Spain's La Tomatina: 20,000 Festive Tomato Toss Draws Global Tourists

About twenty thousand people flooded the narrow roads of Buñol for La Tomatina, turning eastern Spain's streets into a chaotic arena for its annual tomato battle. This event stands as one of the country's most unique summer draws. For roughly an hour on Wednesday, trucks dumped up to 165 tonnes of overripe fruit into the gathering. Festival-goers, many dressed in white T-shirts, launched the tomatoes at each other while blasting pop music filled the air.

Officials pulled tarps over buildings before the fight started and sent police onto the scene. At one moment, officers used pepper spray to clear part of the crowd, but the festivities kept rolling right after that interruption. Organizers expected more than 20,000 attendees this year. Spanish media noted that about 40 percent of participants in recent years are international tourists. That number includes a growing stream of visitors from India since the 2011 Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara boosted interest.

La Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday of August. It started as a local food fight back in 1945 and kept going even after a ban under Francisco Franco. Television later turned this village tradition into a global spectacle.