The cancellations of major national and international events due to the coronavirus is something we’ve become highly used to in recent times, and Spain’s world-famous Tomatina de Buñol has ended up with the same destiny in 2020. The event which usually takes place at the end of August has been cancelled and this year millions of tomatoes will not be launched in this small Spanish town. The Tomatina Festival, in which 20,000 competitors and spectators from around the world pelt each other with ripe tomatoes, is traditionally held each summer in the town of Buñol, in the region of Valencia and is considered one of the biggest street fiestas in Spain, but not this year.
The decision to cancel the event was originally taken back in April, after the deputy mayor of Buñol and councillor for tourism, María Valles, raised the issue with the municipal government. However, in recent weeks, there has been increasing speculation as to whether this decision may be reversed due to a lack of active COVID-19 cases in the area. These rumours are however unfounded, and the event will definitively not take place again until 25th August 2021. The Mayor of Buñol, Juncal Carrascosa, added that "all the decisions taken during this COVID-19 crisis have always been made with the common good in mind and with the hope that in the near future we will recover normality and everything will be fine".
Prior to 2020, the Tomatina has only been cancelled on one other occasion in 1957 when it was called off for political reasons. The cancellation of the 2020 festival is a blow, given that this year’s Tomatina was due to be the 75th anniversary of the event but in spite of this, the organisers have stated that the event will be bigger and better than ever in the future, and that the 75th anniversary will still be celebrated. 'Such an outstanding anniversary must be celebrated as a milestone with the importance that it requires and not be tainted by a negative situation,' stated María Valles. 'Extending the 75th anniversary to 2021 is not a postponement but an extension, therefore offering more content and more milestones that further enhance the Tomatina festival.'
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