Thousands of revelers packed the narrow streets of Buñol in eastern Spain for La Tomatina, the annual tomato-throwing festival widely considered one of the country's most distinctive summer attractions.
For about an hour on Wednesday, trucks dumped 165 tons of overripe tomatoes into the crowd. Participants, mostly dressed in white T-shirts, pelted each other with tomatoes to the upbeat sounds of pop music blaring nonstop.
Before the battle began, authorities covered buildings with tarps and deployed police officers. At one point, police reportedly used pepper spray to disperse part of the crowd, but the festive atmosphere quickly resumed.
This year's event was expected to draw more than 20,000 attendees. According to Spanish media, about 40% of participants in recent years have been international tourists, with a growing number of Indian visitors following the 2011 Bollywood film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
La Tomatina, held on the last Wednesday of August, originated from a local food brawl in 1945. The festival was once banned under dictator Francisco Franco but later became a global event thanks to television coverage.
