Tons of overripe tomatoes become projectiles in Spain’s Tomatina food fight

Thousands of people from around the world seeking a uniquely messy thrill have spent one wild hour flinging bushels of overripe tomatoes at each other during Spain’s Tomatina celebration.

The mother of all food fights painted a packed central street in the eastern town of Bunol deep red as revellers squished, smashed and hurled 120 tons of the overripe fruit.

Tarps covered the building fronts as an estimated 20,000 people showed no quarter amid screams and laughter.

Every article of clothing and pretty much every inch of bare skin and hair ended up covered in a pulpy mush, with many wearing white shirts that were quickly stained pink.

Thumping music gave the event the vibe of a rave.

Organisers wearing green shirts slowly opened a path for trucks loaded with the tomatoes to bring in the ammunition.

Bunol, with a population of around 10,000, was one of the towns affected by devastating floods in eastern Spain beginning on October 29 2024.

That is why this year’s slogan is Tomaterapia, or Tomato Therapy in English.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the tomato tossing that party lore says began in 1945 for local children.

Since then Tomatina has grown to an eye-catching event that now draws a significant international crowd and has only been skipped twice due to the pandemic.

A left-wing political party backed an initiative by local residents to fly Palestinian flags and a banner against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza during this year’s Tomatina.

The only guideline during the free-for-all is to squash each tomato before throwing to reduce its impact.

Even so, some participants opt to wear protective goggles and earplugs.

For those worried about the waste, organisers say the tomatoes are grown specifically for Tomatina and are not edible anyway.

This year’s supply hails from a town more than five hours away.

A cannon shot tells participants the battle is over.

As the adrenaline drains, partiers use communal showers to clean up while workers hose the crimson slurry off the streets.