Thousands of revelers descended on the small Spanish town of Buñol on Wednesday to participate in the annual La Tomatina food fight. The event, which takes place on the last Wednesday of August, saw participants prepare to cover the town in up to 165 tons of overripe tomatoes. Ahead of the festivities, buildings in the town were shielded with tarps to protect them from the impending mess.
The festival traces its roots to a spontaneous food fight in 1945. It eventually became an annual tradition before being banned in the 1950s by Spanish dictator Gen. Francisco Franco. The event's profile grew significantly in the 1980s due to televised media attention, evolving into a major national and international attraction. This year, more than 20,000 people were expected to join the melee. According to the Spanish news agency EFE, roughly 40% of the participants over the past three years have been international tourists.
A notable surge in visitors from India has been observed in recent years, largely attributed to the 2011 Bollywood film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (“You Only Live Once”). The movie featured a road trip through Spain that included a recreation of the La Tomatina festival, introducing the event to many Indian viewers. Romail Khokhar, a 27-year-old clothing business owner from Mumbai, was among those in Buñol on Wednesday for his third experience at the festival, describing it as the best he has ever attended.
Non-local attendees are required to pay a 15 euro ($17.50) ticket fee to participate. While the rules are simple—participants are instructed to squash their tomatoes before throwing them to minimize the risk of injury—many attendees still opt for protective gear like swimming goggles and earplugs. The hour-long event concludes with the sound of a cannon blast, after which the streets are hosed down. While clothing stains can be permanent, the citric acid in the tomatoes often leaves the streets of Buñol cleaner than they were before the event. Similar tomato-flinging celebrations have since been established in various locations, including Florida, London, Amsterdam, the Colombian town of Sutamarchán, and Hyderabad, India.
