( CNN ) -- There is something innately messy about summer . The air 's more pungent , bodies are stickier , and people seem more willing to make a mess . That must be why some of the world 's filthiest festivals bide their time until the warmer months . Mud pack . Glastonbury , which culminated Sunday , is the world 's biggest music festival . But it 's almost as renowned for its mud-splattered setting as it is the music -- indeed the festival is even credited with the invention of `` mud surfing '' . Rain boots are de rigueur for the event 's 150,000 attendees , thanks in part to the U.K. 's typically soggy weather . This year was no different , with revelers arriving undeterred by the pouring rain . `` Sometimes , you 'll see a fairly innocuous-looking shortcut between some tents that no one else seems to be using , '' recalls Rebecca Milford , a Glastonbury veteran . `` You get halfway in only to discover it 's actually a three-foot-deep mud hole . I was stuck for 30 minutes before some kind soul decided to pull me free . '' iReport : Send us your best fireworks shots . While celebrating muck is only incidental at Glastonbury , at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea , sludge is the main event . The festival started in 1998 , when a local cosmetics company started making products using Boryeong mud -- which is highly regarded for its high mineral content . They launched the festival as a marketing initiative . It has since become one of the main events on the South Korean calendar , with over 2.6 million visitors attending last year . This year , festivities start July 19 . Prospective attendees can expect the usual mix of messy attractions , namely , mud fights , mud slides , mud baths , mud wrestling and a mud marathon . Food fights . La Tomatina is perhaps the most famous gastronomy-themed gathering , though the celebrated produce in question ( tomatoes ) gets thrown , not eaten . Last year , 45,000 revelers joined the red riot in Buñol , Spain . Though the event has become increasingly well-known , veterans say there 's no preparing for the juicy onslaught . `` People start partying in the street and building themselves up into a frenzy . Then the trucks roll out and a mass of red shoots into the air . Next thing you know , you 're diving in there and face-washing strangers with tomatoes , '' says Corey Kirkham , a guide with Top Deck Travel , which annually offers tours of the festival . Over 150,000 tomatoes get chucked during La Tomatina , and Kirkham says that a shower is n't always sufficient in washing away the remnants of the event . `` The next day you 're finding tomatoes everywhere , and still cleaning stuff out of various parts . '' This year 's event is slated for August 28 , though for the first time there will be a limit on the number of participants . Only 20,000 will be allowed in , and those attending will need to procure tickets beforehand . Still , there are several other , less-known festivals dedicated to the art of food-throwing . On June 29 , thousands of winos gather in Haro , Spain , a small town in the Rioja region , to drench each other in reserve stocks of the area 's signature vino . The event is known as La Batalla del Vino , or the Wine Fight . According to the organizers , the festival dates back to the 13th century , and started as a land dispute that ended in some upended wine . To commemorate that first battle , attendees come armed with buckets , water pistols , wine skins , and various other receptacles to get things flowing . Toby Paramor has been organizing tours through Stoke Travel for four years . He notes that clean-up is n't always straight forward . `` You smell like wine for days , '' he says . Any clothes you bring to the event will be stained eggplant by the end , so it 's best to consider anything worn on the day disposable . Body of work . Sometimes , mess is merely the byproduct of a spectacular work of art . That 's doubly true when bodies are used in place of a canvas , as is the case at the World Bodypainting Festival in Pörtschach , Austria . The event , which kicked off July 1 , started as a small gathering 16 years ago with 20 artists showcasing their work . Today , 30,000 people attend yearly . Festival organizer Denise Molzbichler says the artwork has become more sophisticated , pulling in professional makeup artists from around the world . Models are n't merely painted ( often with a sponge of airbrush ) , but bedazzled , sculpted and adorned with elaborate headpieces . Prosthetics are also commonly used in crafting the type of fantastical characters usually reserved for a sci-fi epic . One of Molzbichler 's favorite examples , she says , was when an artist painted three separate models and posed them to look like a motorcycle . `` It was fascinating , because you could n't recognize where the people began and ended . All you saw was the motorcycle , '' she recalls . Several bands play throughout the festival , though the art is definitely the key component . Molzbichler says she hopes the festival will help redefine how people view the practice . `` We want people to understand that body painting is an art form . It 's not just about coloring in some bodies , '' she says .
Glastonbury , the world 's biggest music festival , is credited with inventing `` mud surfing '' La Tomatina is probably the best known food-themed gathering . This year , the event will be limited to 20,000 participants , with tickets on sale in advance . The organizers say that they want it to be a celebration of all things Italian and local food - but also an opportunity for people from around the globe to come together.