Thousands of revelers descended on the Spanish town of Buñol for the annual La Tomatina festival, turning its streets into a sea of red and pink during the world-famous tomato fight.
The event saw about 20,000 participants, many dressed in white, packed the narrow streets of the town for the hour-long celebration, as tonnes of overripe tomatoes were thrown in a colourful and chaotic food fight.
As the battle intensified on Wednesday, participants scooped tomatoes from the streets and smashed or threw them at friends and strangers, covering their clothes, faces and bodies in tomato pulp. The white shirts worn by many revelers quickly turned shades of pink and red as pop music played from speakers around the town.
Protective tarpaulins had been installed over buildings and other structures along parts of the route ahead of the event to protect them from the barrage of tomatoes.
Streets were also prepared to accommodate the large crowds and the extensive clean-up operation that follows the celebration.
Loaded trucks moved slowly through the crowded streets, carrying large quantities of tomatoes that participants grabbed and hurled at one another. People standing in the trucks also threw tomatoes at the revelers below, adding to the frenzy.
According to sources, around 40 percent of participants over the past three years have travelled from outside Spain, underlining the festival’s growing popularity among international tourists.
The event has also gained exposure through popular culture, attracting visitors who became familiar with the tomato fight through films and television. Some international visitors have reportedly been inspired to travel to Buñol after seeing La Tomatina featured in a Bollywood film.
Despite its chaotic appearance, the festival is carefully organised, with restrictions on participation and measures in place to manage the crowds and minimise damage to buildings and infrastructure.
At the end of the hour-long tomato battle, the streets and participants are left covered in tomato pulp, creating the distinctive red landscape that has made La Tomatina one of Spain’s most unusual and internationally recognised cultural celebrations.
La Tomatina is held annually on the last Wednesday of August and traces its origins to an impromptu food fight that broke out in Buñol in 1945.
The festival was banned in the 1950s during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, but it was eventually revived following public pressure. Increased television coverage during the 1980s helped propel La Tomatina beyond Buñol, turning it into a major national event and, eventually, an international tourist attraction.