There’s nothing better than a festival to bring people together and put us all in a good mood. And it turns out there’s very little we won’t celebrate.
From wife-carrying in Finland (yes, you’ve read that right), to camel wrestling in Turkey, we’re bringing you some of the most weird and wonderful festivals from around the globe.
Check out seven of our favourites below.
1. The Amazing Roswell UFO Festival, New Mexico
If you’ve ever found yourself in pursuit of little green men, this is the place to go.
Every summer the city of Roswell invites UFO enthusiasts and sceptics alike to join in the celebration of one of the most debated incidents in history; Area 51. So if you harbour a fascination with all things supernatural, you’ll love this annual three day extravaganza. You can check out all of the extra terrestrial details here.
2. The Monkey Buffet Festival, Thailand
This festival does exactly what it says on the tin.
It’s a sumptuous buffet for monkeys. Held every November in Lopburi, Thailand (that’s about 150 kilometres northeast of Bangkok), the festival takes place in an ancient ruined Khmer temple called Pra Prang Sam Yot – home to the majority of the town’s 3,000 monkeys. Throughout the event the monkeys are treated with reverence and are even invited to attend their epic feast of fruits via invitations attached to cashew nuts.
3. Cheese-Rolling, Gloucestershire
Graters gonna grate. Ahem.
This annual festival involves grown up humans rolling down a hill in the English countryside after a 9lb round of Double Gloucester cheese. The first competitor to reach the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the prize. We camembert writing any more about this festival. You can feast your eyes on all the cheesy details here.
4. Wife-Carrying World Championships, Finland
Fancy a lift?
Even more unbelievable than the afore-mentioned cheese shenanigans, next on our list is the annual Wife-Carrying World Championships in Sonkajarvi, Finland. You’ll be delighted to hear that the National Wife-Carrying Championship takes places at the Sneem Family Fun Fair in Co. Kerry. It turns out that you don’t need to be married to your partner to enter, and in case you’re wondering, here are your carrying options; piggyback, fireman’s carry (over the shoulder) or Estonian-style, which involves the wife hanging upside-down with her legs around the husband’s shoulders, holding onto his waist.
Image via nbc.com
5. Camel Wrestling Championship, Turkey
Ever wanted to watch camels wrestling right before your very eyes? Of course you have.
Head to Turkey in January and you can experience just that. During the annual Camel Wrestling Championship in Selcuk, two bull camels are put with a female camel in heat nearby. The camels fight it out for the female, leaning on each other to push the other one to the ground. A camel can go about winning in three ways; by making the other camel retreat, scream or fall. Humph. We’re not sure about this one.
6. Irish Bog Snorkelling Championship, Co. Monaghan
Good day in the bog?
Snorkelling in a bog isn’t high on our bucket list, but to each their own. This sporting event (now in its seventh year in Ireland) involves competitors completing tow consecutive lengths of a water-filled trench cut through a bog in the shortest time possible. Bog standard, really.
Image via Facebook.com/bogsnorkelling
7. Moose Dropping Festival, Alaska
Because who doesn’t want to celebrate moose poo?
This wondrous festival can be traced back to 1972 when it was first pitched as an idea to attract tourist to the Alaskan town of Talkeetna. The locals venture into the forest, collect moose dopping, bake them in the oven and spray them with varnish. Activities include suspending moose ‘nuggets’ from a balloon and dropping them into a carpark as a raffle. Sounds pretty a-moo-sing to us.
