Why is La Tomatino so huge and what happens after? (Credit: Pinterest) A routine annual celebration that kicks into motion like clockwork every year, most in India only learnt of the tangy bliss of La Tomatina, when a whole song and a sequence was built in and around it in Zoya Akhtar's 2011 blockbuster, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Watching Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Kalki Koechlin and Abhay Deol dunk themselves in tomato pulp and have the time of their lives in potentially one of the most natural and uncoordinated song sequences in contemporary Bollywood history, of course landed both Spain as well as experiencing the festival itself on the bucket lists of many. There's nothing covert or odd about La Tomatino anymore. It has become a cultural landmark for the world over the years - it's just something you have to do if you find yourself in Spain in the month of August! It's origin story however, is delightfully odd - as is something that people rarely speak about: it's aftermath! If there's one thing that La Tomatino reeks of - except of course the distinctly tart scent of gallons and gallons of squshed up tomatoes - it's joy. Now there's obviously nothing in the least bit delicate about La Tomatina. There's ample roughhousing and brashness, something that's honestly, befitting of the festival given that a street scuffle, all the way back in 1945, is what birthed this decades-long tradition. A local parade in Spain's Buñol, nestled in Valencia, took an unexpected turn when a group fo youngsters broke into a fight near a vegetable stand. Their impromptu choice of weapon? Of course the tomatoes from the stand bearing witness. Onlookers enjoyed this chaos so much that the incident turned into a tradition of its own, with the whole town inadvertently coming together to replicate that moment of sudden excitement from 1945. The La Tomatina was briefly banned in 1950 but the very unserious crowds in Spain made a huge hue and cry, even hosting a mock 'tomato funeral' which eventually lead to the festival being reinstated - now, an indelible part of Spain's rustic global footprint. Also Read: Where to Party Around the World, According to Dua Lipa Yes La Tomatino is a 'festival' but in its most practical sense, it's a massive food fight. Typically held on the last Wednesday of August each year, the festival lasts for all of one hour, starting 11am on the day-of, and concluding at 12 noon - a water cannon signal informs the hoards participating. About a 150,000 kilograms of tomatoes are made use of in the one hour with over 20,000 people participating. The La Tomatina cleanup is a massive undertaking in Buñol (Credit: AP) Also Read: Europe's Seas are Breaking their Heat Records - Scientists Say Humans have Made these Extremes Possible From 12 noon, fire trucks spray high pressure water to clean the stone streets - the natural citric acid of the fruit aids immensely in this cleaning process acting as a natural disinfectant. Doors and walls on the primary route of La Tomatina are usually plastic-wrapped to prevent staining. Over the years, clean up stations ranging from hoses to public showers have come up to help wrap up the chaos that is, La Tomatina. You might have missed the tomato-stained fun this year - but you can start planning your La Tomatino run for 2027 right away! Travel News - Find latest news and tips based on Indian and World travel including top 10 travel destination, tourism information, how to reach visit and more at Times Now. Aalokitaa Basu is a writer and Senior Copy Editor whose work explores the intersection of lifestyle, culture, beauty, wellness, and self-possession. H... View More