While you probably won’t find a city in America that doesn’t celebrate Independence Day in some form or another, you may not be aware of some of the other fun and bizarre summer celebrations that you’ll find around the world. If you feel like having fun at a unique and quirky summer festival, here are a few upcoming events you might want to mark on your calendar.
If you live in the U.S., you’re probably finalizing your plans for a 4th of July picnic, BBQ, or fireworks-watching fest this weekend. While you probably won’t find a city in America that doesn’t celebrate Independence Day in some form or another, you may not be aware of some of the other fun and bizarre summer celebrations that you’ll find around the world. If you feel like having fun at a unique and quirky summer festival, here are a few upcoming events you might want to mark on your calendar.
Woofstock is, quite simply, the world’s biggest party for dogs and their people. The no-admission outdoor festival takes place in Toronto’s St. Laurence Market, and features fun, games, food, fashion shows, music, talent shows, and other festivities for more than 140,000 dog-lovers and their furry friends. Unfortunately, this year’s Woofstock celebration has already come and gone—but we’re suckers for anything that involves dogs, and it’s never too early to start planning for next year! To learn more about this phenomenal gathering in honor of our best friends, visit their website.
Sure, you might enjoy a hint of garlic on your pizza or in your mother’s famous tomato sauce—but how about in your ice cream? We can’t say that we’ve ever tried it, but if we made it out to Northern California for the world-famous Gilroy Garlic Festival, we’d take a bite for sure. If you love garlic, or enjoy eating in general, Gilroy’s the place to be this summer from July 24th to 26th: the festival boasts tons of delicious food (yes, most including garlic); music; a children’s play area featuring face painting, arts ‘n crafts, and rides; and the famous Great Garlic Cook-Off, in which the greatest garlic-themed recipe of the year is announced. Vampires may want to steer clear of this one, but for the rest of us, this festival sounds like a stinking good time. Learn more (and find some unique garlic recipes) at their website.
If the thought of a giant red crustacean straight out of the pot makes you drool, then head on up to our neck of the woods for the annual Maine Lobster Festival, held from July 29th to August 2nd in the otherwise small town of Rockland, Maine. Apart from massive amounts of lobster meat, clams, and other assorted seafood, the festival features the bizarre Lobster Crate Race (in which contestants attempt to walk across a string of 50 lobster crates from one dock to another without falling into the icy-cold Atlantic); a seafood cooking contest; a parade down Main Street; a 10k run; music; and lots of fun activities for kids. Get the full scoop at their website. (Or, if the thought of eating a lobster makes you queasy, check out the late great David Foster Wallace’s emotive essay on the festival from Gourmet instead.)
Most communities honor a patron saint with prayers and tributes. But Madrid’s Vallecas district does things a little differently: Each July, they honor their patron saint, the Virgen del Carmen, with a full-on water fight, featuring a crowd of more than 5,000 festival-goers dressed up in pirate costumes, carrying hoses and buckets with the aim of drenching everyone in sight. The battle lasts for about four hours, until the sun’s gone down and everyone is good and soaked. Finally, the festival finishes off with an evening of dancing and celebration (after a change of clothes, of course). Find out more at Whatsonwhen.
Finally, if you get excited about extreme sports, here’s a new one for you. You might have tried DMX biking or bungee jumping—but we bet you’ve never thought of going mountain biking and snorkeling in a six-food deep peat bog. Every August, enthusiastic adventurers make the trek to Wales’ Llanwrtyd Wells, where they jump on mountain bikes that have been weighted down with water in the tires to ensure that they stick to the bog’s bottom. Participants wear snorkeling masks to ensure that they can breathe while they bike through the deep mud, and scuba diving experts are on hand to make sure that everyone remains safe. As if the single event isn’t challenging enough, the festival also offers a triathalon the following day, which is definitely not for the faint of heart.
“The event is one of the most unusual in the triathlon calendar and starts with a 12 mile run,” a spokesman told BBC News.
“It is followed by two lengths of the 60 yard peat bog trench and then a 25 mile mountain cycle. The event is open to individuals and relay teams.”
Any takers? Didn’t think so.