A sauce of enjoyment! Dozens of Russians frolic in tomatoes for Spanish-themed festival

Dozens of Russians have spent the day hurling, squishing and lying on tomatoes in St Petersburg ahead of 22,000-strong Spanish ‘La Tomatina’ festival at the end of this month.

The red fruit enthusiasts donned casual clothes before hurling 20 tonnes of tomatoes at each other and frolicing through the resulting crimson sea at Kirovets stadium, as the festival reaches the Russian city for the first time. 

‘La Tomatina’, traditionally held in Bunol near Valencia on the last Wednesday in August, sees thousands of people cram into the villages streets before hurling more than a hundred metric tonnes of tomatoes. 

Delightful images show festival-goers hurling handfuls of tomatoes in the air while others lie down on the red carpet and try to make ‘tomato angels’.

Attendees can be seen smiling happily as they grab more handfuls of tomatoes before chucking them at each other.

Red fruit lovers donned casual clothes before frolicing through a 20 ton sea of tomatoes and hurling the fruits at each other

It was inspired by the Spanish festival ‘La Tomatina’, which sees 22,000 people cram into the small town of Bunol, near Valencia, on the last Wednesday in August before hurling armfuls of tomatoes at friends, enemies and acquaintances

Participants in the ‘La Tomatina’ at Kirovets stadium, St Petersburg, pictured sitting in the sea of squished tomatoes

Some of the red fruit lovers tried to make ‘tomato angels’ in the crimson sea of smashed fruits. Participants would also have the chance to eat Spanish food and take part in a waterfight, before enjoying a disco, according to an advert

The four adult Killer Whales worth of the fruits were sourced from the south of Russia, according to event organisers, which charged fans 1,200 roubles, or £14, to take part in the event. 

An advert also said that after hurling tomatoes from 3pm, the soaked participants could sample some Spanish cuisine before enjoying a water battle and, later, disco party.

The bizarre use of tomatoes was inspired by the Spanish tradition, which traces its roots back to the moment a parade participant fell out of a procession in Bunol.

This angered a crowd which started throwing tomatoes which they grabbed from a nearby stall in 1945.

The festival continued until the early 1950s, according to a local tourism provider, before it was banned.

The amount of tomatoes thrown at the festival were the equivalent weight of four adult Killer Whales

All tomatoes used for the festival, where entry cost 1,200 roubles or £14, were grown in the south of Russia

However, after residents protested, in 1957 the authorities permitted the strange tradition to continue.

It is now heavily controlled, with just 22,000 people allowed to participate every year.

They are ushered into the town at 11am as 120 tonnes of tomatoes are dropped in strategic locations across the town. Attendees are then allowed to hurl them at each other until a firework sounds, signalling the end of the festival.