Where/when: Buol, Spain: last Wednesday of August

The planet's premier food fight draws thousands to the tiny Spanish town, where as a climax to a week-long festival, trucks unleash 90,000 pounds of tomatoes on a beer-fuelled crowd. For one hour, all hell breaks loose, and people happily bombard each other with tomatoes.

Freakiness factor: High - This gooey mess-fest will make you feel like a kid again. Once the tomatoes are gone and everyone looks like victims of a slasher movie, hoses spray the revellers clean.