charities. Pittston Tomato Festival Facebook page.

Rhode Island

South Carolina

• Palmetto Tasty Tomato Festival - Sunday, mid-July, from 6 to 9pm
  City Roots Farm, Columbia, SC. Sustainability-minded, local tomato-loving guests gathered at to celebrate sustainably grown local food and backyard farming.
  It was a fantastic gathering!

Tennessee

• Click here for Tennessee tomato festivals

Texas

• The South East Texas Tomato Festival (SETTFest) - Saturday in June - see their website for this year's dates. Time: 12:30pm ~ 3pm [Setup 11am])
  Pavilion 2, Brazos State Park, Washington, TX .The festival is an open-to-the-public informal tomato tasting and enthusiast gathering of gardeners, farmers, and friends from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and surrounding areas. We do suggest a $5 donation per person to cover costs of the event. Please contact us to tell us that you will be coming for planning purposes.
• Jacksonville Annual Tomato Fest - Over 33 years running, Saturday in mid-June from 9 am to 4 p.m.
  Commerce and Austin streets, Jacksonville, TX. The Annual Tomato Fest will be in Downtown Jacksonville, Texas. This fun-filled day has something for everyone and no one should miss it. There is the famous Tomato Eating Contest, live entertainment all day, Gospel Concert, Kiwanis Auction, food court, arts and crafts vendors, and much more! The fun at the Tomato Fest comes at no charge and runs all day long downtown on Commerce and Austin streets, and completing the day will be a Street Dance at Chili's Restaurant from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Enter contest for the Annual Tomato Fest Salsa contest and-  Arts and Crafts Vendor, Non-profit Booth Application, Karaoke Contest Application, Soccer Tournament Application.

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

• Click here for Virginia tomato festivals

Washington, D.C.

Washington State

• Cedarbrook Lodge Annual Heirloom TomatoFare - September - There's nothing on their website about it yet for this year, but it has been held the previous 7 years
  18525 36th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98188. Phone: 206-901-9268. Cedarbrook Lodge's Heirloom TomatoFare will showcase the best of the best in heirloom tomatoes of the Pacific Northwest. Guests will sample heirloom tomatoes plus "tomato-inspired" dishes prepared by local chefs (stay tuned for that lineup soon. There's music and talks about their Moses Lake mini-farm, which produces over 65 varieties (from 430 tomato plants!) of unique and unusual tomato seedlings each year.

West Virginia

• Marion County Master Gardeners Annual Tomato Tasting - late AUgust
  PALATINE PARK, EVEREST DR, FAIRMONT, WV 26554. Phone: 304-366-1184. Email: Tomatoes are judged and prizes awarded. Vendors are (all) local gardeners,(farmers market style) artists, culinary demonstrations, WV extension demonstrations, honeybees, basket weaving, butterfly tent. Admission is free and concessions sold by Master Gardeners. We would appreciate any advertising. FREE Admission.
  • Over 50 varieties of tomatoes expected to taste
  • Farmer's Market
  • Educational clinics on Gardening related topics
  • Largest and Best Tasting Tomato Contest - Open to all and cash rewards!
  • Food Demonstrations
  • Lunch & fresh Lemonade available for purchase
  Presented by The Marion County Master Gardeners and the WVU Extension Service

Wisconsin

• Milwaukee Tomato Romp - Saturday in Early September
  1901 E. North Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Tomato Romp is Wisconsin's only tomato festival, most known for its Rotten Tomato Fight For Hunger. The East Side was the first in North America to create a celebration of the tomato and tomato fight inspired by La Tomatina Fight in Spain. 11 years later it's now replicated in cities across America. 8,000 pounds of rotten tomatoes are donated by Maglio Companies for the fight, with the fight proceeds donated to the Riverwest Food Pantry. $10 To Fight Free To watch. 8,000 lbs of inedible tomatoes for the Rotten Tomato Fight await you, donated by Maglio Compaines. Entrance fee includes a pair of safety goggles and all proceeds will be donated to the Riverwest Food Pantry. Ten years ago Milwaukee was the first in North America to host a Rotten Tomato Fight, inspired by La Tomatina in Spain, and now the event is imitated in cities across the country. The tomatoes will fly, splatter and crush. Fight Location and Registration details: Must be 16 or older to participate. Tomato fight will take place on N. Murray Avenue between E. North Avenue and E. Thomas Avenue. Registration open online, or on-site at 10 AM at 1901 E. North Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202
  near Beans and Barley. (ADDED: August 25, 2017)
  A visitor writes on August 24, 2017:/span> "Hello, I am writing to you about our 11th Annual Tomato Romp Festival, America\'s longest running tomato fight! The event is set to take place Saturday typically in early September in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 8 The day's activities include an Absolut Vodka Bloody Mary Challenge among East North Avenue establishments, live music and a costume procession led by the Paradigm Drumline to the Tomato Fight. Tomato Romp registration begins at 10 a.m., with Bloody Mary's served from 11 a.m. to 3 pm. at participating East Side Bars. The Tomato Fight will commence at 4 pm. at the Tomato Fight location on N. Murray Avenue between E. North Avenue and E. Thomas Avenue. The Tomato Romp is hosted by the East Side Business Improvement District. Visit for more information and tickets. Please feel free to contact me if I can provide you with any other information. Thank you."
  

• Know of any others? Write me!

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Canada

British Columbia

• Vancouver Farmers Markets Tomato Fest - August
  1316 Grant Street, Vancouver, BC v5L 2X5. Phone: 604-879-FARM. Email: info@eatlocal.org. Join us this August as we celebrate the "Love Apple" with tastings, beautiful and informative displays and recipes to make with those delectable heirlooms you just found at the market. And the fun doesn't end at the market, this year we're extending the fun with the help of our restaurant partners! Tomato Display: Did you know there are over 150 varieties of tomatoes at the Trout Lake and Kitsilano Farmers Markets? Including but not limited to 150VarietiesofKlippersOrganicTomatoes (click on the link for a PDF with pictures!). Check out our display tent to see some of the different varieties as well as suggestions for how to eat them
  Tomato Tasting: What better way to get to know tomatoes than to taste them? We will sample Black Krim, Green Zebra, Taxi, Brandywine and many more!
  Recipes: Got a favourite? Share it on our Facebook page! We will share some of ours at the markets including favourite recipes from some of your favourite local restaurants and chefs.
  

Manitoba

Nova Scotia

Ontario

• Leamington Tomato Festival - Is last year was 2015, Leamington's town council defunded the Tomato Festival
  For more information on the future of the Leamington Tomato Festival Call 519-326-2878 or email info@leamingtontomatofestival.com. The past description was:
  The H. J. Heinz Company of Canada Ltd., held annual picnics to celebrate company and the area's bountiful Tomato harvest. When the annual picnics came to an end, community-minded people sought out an alternate way to celebrate the Municipality's unique culture and rural resources - hence, the "Tomato" Festival which has grown in size and popularity ever since. Today, the largest vegetable crop grown in Leamington is the Greenhouse Tomato. The area has the largest concentration of Commercial Greenhouses in, and supplying supermarkets across North America. And, 'Heinz' uses Field Tomatoes grown by local farmers in the Essex and Chatham-Kent region in its food production which is shipped worldwide. There is a Parade, Pageant, "Tomato Stomp", Golf Tournament and Continuous Main Stage Live Entertainment, Custom Car Show and Festival Tent.
• Giant Tomato Information Centre - Open all year round
  Talbot Street, Leamington/Amherstburg, Leamington, N8H 3W8, Canada. Phone: (519) 326-5761. The Tomato festival may be gone, but you can still visit the Giant Tomato. Come out to the Giant Tomato Visitor Centre in Leamington, Ontario and get what you need to plan your visit right. The visitor's booth, which is in the shape of a giant tomato, opened May 1961 symbolizing Leamington as the Tomato Capital of Canada. It's one of Leamington's biggest attractions, near the old Heinz factory, naturally. This "Tomato Capital of Canada" hosts an annual Tomato Festival.
  

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Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

Ireland

Co Wicklow

• Totally Terrific Tomato Festival - Sunday 4th of September, from 11.30am on the day.
  Killruddery, Southern Cross, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Phone +353 (0)1 2863405. Email: info@killruddery.com. The Totally Terrific Tomato Festival makes its home at Killruddery for a fabulous celebration of all things tomato! The festival is dedicated to tomatoes and all their weird and wonderful varieties - from tiny tomberries to their big beefsteak cousins, and anything and everything in between. Tomato fans from all over the country are invited to join us for exhibitions, competitions, recipes and discussions - all in the name of this totally terrific fruit! There will be the great display, competitors' exhibits, talks, demonstrations, the Farm Market and lots more tomato fun! You can find out more here. (Normal Garden Entrance to Killruddery applies to visit the Festival, to take part in the competitions and biodiversity display click here). (ADDED: September 03, 2016)
  A visitor writes on September 03, 2016: "Totally Terrific Tomato Festival is an Irish celebration of the tomato. It will be held this year at Kilruddery, Co Wicklow. Wish I\'d found your site sooner because it is tomorrow, September 4th. I have no connection except that a friend is taking along a few varieties from my garden because I can\'t get to it myself. At the moment it looks as though there will be well over a hundred varieties. The festival ran in 2012 and 2013 in a different venue so we are very grateful to Kilruddery for giving it a new home"

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Australia

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Italy

Japan

(English websites)

Spain

• Bunol in eastern Spain (La Tomatina Tomato Fight in Bunyol) - Last Wednesday in August
  Billed as the world's biggest food fight. It takes place at the Plaza Del Pueblo, Bunol, Spain. Preceded by a week-long local festival in honor of the town's patron saint, San Luis Bertràn, and the Virgin Mary. The actual tomato fight lasts for only two hours between 11am and 1pm. All week long there are parades, fireworks, music, dancing and the paella cook-off contest draw visitors to Bunol for the annual fiesta. When the day of the great battle dawns, local shopkeepers diligently cover their shop fronts with sheets of plastic and twenty thousand local folk and tourists take to the streets, as trucks loaded with around 125,000 kilos of ripe ammo roll into the Plaza del Pueblo. Between 11am and 1pm, the streets are covered with tomato juice, spattered with pulp and the participants coated in the mess. The first Tomatina took place in 1945, but no-one seems to know exactly how it all started. Some say it began as a fracas between a group of friends, others claim the tradition was started at an anti-Franco rally. One of the most likely accounts is that brawling bystanders at a carnival parade seized the contents of a nearby vegetable stall, and began throwing tomatoes at their opponents. Initially the authorities did their best to ban what quickly became an annual battle, but in 1959 they eventually entered into the spirit of the event and it became an institution. For more information about La Tomatina and the town of Bunol, contact the Ayuntamiento de Bunol Tel: +34 96 250 01 51 / Fax: +34 96 250 3083

Related Tomato Information: Freezing, making Jam, Canning Pies, Recipes and More

Also, see our pages on easy illustrated Tomato directions:

Canning tomatoes (in water bath canners )

• How to can tomatoes using a water bath canner - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Tomato sauce - W
• Tomato paste - W
• Barbecue sauce (BBQ sauce) - W
• Chili sauce from your own tomatoes and peppers - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Tomato Preserves- W
• Tomato salsa - W
• Spaghetti sauce - without meat - W, P
• Spiced Green tomatoes- W
• Pickled Green Tomatoes - W - another pickled green tomato recipe, this one sweet
• Ketchup.. or if you prefer... How to make catsup - W, P
• NEW! SUPER-EASY homemade ketchup recipe
• Salsa from your unripe, GREEN tomatoes! - W
• Tomatillo salsa - W
• How to make roasted tomatoes, boiling water bath canner version - W

Canning Tomatoes in Pressure canners

• Canned tomatoes using a Pressure Canner - P
• NEW!Baked Beans With Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
• Canning your own chili con carne (with meat) - P
• How to make roasted tomatoes, pressure canner version - P
• Spaghetti sauce - with meat - P
• Stewed tomatoes - P
• Tomato soup or tomato-basil soup - P
• Tomato sauce - P
• Tomato juice - P
• Tomato juice, like V8 - P

Freezing Tomatoes

• How to freeze tomatoes from you garden or the farm; for that fresh taste this winter!

For other fruit and vegetable festivals, see this page!