The event, which starts at 11 a.m. local time and uses around 150,000 tomatoes, cannot begin until a participant climbs up a greasy pole in the town square and retrieves a ham attached to the top. Once the ham is down, the throwing can begin. Since 2013, a fee of $12 is charged to take part in the event. Participation capacity has been reduced from 50,000 to around 22,000 for safety reasons.