Insane photos of the world’s largest food fight

By Talia Lakritz From Insider

The INSIDER Summary:
The annual La Tomatina festival takes place in Bunol, Spain.
This year, around 22,000 people gathered to throw tomatoes at each other.
Goggles are recommended.

The crowds filling the streets of Bunol, Spain, for the annual La Tomatina festival are hungry for tomatoes. Not to eat them, but to toss them at each other in an epic food fight that takes a squad of fire trucks to clean up.

This year, around 22,000 people gathered in the town square to throw tomatoes at each other. Here are incredible photos from the festivities.

La Tomatina festival takes place every year in Bunol, Spain.
It’s a popular festival. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

It started in 1945 when a participant in Spain’s Giants and Big-Heads parade went into a fit of rage and began pelting people with vegetables from a nearby stand.
Tomatoes everywhere. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Spanish authorities banned the food fight until 1957, when people held a tomato
The protest worked. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

These days, it’s a ticketed event.
It attracts tourists from around the world. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Overly-ripe tomatoes are brought to Plaza del Pueblo, the center of town, by the truckload.
It takes a lot of tomatoes. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Upon the starting signal, it’s a free-for-all.
No one is safe. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

The fight usually lasts one hour.
Even Iron Man gets in on the fun. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

People smash tomatoes into each other’s hair and faces.
Squishy. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

And toss buckets of tomato sauce.
It makes a splash. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Needless to say, it gets a bit messy.
The streets are full of tomato sauce. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

This year, around 22,000 people participated.
The surrounding buildings are also splattered. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Festival-goers threw 150 tons of tomatoes.
Tomatoes. And more tomatoes. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

The rules dictate that tomatoes must be squashed before throwing to make the blows less painful.
Rules are rules. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Goggles are recommended since the acidity of tomatoes can burn your eyes.
Safety first. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

After the last tomato is thrown, fire trucks hose down the streets.
It takes a lot of cleanup. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

According to the festival’s website, people are pleasantly surprised to find that their skin feels cleaner and softer after washing off.
Tomato facials, though. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

For more on this story go to: https://www.thisisinsider.com/tomato-throwing-festival-spain-la-tomatina-photos-2017-8#according-to-the-festivals-website-people-are-pleasantly-surprised-to-find-that-their-skin-feels-cleaner-and-softer-after-washing-off-16

Related:

Thousands hurl tomatoes in Spanish food fight

From WN

Bunol: Thousands of revellers hurled some 145 tonnes of tomatoes at each other on Wednesday (30), celebrating the messy annual Tomatina festival in the eastern Spanish town of Bunol.

A fire cracker signal marked the start of the massive food fight at 11 am (0900 GMT) and during the next hour, six trucks loaded with over-ripe tomatoes drove through the small town’s main street providing ammunition for festival-goers.

IMAGE: Revelers throw tomatoes at each other, during the annual “Tomatina”, tomato fight fiesta, in the village of Bunol, 50 kilometers outside Valencia, Spain. (Photo: AP)

For more on this story and video go to: https://article.wn.com/view/2018/08/29/Thousands_hurl_tomatoes_in_Spanish_food_fight/