Annual tomato battle leaves Spanish town awash in red pulp
Posted August 31, 2016 7:00 am
BUNOL, Spain (AP) - Thousands of people have pelted each other with tons of ripe tomatoes, creating a red, mushy mess in the annual "Tomatina" street battle in eastern Spain.
At the fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, 160 tons of tomatoes were offloaded from six trucks into the crowd packing the town's streets for the hour-long battle that attracts many foreigners.
The fight leaves the participants - many donning swimming goggles to protect their eyes - and the town's streets drenched in red pulp. Organizers then hose the streets down within minutes of the event ending at noon, while participants can use public showers.
The paid-entry event was inspired by a 1945 food fight between local children in the tomato-producing region.
Some 20,000 people were expected to take part in this year's fight.
Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Two women enjoy as crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
A men lies in a puddle of squashed tomatoes as people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
A truck unloads tomatoes as crowds of people throw them at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Two girls pose as they lie in a puddle of squashed tomatoes, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
A men lies in a puddle of squashed tomatoes, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
Crowds of people throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual "Tomatina", tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. The streets of an eastern Spanish town are awash with red pulp as thousands of people pelt each other with tomatoes in the annual "Tomatina" battle that has become a major tourist attraction. At the annual fiesta in Bunol on Wednesday, trucks dumped 160 tons of tomatoes for some 20,000 participants, many from abroad, to throw during the hour-long morning festivities. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
The Associated Press
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