La Tomatina - 5 Fun Facts - as part of the travel series by GeoBeats. One of the world's largest food fights occurs during La Tomatina, an annual festival in Spain at the end of August. Here are 5 fun facts about this festival: Number 5 - About 90,000 pounds of tomatoes are used by the participants in this hour-long food fight. Number 4 - The tomatoes used are imported from a region in south of Spain. These tomatoes are grown particularly for this festival and are not used for cooking purposes. Number 3 - Everyone has to follow certain rules laid down by the city council. For instance, tomatoes must be squished before throwing so as to prevent bruising and injuries. Also, the you are prohibited from ripping each other's T-shirts during the fight. Number 2 - The festival began in 1945, however, no one knows how it actually started. A popular theory is that on one instance the town people once got so angry with the city council that they pelted them with tomatoes and that's how the tradition started. Number 1 - After the fight, the tomato pulp is flushed down the streets by local fire trucks with water provided from a Roman aqueduct.