Being in a festival is like partying inside the psyche of culture while it dreams, where everything is set loose from its seemingly ordinary fetters and allowed to bathe in the boundless creative exuberance it holds. Indeed, festivals give you the excuse to indulge your wild, crazy side! Take advantage of this time of the year at any of these five utterly mad yet fun summer festivals.
Roswell UFO Festival, New Mexico
Wondering where to travel for an out-of-this world experience? Head over to Roswell, Mexico and take part in their extraterrestrial celebrations! Every summer, this week-long UFO fête starts with an alien-themed party followed by laser exhibitions, E.T. costume competitions, alien games and a massive UFO Festival Parade. No doubt, this event is one of the weirdest summer festivals in the planet and stems from Roswell’s UFO legend where it has been said that a few years back, aliens were spotted in one of their barren lots but intelligence agencies where immediately sent over to do a colossal cover up to avoid worldwide panic. Such story has drawn thousands of curious guests each year, wanting to experience what it’s like to be part of a bizarre galactic event.
Boryeong Mud Festival, South Korea
Have no idea where to travel for that ultimately muddy experience? Make your way to South Korea and join the Boryeong Mud Festival. Dubbed as one of the world’s weirdest summer festivals, this nine-day celebration is located at Daecheon Beach, where mineral-rich mudflats abound, making it an excellent spot for mudslides, rowdy wrestling challenges and therapeutic massages that are known to be beneficial for the skin and mood. Guests looking for more adrenaline-inducing activities can ski down tidal mudflats or go through several mud-covered obstacle courses, while others can dredge up their time with ceramic mud souvenirs. Make sure you dive into muddy fun as you reach the festive grounds or you’ll end up locked in a “mud prison”.
Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships, Finland
If you’ve always wanted to throw your cell phone, but never really had a valid reason to do so, joining the Mobile Phone Throwing contests might just be the event for you! These games are held around mid-August all over the world and culminated into a championship event in the stunning old city of Savonlinna, Finland. During this fun summer festival, contenders vie for a brand new mobile phone and are judged according to originality, distance and technique in the execution of their phone toss. This event is sponsored by cell phone recycling organizations and inadvertently, Finland is also home to Nokia, the popular mobile phone manufacturer.
Batalla del Vino, Spain
You know exactly where to travel in Spain if you want to join a Tomato Fight. But did you know that this beautiful country is also a battle field for Spanish wine? Splash your way to La Rioja, Spain during late June and you will see visitors and guest all dressed in white, armed with plastic and even full bottles of wines while wreaking havoc around the city. People taking part in this sticky celebration won’t stop until everyone is a lovely shade of purple! After the event, people head to the town centre and continue the celebration, this time with a huge banquet and more wine — to drink, of course.
