Thousands of revellers descended on the Spanish town of Buñol on Wednesday for La Tomatina, hurling up to 165 tonnes of overripe tomatoes at each other in just over an hour. Trucks loaded with tomatoes moved slowly through the crowd as people in the cargo beds pelted those below, who threw them straight back.
White shirts turned pink within minutes as the tomato pulp accumulated. Residents doused participants with water from balconies, and buildings along the route had been covered with tarpaulins beforehand.
More than 20,000 people were expected to attend this year. Spanish news agency EFE reports that roughly 40 percent of participants over the past three years have come from outside Spain, with a marked rise in visitors from India since the 2011 Bollywood film "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" recreated the festival.
Held on the last Wednesday of August, La Tomatina dates back to a street brawl in 1945. The festival has one rule: participants must squash the tomato before throwing it.
