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Spain's economic woes have led to one its most famous festivals becoming a "pay-to-join" event. The cash-strapped town Bunol will start charging participants who want to take part its world-famous Tomatina tomato-throwing festival. Tourists will have to pay a minimum 10 euros ($13) to be part the hour-long tomato fight. Regardless, all 15,000 tickets have been sold. Local residents have been allocated 5,000 free tickets. The Tomatina costs the town 150,000 euros to organise. A hefty part that sum goes paying for the 130 tons tomatoes used as ammunition the street battles. The streets are literally flooded tomato juice the festival's end.

Tourists all the world have flocked to the Tomatina decades. Bunol's town mayor told reporters the decision to charge was partly due to financial constraints, but also of security concerns. He said: "This is the first year we are charging access to this popular festival due to the need to limit the crowd safety reasons. We have had a problem the past eight or 10 years. The Tomatina is not controlled. We don't know how many people are going to come." The festival started just the end WWII. There are various reports its origins. The most popular is that a brawl between teenagers a vegetable market ending with the youths pelting each other with tomatoes.