Spanish state broadcaster Televisión Española will transmit the annual Tomatina festival in Buñol live in its entirety for the first time in public television history on Wednesday, August 26.
Broadcaster RTVE will alter the morning schedule on its main channel La 1 and streaming platform RTVE Play to broadcast the Valencian event, replacing regular programming with a special live broadcast starting at 11:40 a.m.
The network's primary morning show Mañaneros 360 will transform into a single-topic special titled La Tomatina 360 to cover the mass gathering in full. The annual festival held in eastern Spain holds official recognition as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest.
Journalists Adela González and Ana Prada will host the special broadcast from RTVE's central studio complex at Prado del Rey in Pozuelo de Alarcón. A team of four reporters comprising Cecilia Revuelta, Sergio Recio, Clara Rivas, and Tamara Atienzar will provide live interventions from street level among the crowds in Buñol.
Technical deployment and global signal distribution
To capture the mass celebration, RTVE is mobilizing a specialized mobile unit equipped with 17 cameras alongside a drone designed to capture aerial perspectives of the crowd and the red tide of tomatoes filling the town streets.
A dedicated production center will oversee and coordinate the pool signal for the event. RTVE announced that it will offer this feed free of charge to international television operators and networks worldwide.
RTVE, founded in 1956, serves as Spain's national public state broadcaster and regularly manages extensive coverage for major national festivals. Buñol, a town located in the province of Valencia in eastern Spain, welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each summer for the iconic street event.
Economic impact and preliminary broadcast schedule
Preparation for the broadcast will begin ahead of the main tomato battle. RTVE's regional delegation in the Comunitat Valenciana will launch a series of contextual reports across its news bulletins starting Monday, August 24.
These preliminary pieces will examine the economic impact of the celebration on local businesses across the region. The coverage will analyze hotel occupancy levels and measure the financial influx brought by more than 20,000 international participants arriving from various countries.
Historical archive footage and agricultural coverage
As part of the lead-up coverage, the network will broadcast archival footage from its news magazine program Informe Semanal originally recorded in 1983. Media analysts consider that historic 1983 report to have triggered Buñol's international prominence and global reputation.
Working in collaboration with RTVE's regional center in Extremadura, the network will also air a report focusing on the agricultural sector. The feature will highlight the farming operations that cultivate and distribute the tons of vegetables used during the summer event.
Extremadura, located in western Spain, is one of the country's primary agricultural regions responsible for large-scale vegetable farming. The produce cultivated for the festival is specially selected for the annual event before being transported to Buñol for the street celebration.
