BUÑOL, Spain — Thousands of participants gathered in Buñol on Wednesday for the annual La Tomatina tomato fight, aiming to douse the town in up to 165 tons of overripe tomatoes.
The chaotic event, lasting about an hour, occurs in a town whose buildings are protected with tarps beforehand. Scheduled for the final Wednesday of August, the tradition began in 1945 as a spontaneous food fight.
La Tomatina was observed annually until dictator Francisco Franco prohibited it in the 1950s. Media coverage in the 1980s propelled the celebration to national prominence and subsequently to global recognition.
Organizers anticipate over 20,000 attendees this year, according to EFE, which notes that about 40% of participants in the last three editions have been international tourists.
In recent years, attendance from India has risen sharply, spurred by the 2011 Bollywood film *Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara*, which featured a scene recreating La Tomatina and introduced the event to a broad Indian audience.
The film also inspired Romail Khokhar, a 27‑year‑old from Mumbai, to visit Buñol on Wednesday morning for his third participation in the tomato fight.
“I feel wonderful,” Khokhar said, adding that it is “the best festival I have ever experienced and I enjoy it a great deal.” He owns a clothing business.
Analogous tomato‑throwing celebrations have occurred in Florida, London, Amsterdam, the Colombian town of Sutamarchán, and Hyderabad, India.
International visitors purchase tickets for €15 ($17.50). The sole guideline is to crush tomatoes before throwing them to prevent injuries; many attendees also wear swimming goggles and earplugs for added protection.
When the hour ends, a cannon blast signals the conclusion, and participants head to nearby communal showers to wash off. Afterwards, the streets are hosed down.
While tomato stains on clothing can be stubborn, the fruit’s citric acid serves as a cleaning agent, frequently leaving Buñol’s streets cleaner than before.
