Spanish Streets Transformed into Tomato Battleground at Tomatina Festival

The streets of a town in eastern Spain were drenched in red as participants engaged in a spirited showdown, hurling overripe tomatoes at one another during the lively Tomatina festival. 

Approximately 22,000 people, dressed in white and covered in tomato pulp, dove into the chaotic revelry that takes over Bunol, located 25 miles west of Valencia, every August’s final week. 

Seven trucks unloaded 150 tons of ripe pear tomatoes for the enthusiastic revelers, many of whom had traveled from abroad. Non-residents paid a fee of 15 euros ($16.70) to join in the fun, while locals from Buñol enjoyed the festival free of charge. 

"We love tomatoes! That’s why we decided to come, and we had an amazing time," said Taylor, who traveled from Australia. She and her friends planned to "make some spaghetti to enjoy with the sauce." 

The hour-long tomato fight kicked off with firecrackers after a contestant successfully scaled a slippery, soap-covered pole to grab a leg of ham hanging at the top. 

After the chaos subsided, a cleanup crew equipped with water hoses was sent to wash the streets. The town's roads were left sparkling clean, thanks to the natural acidity of the tomatoes. The tomatoes, cultivated specifically for the festival, are deemed too sour for eating. 

The Tomatina’s official website recounts that the festival’s origins trace back to 1945 when a brawl erupted after some young people knocked over a parade participant while trying to get a closer look. Through the commotion, bystanders started hurling tomatoes from a nearby stand until police stepped in to break up the chaos. 

The following year, young locals revived the tomato battle, with some participants bringing their own tomatoes. 

Although the festival was briefly prohibited in the 1950s under General Francisco Franco’s authoritarian rule, it resumed in 1959 with newly established guidelines.