Thousands Gather in Buñol for Annual La Tomatina Festival
· World · Euronews, Al Jazeera
Thousands of revellers gathered in the Spanish town of Buñol on Wednesday to participate in the annual La Tomatina festival, hurling up to 165 tonnes of overripe tomatoes at each other. Trucks ploughed through the crowd while participants in the cargo beds pelted people below in an event lasting just over an hour. Buildings along the route were covered with tarpaulins, and white shirts turned pink within minutes as residents doused participants with water from balconies. More than 20,000 people were expected to attend this year's event, which dates back to a street brawl in 1945. Spanish news agency EFE reports that roughly 40% of participants over the past three years have come from outside Spain, driven by a notable rise in visitors from India following the 2011 Bollywood film "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara".
Why it matters
The festival draws tens of thousands of international tourists to Buñol, boosting the local economy and sustaining a global cultural phenomenon.
Read the original report — Euronews
Join us on Telegram
Breaking news the moment it lands. At 10,000 members we ship the Android app.