22,000 revellers descend on Bunol, pelt tomatoes at traditional Spanish festival La Tomatina

Bunol, a small Spanish town, sees its population more than double in size at the end of every August. It is because of its annual festival, La Tomatina, a one-hour event. The town is famous around the world for La Tomatina, and this year, the festival was celebrated on 28 August, and the city welcomed 22,000 tourists for the festival.

Every year, a large number of people from around the world arrive at the beautiful town along Spain's east coast. Bunol lies just 38 kilometres from Valencia, a well-known city in Spain.

The event kicked off at 11 am, and people threw tomatoes at each other and enjoyed the festival. The city got drenched in red. La Tomatina is also known as the world’s biggest food fight.

Before the festivities, more than 150,000 kilos of specially prepared tomatoes were delivered in seven huge trucks. Officials stated that food wastage is not a concern, as the tomatoes are not suitable for consumption, but perfect for pelting one another, said the BBC.

To attend the one-hour food fight, tourists had to pay a fee of €15 (£12.60), and they were not allowed to throw tomatoes after 12 pm. The festival was free for the residents. People enjoyed swimming in tomato sauce, throwing tomatoes at each other and even making tomato angles during the Spanish festival.

Ahead of the event, councilman Sergio Galarza said, “There is a lot of excitement and also a lot of respect because there are many people on the route, as this year will feature seven trucks. We hope that the party goes smoothly and that at 2 pm we can clean up and everyone is happy."

As per the official website of La Tomatina, the festival was founded in 1945. The festival was banned in the 1950s under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco but resumed in 1959 with certain restrictions.

(With inputs from agencies)