"It's just like dodgeball, but it's messier:" Annual Tomato Romp is a hit!

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The tomatoes were flying on Milwaukee's east side on Saturday, September 13th. It was all part of the 8th annual Tomato Romp!

The fun started at 10 a.m. where East Side chefs prepared special small plate tomato dishes as part of the "Tomato Chomp" crawl.

Another big part of the day, the "best bloody mary competition."

Romp-goers could even take part in getting a taste of the offerings.

"It's just a really fun, laid back atmosphere, everyone's looking to have a good time, go bar to bar and taste all the bloody mary's," said Jessica Pillsbury, a bartender at replay.

What organizers say is one of the biggest draws, and something you won't see anywhere else is the tomato fight -- it kicked off at 4:00 p.m. today.

Many fans dressed up in costume and marched toward the cage-match style tomato throwing contest.

"It was intense, it was awesome, you really had to duck in a move. and when you got hit it was like getting in a fight, but it was awesome. It's just like dodgeball, but it's messier, and that's the part i love about it, all the goop is everywhere and you're just rollin' around in it," said tomato fighter, Jessica Gable.

Flying through the air, more than 8,000 pounds of rotten tomatoes!

While it might seem wasteful, none of the tomatoes were edible, and proceeds go to fight hunger.

Eight years ago, Milwaukee was the first city to host a tomato fight of this kind.