#14: Battle of the Oranges
This is the most organized food fight in the world, and it happens in Ivrea, Italy. The traditional orange-throwing sport is a three-day affair; nine tribes fight each other with oranges. The fights begin on Sundays and lead up to Fat Tuesday (also known as Shrove Tuesday), when people smack each other with 500,000 pounds of fruit, culminating at the end of the battle.
The origins go back to the 12th century when a skirmish occurred in Italy between a city tyrant who tried to assault a woman. In honor of that fruit fight, people replicate the same with the same enthusiasm and vigor. People get creative with the armor and protective gear to prevent the juices from getting to their eyes and burning. Although enthusiasm is now masked with fun and happiness, it was not the case in medieval times when it originally happened.