LA TOMATINA FESTIVAL
Revelers lie in tomato pulp after the annual "Tomatina" (tomato fight) in Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, August 26, 2015. Tens of thousands of festival-goers hurled 170 tonnes of over-ripe tomatoes at each other on Wednesday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the massive food fight in the small village of Bunol in eastern Spain. Reuters/Heino Kalis

Thousands of revellers gamely pelted tomatoes at each other in the small town of Buñol in eastern Spain to celebrate the 70th annual "La Tomatina" festival. During this hour-long event, everybody is allowed to throw tomatoes at anyone in what is dubbed as the world's largest food fight. In 2015, about 150 tonnes of tomatoes were involved, making the streets literally turn red.

The latest celebration reportedly attracted about 22,000 participants from all over the world, according to The Times of India . Town mayor Rafael Perez said that the reason why this event is so successful, despite all the squishy goo involved, is because it lets people blow off steam. This year's festival attracted tourists mostly from Australia, Britain, Japan and the U.S. Only about one-fifth of the revellers were actually from Spain.

"The Japanese for example are very reserved, solemn, and transform themselves when they come here," Mayor Perez told the media.

The rules of "La Tomatina" are simple. Wear comfortable clothes and have fun. Participants were encouraged to squish the tomatoes first before pelting them to soften the blow, and wear goggles to protect the eyes from the fruit acid. TIME reports that the annual event started in 1945 when a man pushed off a float started throwing tomatoes from a vegetable stall at anyone he wished, resulting in a grand food fight on the streets. At first, the local authorities had prohibited it, but eventually gave in to turn it into a yearly affair.

The tomato throwing happens in the morning and lasts about an hour. By noon, the city hoses the streets down and participants are allowed to use the public showers to clean up. The town decided to start selling tickets from 2013 to help pay off debts and to fund clean-up and security efforts to accommodate the growing crowd. This year, 17,000 tickets were estimated to have been sold to non-residents, while the locals got theirs for free. The most recent event cost 10 euros (AU$15.95) per ticket. Even Google joined in on the festivities by featuring an inspired Google Doodle on its main page.

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Google celebrates 70th anniversary of festival La Tomatina with a doodle

Source: YouTube/BBC News

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