Rising Nightly🎉Odd Celebrations

La Tomatina (Spain) 

Held annually in the town of Buñol, Spain, La Tomatina is one of the world’s messiest festivals. Thousands of participants gather to hurl overripe tomatoes at each other in a massive food fight that leaves the streets drenched in red. What started as a playful street brawl in 1945 has turned into a beloved event that attracts visitors from all over the globe. The tomato fight lasts exactly one hour, and after the chaos, fire trucks hose down the streets, which are surprisingly clean afterward due to the acidity in the tomatoes acting as a natural disinfectant.

The Monkey Buffet Festival (Thailand)

In Lopburi, Thailand, monkeys are treated like royalty during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival. Locals prepare an elaborate spread of fruits, vegetables, and sweets to feed the city’s monkey population.

This quirky event, held at the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple, is believed to bring good fortune to the community, while giving tourists a chance to witness some truly mischievous behavior from the monkeys.

The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Festival (UK)

Atop Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, England, brave participants hurl themselves down a steep incline, chasing a nine-pound wheel of cheese. The first one to cross the finish line at the bottom wins the coveted cheese, but not without some bumps and bruises along the way.

This chaotic and dangerous tradition dates back hundreds of years and continues to draw thrill-seekers from around the world.

Wife Carrying Championship (Finland)

Finland’s Wife Carrying Championship is both an athletic event and a spectacle of teamwork. In this race, men carry their wives (or partners) over a 253.5-meter (832 foot) obstacle course, competing for the grand prize: the wife’s weight in beer.

The tradition dates back to the 19th century and has inspired similar events in other countries, all in good fun.

Battle of the Oranges (Italy)

Italy’s Ivrea Carnival hosts a unique event: the Battle of the Oranges. During this festival, townspeople split into teams and hurl oranges at each other in a reenactment of a historic rebellion.

With more than 500,000 kilograms (1.1 million pounds) of oranges involved, the streets turn into a citrus battlefield. It’s all in the spirit of commemorating a fight for freedom, but expect to leave sticky!

Frozen Dead Guy Days (USA)

Nederland, Colorado, is home to one of the most unusual celebrations in the U.S.—Frozen Dead Guy Days. The festival celebrates the cryogenically frozen body of a man stored in a shed outside town.

Events include coffin races, polar plunges, frozen turkey bowling, and a hearse parade. It’s a quirky way to embrace the cold and honor an unusual local story.

Hadaka Matsuri (Japan)

Known as the “Naked Festival,” Hadaka Matsuri in Japan sees thousands of men dressed in nothing but loincloths compete to grab a sacred object in the hopes of receiving good luck for the year.

This festival takes place in freezing temperatures, adding to the challenge. It’s a centuries-old tradition of purification, held at several shrines across Japan, with the most famous one being at Okayama.

Kanamara Matsuri (Japan)

The Kanamara Matsuri, or "Festival of the Steel Phallus," is a Shinto fertility festival held in Kawasaki, Japan. The celebration features parades of giant phallic-shaped floats and decorations, symbolizing fertility and protection against sexually transmitted infections.

It’s a lighthearted and joyful event that has gained international attention for its colorful and bold approach to raising awareness of sexual health.. 

Boryeong Mud Festival (South Korea)

Every summer, the coastal town of Boryeong, South Korea, invites visitors to get down and dirty at the Boryeong Mud Festival. Attendees flock to mud pits for wrestling, mud sliding, and even mud massages.

The event originally began as a way to promote the health benefits of Boryeong’s mineral-rich mud, but it has since grown into a lively, fun-filled extravaganza with live music and fireworks.

Today, the festival attracts more than 2 million visitors annually.

El Colacho (Spain)

Known as “The Baby Jumping Festival,” El Colacho is a 400-year-old tradition held in Castrillo de Murcia, Spain. During this bizarre event, men dressed as devils leap over rows of babies lying on mattresses in the street.

The ritual is believed to cleanse the babies of original sin and protect them from illness. It’s a curious blend of religious and cultural symbolism that continues to draw both locals and tourists.

Tunarama Festival (Australia)

Held in Port Lincoln, Australia, the Tunarama Festival is famous for its quirky tuna-tossing competition. Contestants compete to see who can throw a frozen tuna the farthest, paying tribute to the town’s tuna fishing industry.

Aside from the fish-throwing, the festival features seafood tastings, live entertainment, and parades, making it a fun and unique event for all ages.

The current world record for tuna tossing is an impressive 37.23 meters (122 feet), set in 1998.