The U.S. has no shortage of wacky festivals that bring communities closer together and draw crowds from around the country. Here are 22 unheard of festivals you should add to your bucket list pronto.
Mothman Festival > Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Much like the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, Mothman is an urban legend. The story goes that the red-eyed, winged creature that foreshadows impending tragedies was first seen in the late 60’s in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. There are some big believers that live in this town and the festival draws people for costume contests, a “Miss Mothman” pageant, hay rides, and paranormal guest speakers.
Gilroy Garlic Festival > Gilroy, California
If you didn’t know that you can aspire to become the “Garlic Queen,” now you do. Every year, the town of Gilroy, the “Garlic Capital of the World,” holds one of the largest food festivals in the U.S. Chefs from all over the world come to show off their creations, like garlic-flavored ice cream. Festival-goers can also enjoy garlic-braiding workshops, live music, and a “Garli-Cue BBQ Challenge.”
Duck Tape Festival > Avon, Ohio
“There’s nothing you can’t do with a roll of duct tape” is the sentiment behind the self-proclaimed “Duck Tape Capital of the World.”
This three-day celebration encourages festival goers to get creative with the versatile product. There’s a Duck Tape Parade with giant floats, a fashion show with unique duct tape outfits, as well as rides, a vintage car show, and concerts every night. The festival is held on Father’s Day weekend every year.
Lebowski Fest > Louisville, Kentucky
There’s nothing more American than pop culture and fans of the cult classic The Big Lebowski gather every year to celebrate. Here, you’ll find a movie party with an outdoor screening of the film, a bowling party with unlimited bowling, a costume contest with dozens of Jeff Bridges look-alikes wearing bathrobes and drinking White Russians.
Underwater Music Festival > Florida Keys, Florida
The Underwater Music Festival is perhaps one of the most unique festivals on this list, as it’s located at the bottom of the ocean! The attraction is musicians dressed as mermaids and mermen who put on an underwater show for snorkelers and scuba divers. It’s a celebration of the world’s coral reefs by encouraging visitors to protect our reefs while enjoying the show. A local radio station broadcasts the concert and you’ll be sure to hear classics like “Yellow Submarine” and “The Little Mermaid.”
UFO Festival > Roswell, New Mexico
It’s no surprise to find a UFO Festival in the “UFO Capital of the World.” With alien-themed activities like a costume contest and parade, tours of the planetarium and the UFO crash site, a 5K run called the “Alien Chase,” and alien research speakers, you’ll think you’re on another planet.
Hollerin’ Heritage Festival > Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina
The nearly extinct means of communication, hollerin’, gets a revival at this annual festival that started way back in 1969. Before the telephone, people relied on hollerin’ for their long distance communication. As its website states, “Each year, we revive the ‘almost lost’ art of Hollerin’ and seek to preserve our distinct cultural, historical, and agricultural heritage.” The festival includes the National Hollerin’ Contest, a BBQ cook-off, and live music.
Lumberjack World Championship > Hayward, Wisconsin
Imagine hundreds of brawny men (and women) sporting flannel shirts, wielding saws, and climbing trees and you’ve got yourself a Lumberjack World Championship. This international competition draws lumberjacks (and jills) from all over the globe to participate in competitions like log rolling, speed pole climbing, boom running, chopping, sawing, and throwing.
The World Championship Running of the Tubs > Hot Springs, Arkansas
Every year, the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, shuts down the World Famous Bathhouse Row for the Running of the Tubs. Teams dress up in themes and decorate a claw foot tub to race to the finish line. The crowd participates by throwing water balloons and pelting the racing tubs with water guns to try to fill up their tubs before they cross the finish line.
The World Championship Punkin Chunkin > Bridgeville, Delaware
Every year, people gather in a wide-open field to launch pumpkins into the air by any means available. At this annual festival, you’ll watch pumpkins get launched via catapults, air cannons, or by sheer human will-power. The pumpkin launched the farthest wins!
San Fermin Festival > New Orleans, Louisiana
You’ve most likely heard of the “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona, Spain, where people try to outrace bulls as they sprint to the finish line down narrow streets without being mauled. The annual event in New Orleans is much tamer (sort of) and instead of bulls, festival goers are chased by roller derby girls, called RollerBulls, who try to whack you with a bat. Naturally, a New Orleans celebration begins and ends with a big party!
Humungus Fungus Festival > Crystal Falls, Michigan
In Crystal Falls, Michigan you can find one of the world’s oldest and largest living organisms—and it’s a fungus. It covers nearly 48 acres but is mostly underground except for some honey mushrooms that poke through the soil. It’s believed to be between 1,500 and 10,000 years old, so naturally, the “Humungus Fungus” festival was created to celebrate it.
The festival features parades, live music, cook-offs, games, and in the past has even featured a 10-foot by 10-foot pizza topped with fungus.
National Lentil Festival > Pullman, Washington
If you’re a lover of lentils, then you don’t want to miss this celebration in the region that produces the nations highest quality lentils. And what better way to celebrate the lentil than by eating them? The festival features cooking demonstrations, a cook-off, a 5K race, live music, the kid-friendly Lentil Land, a miniature golf tournament, the Tour de Lentil bike ride, and of course free samples from the world’s largest bowl of lentil chili.
Tarantula Awareness Festival > Coursegold, California
Most people would run screaming for the hills if they came across these giant creepy crawlies, but in Coursegold, the tarantula is celebrated! The festival started to honor the neighborhood tarantulas who come out of their burrows in the fall to find a mate, before hunkering down for winter, which signals cooling temps. They are an integral part of the ecosystem and are fairly harmless. Celebrate these 8 legged friends with a hairy leg contest, pumpkin decorating contest, a children’s tarantula race, and more.
Mooning of the Amtrak > Laguna Nigel, California
This festival started all because of a bet by some drunk people to moon the next train coming down the tracks. So now, every year people flock to Mugs Away Saloon in Laguna Nigel, Calif. for a booze-soaked Mardi Gras-like celebration with a wet T-shirt contest, street vendors, and lots of bare butts.
World of Faeries Festival > South Elgin, Illinois
What is considered to be a “celebration of the feminine spirit,” the World of Faeries Festival will transport you into a world of magic packed with mystical creatures. Bring your fairy wings and participate in storytelling, harp playing, compete for prizes, and enjoy fairy-themed food.
National Hobo Convention > Britt, Iowa
Come to the world’s largest gathering of traveling workers in America to honor vagabonds, rail-riders, and vagrants. Join in the festivities with hobo poetry, a hobo cemetery tour, a pudding-eating contest, cow chip-chucking contest (that’s cow poop), and toilet bowl races. There’s even a crowning of the Hobo King and Queen.
Broomcorn Festival > Arcola, Illinois
If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate broomcorn (that’s a type of corn, apparently), then come get your rocks off at the annual Broomcorn Festival in Illinois. Here, you’ll witness the infamous lawnmower drill team, the “Lawn Rangers,” who march in formation through the downtown parade pushing lawn mowers rigged up with brooms.
Washboard Music Festival > Logan, Ohio
Logan, Ohio is home to the Columbus Washboard Company, which is the only remaining washboard manufacturing company in the U.S. This celebration is a music festival that highlights the use of the washboard as a musical instrument. Come for the parade, huge lineup of musicians, arts and crafts vendors, and an antique tractor show.
Texas Sandfest > Port Aransas, Texas
Advanced sculptors from all over the country descend on the beaches of Port Aransas to shape masterpieces out of sand at the largest Native Sand Sculpture Competition in the U.S. You can enter the sand sculpting contest as an amateur, or just marvel at the amazing sand creations.
This three-day festival also boasts live music, a beer and wine garden, arts and crafts vendors, and more.
Frozen Dead Guy Days > Nederland, Colorado
It’s a little strange to celebrate a frozen corpse, but that’s exactly what this festival is all about. The story goes that a man’s recently departed grandfather was brought to the U.S. to be cryogenically frozen and was stored in the family’s shed. The body eventually decomposed and that’s how the festival began. Join in the festivities with a coffin race, parade of hearses, polar plunge, brain freeze contest, and a frozen beach volleyball contest.
The Dance Mile > Portland, Maine
Every year, the people of Portland, Maine, put on a huge dance party that lasts for a mile. People dress up in fun tutus and rainbow wigs and follow a DJ for a mile. At the end of the race, there’s a huge dance party. Grab your dancing shoes and boogie on up to Portland.
Rent the perfect RV today and go see some of these festivals for yourself!
