By Editor — June 2025

The streets of Sutamarchán, a charming town in Colombia’s Boyacá department, were awash in red on Sunday as the 15th edition of the Gran Tomatina festival exploded into life. Inspired by Spain’s world-famous La Tomatina in Buñol, this Colombian version has become a cherished annual tradition since its inception in 2004 — a unique celebration of the local tomato industry and unfiltered joy.

A Splash of Spain in Colombia

The original La Tomatina is held every August in the town of Buñol, near Valencia. What began in the mid-1940s — possibly as a food fight among friends, or a protest, or even a carnival prank — has become a legendary event that draws international crowds for one glorious hour of tomato-throwing chaos.

Though banned during Franco’s dictatorship for its secular nature, the festival made a triumphant return in the 1970s, evolving into a symbol of fun, freedom, and community. While officially dedicated to Buñol’s patron saints, Luis Bertrán and the Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, its reputation today is more about wild celebration than solemn devotion.

Sutamarchán’s Take: A Tomato Festival With Heart

Sutamarchán has faithfully honored the Buñol tradition while adding its own Colombian flavor. After a brief hiatus, this year’s 2025 festival marked a triumphant return, drawing thousands of revelers eager to get messy. The three-day event culminated in Sunday’s tomato battle, a vibrant spectacle that reaffirmed the town’s place on Colombia’s cultural map.

Over 100 metric tons of overripe tomatoes were trucked in by midday. But before the fruit flew, festivalgoers honored a key ritual: a greasy two-story pole topped with a ham, which must be climbed before the tomato fight can begin.

Then, the madness begins. For one wild hour, strangers become comrades and combatants, hurling pulpy missiles at one another with only one rule — squash the tomato before you throw it, to avoid injuries. The air fills with red projectiles and laughter. When the hour ends, so does the chaos. Fire trucks hose down the streets now ankle-deep in tomato pulp, and participants wash off in nearby rivers or under the care of helpful neighbors with hoses.

More Than a Food Fight

While it may look like senseless fun, La Gran Tomatina de Sutamarchán is a celebration of community, tradition, and the town’s economic backbone — its tomato production. The festival boosts local tourism, unites residents and visitors, and proves that sometimes the best way to bring people together is by throwing a fruit or two.

As the town returns to normal, the memories — and tomato-stained shirts — linger as proof of another unforgettable edition.

From Buñol to Boyacá, the tomato fight continues — and so does the joy.