From Gloucester's Cheese Rolling to France's Celebration Of The Pig: 7 Of The Best Weird Festivals

The world is a large and beautiful but often strange place, with a wealth of wacky traditions, celebrations and events taking place each year.

They can sound bonkers but joining in with the bizarre customs of a country is a fun way to immerse yourself into the culture, as well as just having a great time being a bit silly.

And young people are cottoning on, forgetting all about the Rio Carnival or Glastonbury, and heading instead to humbler corners of the world...Such as Cooper's Hill in Gloucester yesterday...

Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling – Gloucestershire, UK

Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling festival has taken place yearly since the fifteenth century. This race sees participants running down a super-steep Gloucestershire hillside, chasing a 7lb round of Double Gloucester cheese, which is said to reach speeds of up to 70mph. Whoever catches the cheese in each of the four races is declared the winner.

But this kooky festival is not without its hazards. The steepness of the hill often results in racers tumbling some 200 yards to the bottom. This year there were plenty of bruises and a handful of broken bones.

Despite the risks, the event is now becoming a world famous, drawing participants and onlookers from all corners of the globe.
When?: Late May Bank Holiday yearly
 
Travel Advice: Just half an hour from Cooper’s Hill, you can stay in cabin in the Forest of Dean, which is an ideal spot for exploring this beautiful green area.

But if you didn't make it to Gloucestershire this Bank Holiday Weekend, there are plenty more unusual festivals to try out around the world this year...

Annual Elvis Festival – Las Vegas, USA
 
If there’s one thing Las Vegas is famous for, it’s Elvis impersonators, and how better to celebrate the King of Rock than with a yearly festival? This three day thrust-a-thon features an Elvis Tribute Artist contest to determine who can best showcase the work of this iconic singer.

Attendees can also slip on their blue suede shoes to enjoy a huge Saturday night concert starring the very best Elvises.

Expect plenty of spangled, low cut one pieces and more Brylcreemed quiffs than you can shake your hips at. All this takes place in the centre of one of the world’s most extravagant cities, at the legendary LVH (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton), where Elvis himself performed and lived between 1969 and 1976.
When?: July 10th-13th 2014

Travel Advice: Stay at the LVH to remain close to the action. Flights take around 10 hours from the UK with Thomas Cook.

 
Pig Festival – Trie Sur Baïse, France
 
The French love pigs and pork so much they have given the curly-tailed creatures their own festival. Trie Sur Baïse, which was once the largest pig market in France, becomes a shrine to swine on the second Sunday in August each year with all kinds of pig-related activities, from piglet racing to eating competitions. This porcine party is an opportunity to taste a variety of pork goods and celebrate the humble pig in all its glory.

The true highlight of the day is the pig squealing championships, in which contestants imitate the sounds the creature makes at various stages of its life, from tiny piglet to fully grown hog, including pivotal moments such as birth, love making and dying.
When?: Second Sunday in August

Travel advice: CV Travel has local villas, which offers a range of accommodation options within a couple of hours of Trie Sur Baïse.

 
La Tomatina – Bunol, Spain
 
La Tomatina is one of Spain’s most famous festivals and also one of its craziest. Each year, the small town of Bunol in Spain explodes into juicy mush as the city’s residents and visitors hurl an estimated 150,000 tomatoes at each other.

To further secure its position as one of the world’s weirdest festivals, the fun begins with brave participants attempting to climb the ‘palo jamon’, a greased pole with a ham balanced on top. Once the ham is dropped from the pole, the massive tomato fight, which includes around 20,000 revellers, begins.

After the hour-long fruit flinging festival, locals and visitors alike take time to hose down the streets, leaving the tiny town sparkling clean.
When?: Last Wednesday of August

Travel advice: You can incorporate the festival into a Europe Tour with Contiki – they travel around several countries including Spain taking in the great sites around the continent.

 
SantaCon – New York City, USA
 
This yearly event sees hundreds of participants, dressed as Santa, Mrs. Clause, Rudolf and all manner of festive garb, bar crawling through the streets of New York City, spreading good cheer and raising money for charity organisations. Taking place since 1997, this year will be the event’s 17th, drawing ever bigger crowds and more elaborate costumes.

In recent years the sozzled Santas have received criticism for disorderly conduct, with locals claiming the participants are causing Christmassy chaos on the streets. However, last year’s SantaCon saw increased organisation with a number of ‘helper elves’ being placed along the route to control the carousing Kris Kringles and keep them on the straight and narrow.
When?: December – 2014 date TBC

Travel Advice: Stay centrally in the city so you don’t need to stagger too far in your festive best. YOTEL New York is conveniently located near Times Square and runs elaborate brunches for hair of the dog the next day.

 
Fasnacht Lantern Carnival – Basel, Switzerland
 
The 72 hour Basler Fasnacht Carnival in the city of Basel in Switzerland is a kooky, beautiful festival that is steeped in years of tradition. Celebrations start at 4am on Monday morning and continue through until 4am on Thursday, during which time piccolos, drums, loud marching bands, colourful costumes and intricate masks fill the streets.

Locals and visitors alike create lanterns like lamp shades, which they wear on their heads, each depicting satirical images of events that have caused a stir in the city over the past year. The parade of some 10,000 carnival participants on the Monday and Wednesday afternoons is both quirky and impressive and at night the city lights up with beautiful hand-made lanterns.

Throughout the event, groups of performers sing satirical songs about the past year in the city centre bars and restaurants, creating a lively, fun and celebratory atmosphere throughout the carnival.
When?: The week after Ash Wednesday

Travel Advice: Flights to Basel take just an hour and a half, making this an ideal short haul event for UK travellers.

 
Annual Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Race – Crested Butte, USA
 
Not for the faint-hearted, the Annual Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Race is as much fun to watch as it is challenging for its participants. Competitors don wacky costumes to climb the steep slopes of the snowy Crested Butte mountain resort before skiing 1,200 feet down difficult double-black diamond slopes. To make things even harder, they're strapped to Telemark skis, so only the toe of the foot is attached, allowing skiers to kneel as they turn.

Many of those taking part have never telemarked before, making for interesting viewing as the colourful competitors tumble down the slopes. Prizes are awarded for best times, best costumes and best fall so even those less experienced can be in with a chance of bagging an award.
When?: March 2015 (date TBC)

Travel Advice: Make a holiday of it and enjoy some skiing yourself. Ski Safari offers a range of holiday options in the Crested Butte area.