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The Strangest Festivals Around the World
The Strangest Festivals Around the World
Most of us travel to see historic landmarks, try new foods, or relax on a beach. But some people travel to watch adults roll down a near-vertical cliff after a wheel of cheese, or to get pelted by thousands of overripe tomatoes.
If your travel bucket list feels a little too normal, it is time to shake things up. Humans are wonderfully weird, and nothing proves that quite like our local celebrations. Pack clothes you do not mind ruining—here are three of the absolute strangest festivals around the globe.
1. Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling (Gloucestershire, England)
Every May, a quiet hill in the English countryside turns into a chaotic battleground. The concept is beautifully simple: a 9-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down a ridiculously steep hill, and a fraction of a second later, dozens of brave (or reckless) competitors chase after it.
Because the hill is practically a cliff, reaching speeds up to 70 mph, catching the cheese is physically impossible. Instead, the first person to tumble, bounce, or slide across the finish line at the bottom wins the race. The prize? You get to keep the cheese.
The Injury Toll: Local ambulance crews are always on high alert. Sprains, broken bones, and muddy bruises are the standard entry fee for glory here.
2. La Tomatina (Buñol, Spain)
If you have ever wanted to participate in a movie-style food fight, make your way to the small town of Buñol on the last Wednesday of August.
La Tomatina is officially the world’s biggest food fight. Trucks dump over 100 metric tons of overripe, squishy tomatoes into the streets, and for one glorious hour, thousands of people pelt each other until the town is literally swimming in red pulp. Goggles are highly recommended, and squeezing the tomatoes before throwing them is a mandatory rule to avoid knocking someone out!
3. Boryeong Mud Festival (Boryeong, South Korea)
Every July, millions of people flock to Daecheon Beach in South Korea not to swim in the ocean, but to get utterly covered in gray sludge.
Interestingly, this massive party actually started as a marketing stunt in the 1990s to promote local mud cosmetics (which are rich in skin-loving minerals). It was such a hit that it evolved into a massive summer blowout. Today, the festival grounds feature giant mud slides, mud wrestling pits, mud prisons, and live music. It turns out that acting like a toddler in a puddle is universally therapeutic.
