WorldThousands of people descended on Buñol on Wednesday for the annual La Tomatina food fight, where they painted the small Spanish town red with up to 165 tonnes of overripe tomatoes.Messy melee attracts anticipated 20,000 people to Buñol, near ValènciaCBC News · Posted: Aug 26, 2026 1:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Revellers participate in the Tomatina annual food fiesta in the Spanish eastern town of Buñol on Wednesday. (Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)Thousands of people descended on Buñol on Wednesday for the annual La Tomatina food fight, where they painted the small Spanish town red with up to 165 tonnes of overripe tomatoes.The messy melee took place for over an hour in the town, near València, where buildings were covered with tarps ahead of the festivities.Participants wait to begin.(Alberto Saiz/The Associated Press)A man covers a house with a tarp to protect it against flying tomatoes before the festival, which traces its origins to a food fight in 1945.(Thomas Peter/Reuters)More than 20,000 people are expected to take part this year, with the Spanish EFE news agency reporting this week that 40 per cent of revellers over the past three years have been tourists from outside Spain.(Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)(Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)Non-local attendees pay 15 euros for a ticket. The first and only rule: Squash your tomatoes before hurling them to avoid injuries. Still, many participants don swimming goggles and earplugs for protection.(Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)(Alberto Saiz/The Associated Press)(Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images)(Alberto Saiz/The Associated Press)