Thousands of individuals gathered in Buñol on Wednesday for the yearly La Tomatina festival, drenching the small Spanish town in crimson with approximately 165 tonnes of overripe tomatoes. The chaotic tomato battle unfolded for more than an hour in the town close to València, with structures shielded by tarps in anticipation of the event.
Preceding the festival, a man was seen covering a residence with a tarp to shield it from airborne tomatoes, a tradition dating back to a food skirmish in 1945. This year, over 20,000 participants are anticipated, with 40 percent of attendees in the past three years coming from abroad, according to the Spanish EFE news agency.
Non-local visitors pay 15 euros for entry and are instructed to squash their tomatoes before throwing them to prevent injuries. Despite this rule, many attendees opt to wear protective gear such as swimming goggles and earplugs. The event features lively scenes of people engaging in tomato fights on the streets, with some even throwing tomatoes from trucks above. Participants can be seen enjoying the festivity, either soaked in tomato pulp or sitting amidst the aftermath in a pool of tomatoes.