LLOSA - The ripe, round, red fruit tumbles out of crates and is piled high on trucks, while people cover balconies in plastic sheets and board up houses and shopfronts. Preparations for the annual 'La Tomatina' festival have begun.
About 150,000 kilos of tomatoes were transported to Bunol, west of the Spanish city of Valencia, ahead of the festival on Wednesday, when thousands of revelers will throw them at each other on a narrow street in the town.
The massive food fight lasts for an hour, with around 20,000 people expected to attend this year.
The tomato fight has been a tradition in Bunol since the end of World War Two and has drawn a large international following in recent years.
