Spanish Town Blushes with Annual Tomato Fight

A reveler throws tomato pulp at another during the annual food fight, the Tomatina. Credit: AP, Fernando Bustamante

Revelers fight for tomatoes during the annual food fight, the Tomatina, in the town of Bunol, Spain. Credit: AP, Fernando Bustamante

A reveler does a hand stand in tomato pulp. Credit: AP, Fernando Bustamante

Revelers throw tomatoes in the town of Bunol, Spain. Credit: AP, Fernando Bustamante

BUNOL, Spain (AP) — Spanish revelers have pelted each with 113 tons of ripe tomatoes in an annual food fight. Town hall says an estimated 40,000 people took part in the hour of messy fun in the village of Bunol near Valencia. The ritual dates back to the 1940s.

Some warriors in Wednesday's battle wore swimming goggles to protect themselves from the acid sting of projectiles in the form of pear-shaped tomatoes. Others swatted them away with tennis rackets.

Afterward, many washed off in a nearby river while crews hosed down a town painted red.

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