Every August in the Spanish village of Buñol, the streets erupt in red during "La Tomatina," the world-famous tomato festival.
Participants eat some of the massive quantities of tomatoes hauled into the town square, but the real draw is hurling overripe, mushy tomatoes at one another in what amounts to an all-out water-gun battle with fruit. The village turns entirely red as music and revelry fill the air.
Unlike a water fight, a direct hit to the eye can cause injury, so participants wear goggles and water shoes.
That kind of tomato festival — long a fixture of global news coverage — now has a Korean counterpart in Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Province.
At the Hwacheon Tomato Festival, throwing tomatoes at people is off the table. A direct hit from one of the large Daejeo tomatoes grown in Busan could cause real injury. What visitors do instead is smear their faces with tomatoes crushed underfoot — a form of tomato face painting.
Safety first, Korean style. Tossing a tomato straight up into the air is a common sight, much like graduates flinging their mortarboard caps at a commencement ceremony.
The 2026 Hwacheon Tomato Festival opens Friday. This year's edition has been significantly expanded in both duration and venue. Organized by Hwacheon-gun and run by the festival's steering committee, the event runs through Aug. 9 — stretching from the usual three days to a full 10.
The venue has also moved, from the cultural village in Sachang-ri, Sanae-myeon, to the grounds of Sanae Sports Park, easing parking congestion and giving visitors a more comfortable setting. The larger open space is expected to make for a more dynamic festival atmosphere.
Koreans tend to take a gentler approach than the famously passionate Spanish, and the festival reflects that — activities beyond tomatoes keep things relatively tame. A wading and water-play area has been set up along a valley stream adjacent to Sanae Sports Park.
Now in its 22nd year, the Hwacheon Tomato Festival is organized around six themed zones.
The performance zone will feature concerts by a military band, local artists and entertainers.
The events zone will host the festival's signature attraction — a gold-ring hunt — along with live public-broadcaster shopping segments and recreational activities running back to back throughout the day.
The gold-ring hunt involves about 44 tons of discarded tomatoes with a total of 36 don of gold rings hidden within them.
The water zone will offer a sliding pool, a water party and a water-gun playground.
The experience zone features balloon art, tomato face painting, emergency safety demonstrations, a Santa post office and a sheep farm experience. Throwing tomatoes at other people is not on the program — though a few friends might sneak in a playful toss on their own.
The market and promotion zone will house stalls selling Hwacheon agricultural products, an Ottogi promotional pavilion and a food court, while the military zone will run large military equipment displays and a shooting experience program.
Hwacheon-gun Mayor Kim Se-hun said the county is making thorough preparations "so that the festival can be held as a mutually beneficial celebration that everyone can enjoy — tourists, farmers, small-business owners, companies and soldiers alike."
The 2026 Hwacheon Tomato Festival is sponsored by the Hwacheon Hwaksan Tomato Agricultural Cooperative, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Gangwon Province, Ottogi and Public Home Shopping, with support from the NH Nonghyup Hwacheon-gun branch and Hwacheon Nonghyup.
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