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The world's wackiest festivals
Rio Carnival Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America When: February 22-25 Rio de Janeiro is renowned for its wildly decadent atmosphere and many consider it the party capital of the world. Nearly 250,000 visitors flock to the city each year for the Rio Carnival, a wild four-day Considered a farewell to the pleasures of the flesh, the carnival concludes the day before the beginning of Lent. Music and dancing, especially the samba, are important parts of the celebration. The Samba Parade at the Sambadrome runs for two days and is considered by many the greatest show on earth. |
Burning Man Festival Black Rock Desert, Nevada, US When: August 31-September 7 The Burning Man is a week-long festival known for its radical self-expression of art, music and nudity. Nearly 50,000 people attended the festival last year at Black Rock City, as the Nevada town near Burning Man is known. The highlight of the event is the observation of the traditional torching of a 12 metre tall signature The festival began as a bonfire ritual, where a wooden man was burnt as a spontaneous act of self-expression. |
Baby Jumping Colacho Festival Castrillo de Murcia, Spain When: May One of the most dangerous festivals in the world is the baby jumping festival, otherwise known as El Colacho. Men dressed as devils leap over babies in an attempt to clean the infants of sin and guard against evil spirits. It has been celebrated in the town of Castrillo de Murcia since 1620, and marks the feast of Corpus Christi. |
Body Art Show Kiev, Ukraine When: February 2-3 Although it’s too late for 2009, keep the Body Art Show in mind for 2010 when artists and models will again compete for a variety of titles in Ukraine’s most promiscuous show. A huge number of tourists and locals are drawn to the event, only partly due to the number of nude models. |
Running of the Bulls San Fermin, Pamplona, Spain When: July 1-14 One of the most dangerous and exhilarating things you can do is run away from an angry bull. Spain’s Running of the Bulls Festival involves fleeing from six or so bulls that charge down some of San Fermin’s narrow streets during the nine-day Injuries are common, as participants are often trampled or gored, and many bulls are hurt as well. Nevertheless, the ceremony has a huge following. |
Wife Carrying Championships Singleton, NSW, Australia When: May 2 Lift your wife, or a female friend, onto your back and head to the Wife Carrying Championships in Singleton, NSW. Although preferred, you don’t have to be married to participate in the championship. All that’s required is for a man to carry a woman over a 250 metre obstacle course that includes hurdles, limbo bars, a water course and a sand trap. |
Balls of Fire Nejapa, El Salvador When: August 31, 2009 The people of Nejapa, El Salvador, deserve an award for celebrating what is probably the most dangerous throwing event on earth– the Balls of Fire Festival. Every year on August 31, locals gather to throw fireballs at each other. One story of festival’s origins is that it commemorates a huge volcanic eruption that occurred in 1917. A religious version is that "San Jeronimo" was fighting the Devil with Balls of fire. Youths paint their faces, soak balls of cloth in fuel, light them, and fight pitched battles with each other. |
Day Of The Dead Oaxaca city, Mexico When: November 1-2 Mexico’s Day of the Dead is a haunting two-day festival where relatives of the deceased hold ceremonies at their graves. Festivities begin a week beforehand with an elaborate initiation and preparation for the arrival of the dead. Festival traditions include the building of alters, creation of sugar skulls and the preparation of the favourite foods and beverages of the departed. Theatrical performances representing the return of the dead also take place in outlying villages. |
World Bog Snorkelling Championships Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales When: August 29 Have have some sympathy for competitors in the World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Britain’s smallest town, Llanwrtyd Wells. Decked out in snorkels and flippers, entrants need to complete two lengths of the course, a 60 metre-long peat bog. Entrants must glide through the thick waters without displaying any recognizable swimming strokes or swallowing any of the bog water. |
Viking Festival Catoira, Spain When: August Men dress up as Vikings to participate in Spain’s Viking festival, which is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of August. The festival re-enacts historic raids that the Vikings made on the area. Highlights include the disembarkment of Viking-dressed locals from an 11th century Viking ship, and the drenching of the combatants in wine. |
Wasserschlacht Battle Berlin, Germany When: July Berlin residents pelt each other with eggs, flour, water bombs, fruit and foam-rubber clubs and even dirty nappies in the Wasserschlacht battle, a rowdy event held annually on the first Sunday in July. Representatives of two battling neighbourhoods – Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg – meet on the Oberbaumbrücke bridge and throw objects at each other, trying to intimidate and push their opponents back to their side of the bridge. |
Oktoberfest Munich, Bavaria, Germany When: September 19-October 4, 2009 The Germans sure know how to party. The annual 16-day Oktoberfest in Munich involves lots of Bavarian beer served in huge tents, plus midway rides. It’s also the site of the world’s biggest folk festival, with some six million people attending each year. Proceedings start with a keg of Oktoberfest beer, tapped by the mayor of Munich. Local breweries serve the beer in a bierzelt, a beer tent that hold thousands of happy drinkers. |
Bun Snatching Cheung Chau, Hong Kong When: May 2 Competitors scale 14 metre-high towers studded with steamed buns during the "bun-snatching" event at the annual Bun festival on Hong Kong’s island of Cheung Chau. It is believed that the higher up the mountain the bun is, the better the fortune. The festival celebrates the area’s deliverance from famine. |
Battle of Oranges Ivrea, Italy When: February 15-17 The Battle of Oranges dates back to the Middle Ages when feudal Lords would hand out beans to the poor, who would throw them back as a gesture of disrespect. The tradition evolved when girls started to throw oranges from their balconies during the Mardi Gras carnival to attract the attention of boys they were interested in. |
Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw Oklahoma, Wisconsin When: August 29-30 In 1970, tossing cow chips (dried cow dung) became a sport as part of the Cimmarron Territory celebrations in Oklahoma, Wisc. Held every year on August 29 and 30, the activity has evolved to become the most anticipated event in town, where everyone loves tossing crap. |
Cheese Rolling Festival Gloucestershire, Britain When: May 25 One of Britain’s most bizarre challenges involves chasing a giant cheese down a steep slope. Competitors race for 200 metres down a hill, many of them falling, as they chase a wheel-shaped cheese. The celebration is rooted in a pagan festival celebrating the return of spring. |
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