Framework

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Silverado, Calif. — Nearly 3,000 people participated in the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — The tomato mosh in a ketchup-covered fray marries the traditions of Spain's La Tomatina tomato-throwing festival and Germany's Oktoberfest.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Crushed tomatoes fly through the air during the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Tomato Battle participants turn tomatoes to mush as they fight.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — A participants high up on another's shoulders makes an easy target.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — A participant grabs tomatoes to throw during the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Participants having fun during the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — At least one participant came prepared to record the melee from within with a camera on his forehead, left, in the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Participants slosh around in frshly created tomato paste in the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — A participant holds 2 cups of crushed tomatos near the conclusion of the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Covered in tomatoes, Scott and Devon Zanio of Lake Forest have just competed in the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Talin Nir is covered with tomatoes during the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — The 'battle'field' is covered with tomato remains near the conclusion of the Tomato Battle held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

Silverado, Calif. — Participants who have just participated in the Tomato Battle are cleaned at the event held at Irvine Lake in Silverado.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles TImes

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Tomato Battle food fight in Irvine

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Tomato Battle food fight in Irvine

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Tomato Battle food fight in Irvine

 

Tomato Battle is a tomato fight, with 300 tons of tomatoes and beered-up participants. The Tomato Battle unifies as many as 5,000 fruit-chucking fanatics for an afternoon of dancing to music, sipping libations, and flinging 300,000 pounds of roma tomatoes at one another. Mosh in a ketchup-covered fray that marries the traditions of Spain’s La Tomatina tomato-throwing festival and Germany’s Oktoberfest.

Read the full story, “Man About Town: Amid the attack of the killer tomatoes

Photos by Gary Friedman and video by Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times

4 Comments

  1. September 1, 2012, 5:02 pm

    FUCK I completely missed this!!! Gotta wait 'til next year…

    By: Jon
  2. September 2, 2012, 3:40 pm

    what a waste of edible food, other countries have people dying of starvation and Americans here waste food for sport, sickening!

    By: ron@fuckyou.com
  3. September 4, 2012, 10:31 am

    "La Tomatina" it´s a traditional party, from Buñol (Valencia, SPAIN) and we celebrated it since 1945 :)
    On August 27th 2002, the General Secretariat of Tourism, granted the title of International Tourist Festival

    By: Raquel
  4. September 4, 2012, 1:31 pm

    Ahí estamos !!! La tomatina is originally from SPAIN – BUÑOL- VALENCIA, is a very ancient feast in which 35% of the participants come from the U.S. so they have copied and have led to U.S.
    need to be more origina l!!

    By: welinda

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