La Tomatina festival 2024 in Spain: 22,000 attendees drenched in 150 tons of tomatoes in Bunol

The streets of a town in eastern Spain were covered in red as revelers threw overripe tomatoes at one another in a lively and spirited battle during the annual La Tomatina festival.

Around 22,000 participants dressed in white were stained with tomato pulp, took part in the chaotic event that transforms Bunol - situated 40 km (25 miles) west of Valencia - every August during the last week.

Courtesy: Reuters

Seven trucks delivered 150 tons of ripe pear tomatoes to enthusiastic festival-goers, many of whom traveled from abroad. Non-residents pay an entry fee of 15 euros ($16.70), while locals from Bunol can join in for free.

Courtesy: Reuters

The festival’s hour-long tomato fight was kicked off by firecrackers, which were ignited once a participant managed to climb a slippery, soap-coated pole to retrieve a leg of ham hanging from the top.

Courtesy: Reuters

After the tomato battle concluded, a cleanup crew equipped with water hoses was sent in to wash away the remnants from the town’s streets, which were left sparkling clean thanks to the natural acidity of the tomatoes. The tomatoes used for the festival are considered too sour for consumption.

Courtesy: Reuters

According to the official Tomatina website, the festival began in 1945 following a fight that broke out when some young people trying to get a better view of a parade knocked over one of the parade participants. Others then threw tomatoes from a nearby stand as makeshift projectiles until the police intervened to restore order.

The next year, young people reenacted the incident, with some bringing their own tomatoes to the event. Although the festival was briefly banned in the 1950s under General Francisco Franco's fascist regime, it resumed in 1959 with new regulations in place.