Spanish Town Drowned in Tomatoes as 20,000 People Join Epic Food Fight

Thousands of people from around the world descended on the Spanish town of Buñol to take part in the famous La Tomatina — the world’s largest annual “food fight.” For several hours, the town’s streets were transformed into a sea of tomatoes.

Around 20,000 people took to the streets of Buñol in eastern Spain, where participants began hurling millions of ripe tomatoes at one another. White T-shirts were quickly stained pink and red, while the streets became covered in a thick layer of tomato pulp.

La Tomatina is held every year on the last Wednesday of August. The tradition dates back to 1945, when a spontaneous tomato fight broke out during a local festival in Buñol. Over time, the impromptu brawl evolved into a major international festival.

Before the event began, trucks delivered tons of tomatoes, which were then handed out to the participants. As soon as the battle started, they began throwing the fruit at one another, turning the town into a colorful and chaotic scene.

With upbeat music blasting from speakers, participants raced through the streets, covering each other in tomato juice. Some residents and businesses had already protected buildings with large tarps to shield their facades from the aftermath of the massive “tomato assault.”

At one point, police reportedly attempted to disperse part of an especially dense crowd using pepper spray. However, the disruption did little to dampen the festive atmosphere, and the celebration soon continued.

La Tomatina’s popularity grew significantly after the festival was featured in a 2011 Bollywood film. Today, tourists from around the world travel to Buñol specifically to take part in the unusual celebration.

The tomato battle lasted for more than an hour, after which crews began cleaning the streets, which had been left covered in huge quantities of tomato pulp.