You throw tomatoes, they throw tomahtoes

You know those pick-pockets and wenches that're always getting beamed with tomatoes in the stockades? Well, just because you don't steal melons or speak in the presence of men doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to get in on the fun too. Denver Tomato Battle's here to help

Finally staining Mile High with the party enjoyed in Europe for decades, this all-day food fight (with a soundtrack provided by multiple live bands) will fill your hands with throwable fruit and your bellies with beer, and generally turn Dick's Sporting Goods Park into a heaving mass of unclean people not seen there since the last time Phish played. Heads up, here come some tomato-fight fun facts

  • They're trucking in 300,000lbs of past-ripe Romas to ensure people are "literally knee-deep in tomatoes". Anyone trying to go balls-deep in tomatoes will be swiftly ejected.
  • No one's exactly sure how the original Tomatina battle (in the Spanish town of Bunol) got started back in the '40s, but one theory is that they were thrown as "a practical joke on a bad musician".
  • Unlike the traditional Bunol fight, Denver's allows you to be shirtless, so prepare for your dinner plates to become actual dinner plates.
  • The bulk of the battle usually lasts 30-45mins, though some people stay for hours and "do snow angels in the tomatoes".
  • The beer garden opens at noon (the battle's four hours later), and there'll be enough beer for 5000+ revelers, so yes, this is the perfect event.

Costumes are encouraged, by the way, and the bar's set pretty high (best of parties past include a plate of spaghetti & meatballs, gladiators, and even a bride in a pristine white dress), so make like the townspeople with undesirables, and lock yours down now.