Spain's famous Tomatina festival returns for first time since Covid

Spain's famous Tomatina festival returns for first time since Covid
World's biggest food fight' left participants and surrounding streets awash in red tomato pulp in Bunol, Spain
Workers unloaded 130 tonnes of over-ripe tomatoes into crowds packing the streets for the hour-long battle
The event costs 12 euros for a basic ticket and more than 20,000 people signed up to take part in the melee
La Tomatina was banned in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, with participants eager to revel in the fight
Participation has been ticketed since 2013 after local officials said too many visitors overwhelmed the streets
This year's celebration had the added incentive of being the event's 75th anniversary and 20 years since the festival was declared an international tourism attraction by Spain
People from around the world pasted each other with tomatoes on Wednesday as Spain's famous Tomatina street battle took place once again following a two-year suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Workers on trucks unloaded 130 tons of over-ripe tomatoes along the main street of the eastern town of Bunol for participants to throw, leaving the area drenched in red pulp.
Local officials said they expected fewer foreign visitors this year mainly because of continuing fears over Covid-19 in Asian countries.

But the streets were packed as thousands of bodies coated themselves and each other in red mush.
The annual event held on the last Wednesday of August was inspired by a food fight between local children in 1945 in the town, located in a tomato-producing region.

Though banned in the early 1950s, it was later reinstated in 1957 after public backlash and in the 1980s media attention turned 'La Tomatina' into a national and international event, drawing participants from every corner of the world.
Participants don swimming goggles to protect their eyes, while their clothes, typically T-shirts and shorts, are left covered in pulp.

Besides being the first battle since before the pandemic started in 2020 in Spain, this year's celebration had the added incentive of being the event's 75th anniversary and 20 years since the festival was declared an international tourism attraction by Spain.
La Tomatina is a beloved celebration in Bunol and in recent years has served as a welcome boost to local government coffers.

Participation at the event has been paid and ticketed since 2013 after officials said too many foreign visitors were taking part and overwhelming the streets.

The number of participants peaked at 40,000 at the 2012 festival, of which only about 5,000 were locals, prompting the government to cut entry numbers by half for every subsequent year.

The festival's popularity spawned several copycat celebrations in various cities across the world, including London.

A Spanish restaurant in the capital hosted Britain's first official Tomatina in 2018 - though in typical London fashion, ticket prices were set at a much pricier £49 and included a lunch and cocktail party.

Ponchos were provided.