Spanish town a plum spot for a food fight

Nation & World News

A photo gallery from the annual Tomatina food fight in Bunol, Spain.

Revelers throw tomatoes during the annual food fight in Bunol. Trucks hauled 117 tons of plum tomatoes into Bunol's main square and dumped them, setting the stage for one hour of good-natured warfare.

A reveler seems to be swimming in tomatoes during the Tomatina in Bunol, Spain.

Revelers throw tomatoes at each other during the Tomatina in Bunol, Spain. An estimated 40,000 people took part this year.

Tomatina participants take a rest in the tomatoes during the annual food fight in Bunol, Spain. Residents used garden hoses to spray down the tomato tossers and the rest of the town.

Local legend holds that the Tomatina began in the mid-1940s after a group of youngsters waged a food fight on the town square. They met again the next year and pelted each other -- and passers-by -- to start the tradition.

Revelers throw tomatoes during the Tomatina in Bunol, Spain. "It's like a mosh pit in a rock concert; you just keep going," one Irish participant said. "The street was like a red river."

A tomato tosser takes in the aroma during the annual food fight in the small Spanish town of Bunol. The Tomatina is held each year on the last Wednesday in August.

Revelers throw tomatoes Wednesday during the Tomatina in Bunol, Spain. The festival draws tens of thousands of revelers from around Spain and abroad, including Japan, Australia and the United States.

Revelers throw tomatoes at each other during the Tomatina on Wednesday. Each year, tens of thousands of people hurl truckloads of tomatoes at each other, sending knee-deep rivers through the town.

This participant takes a breather during the annual food fight in Bunol, Spain. Bunol is 25 miles north of Valencia on Spain's east coast.

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Revelers throw tomatoes during the annual food fight in Bunol. Trucks hauled 117 tons of plum tomatoes into Bunol's main square and dumped them, setting the stage for one hour of good-natured warfare.

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