It is said to be the biggest food fight in the world. La Tomatina Festival started the last Wednesday of August in when some young people spent time in the town square to attend the Giants and Big-Heads figures parade. One participant's Big-head fell off, as a result of the festivities. The participant flew into a fit of rage, and began hitting everything in their path.
There was a market stall of vegetables that fell victim to the fury of the crowd, as people started to pelt each other with tomatoes until the local forces ended the fruit battle. The following year, some young people engaged in a pre-planned quarrel and brought their own tomatoes from home. Although the local forces broke it up, this began the yearly tradition. In the following years, the boys' example was followed by thousands of people. La Tomatina was banned in the early s by Francisco Franco due to the festival's lack of religious significance, however, this did not stop the participants, who were later then arrested.
The people protested against the prohibition and the festival was again allowed with more participants. The festivity was again canceled until when, as a sign of defiance, a tomato funeral was held: a demonstration in which the residents carried a coffin with a large tomato inside.
The parade was accompanied by a music band that played funeral marches. The protest was successful, and La Tomatina Festival was finally permitted and became an official festival.
As a result of the report of Javier Basilio, a broadcaster from the Spanish television program called Informe Semanal , the festival started to be known throughout the rest of Spain. Since then, the number of participants increased year after year as well as the excitement about La Tomatina Festival. It had only been cancelled once before, in , for political reasons. Events during the days before the fight include a paella contest near the town's square, tomato fireworks, and different music bands and parades around the medieval city centre.
