text: Spanish tomato warriors paint the town red . BUNOL , Spain 1996-08-28 Revellers painted the town red on Wednesday as the 1996 edition of the world 's biggest tomato fight began in the eastern Spanish village of Bunol . Thousands of people pelted each other with armfuls of ripe tomatoes as streets , walls and windows were coated in a blood-red wash . A single firework after midday signalled the start of the fruit-throwing frenzy , during which participants hurl some 100 tonnes of tomatoes trucked in for the occasion . Local historians say the tradition began in 1945 when disgruntled locals began spontaneously to bombard the priest and mayor at the annual fiesta in Bunol ( pronounced Boo-nee-OL ) . The festival 's fame has grown and now attracts between 15,000 and 20,000 people , many of them foreigners .