Summer is tomato season, and the juicy red fruit (not vegetable!) will be thrown in full force at the Tomato Battle this Saturday on Brooklyn’s Aviator Sports and Event Field. The event, held this year in five cities across the U.S., draws inspiration from Spain’s La Tomatina and Germany’s Oktoberfest. It also adds some American flavor, with up to 100,000 pounds of overripe local tomatoes thrown.
Aside from the headliner food fight, the event will feature live music, games and a costume contest. The celebration hits New York after debuting in Dallas this May with around 300 attendees. (A planned fight in Chicago had to be canceled due to a late tomato harvest in the area). Other battles will be held later this year in Southern California, Seattle and Northern California.
Mass gatherings like this remind us of the annual giant pillow fight held on International Pillow Fight Day in Washington Square Park, and of the rowdy Santas who hit NYC bars each December as part of SantaCon.
At $50 a ticket, entry to the Tomato Battle is expensive. But it’s a little more manageable with a half off Living Social deal that’s already been bought by over 2,000 people.
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