The epic La Tomatina food fight draws thousands to a small Spanish town

Buñol, a small town in Spain, hosted its annual La Tomatina food fight on Wednesday, drawing thousands of participants eager to engage in a massive tomato fight. The event, which covers the town with up to 165 tons of ripe tomatoes, takes place over an hour, with buildings protected by tarps. Originating from a spontaneous tomato fight in 1945, La Tomatina transformed into an annual festival following Franco's lifting of the ban in the 1950s.

Television coverage in the 1980s further popularized the event, turning it into a national and eventually, an international attraction. This year, an estimated 20,000 people are expected to take part, with nearly 40% of participants coming from outside Spain, including a significant rise in visitors from India following the 2011 Bollywood movie "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara," which highlighted the festival.