At 11AM, the signal for the tomato fight to begin is given in the form of firing off a rocket. Trucks loaded with tons of over-ripe tomatoes bought from the province of Extremadura are brought into the main Plaza del Pueblo. At the signal to begin, all hell breaks loose for the next 60 minutes. The tomato fight continues until 12 noon when another rocket is set off to signal the end of the melee.
As one would guess, the post-tomatina town centre looks like a war zone. The town's cleaning brigade come out in full force and hose down everything in sight. The participants, however, usually clean themselves up in the waters of the Buñol River or if lucky, they might get hosed down by kind-hearted local residents who are willing to help. Many shopkeepers prepare beforehand by protecting their stores with sheets of plastic, thereby saving themselves a great deal of trouble.