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MORE JAW-DROPPING: Incredible, weird and wonderful festivals of the world

By Frances Doherty on April 10, 2016 in Culture

Get off the beach and go further afield to uncover some of the world's most jaw-dropping spectacles.

The running of the bulls in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain

San Fermin Fiesta In Pamplona

Visit Pamplona in early July for the most famous Spanish fiesta, San Fermín, the running of the bulls, and prepare for an eye-opening spectacle! Immerse yourself in the splendour of fireworks, local flavours, peculiar folklore and general merriness. Prepare to feel goosebumps as adrenalin and excitement fill the air right before the bulls are set loose at 8am every morning. Discover all the ‘behind-the scenes’ activities you won't see on TV or in a travel brochure. Or, if you dare, take part for a real test of your physical fitness, stamina, and nerves! With the sound of bulls’ hooves clattering behind you, how fast can you run?

Phuket vegetarian festival, Thailand

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Don't be misled by the name, the Phuket vegetarian festival is less about eating tofu and more about the firecrackers, warm glow of colours, and some seriously extreme piercings! Magical processions will excite your senses. You might even see someone walking on burning charcoal or lost in a deep and mystical trance! Whatever sights meet your eyes, you can be sure you’ll be taking them in at one of the most magical events in the world. If you do like your tofu, you'll find it on every street corner, and in just about every shape and colour you can imagine. Dig in!

Notting Hill Carnival, London, UK

2011, Notting Hill Carnival

The Notting Hill Carnival in London was once a modest celebration of the Trinidadian community and culture in the UK, and attended by about 500 people. Now, it’s the most spellbinding celebration of diversity, sound and colour in Europe. Numerous communities take part in the fun of this extraordinary event. Nobody will feel out of place—even the police join in the fun occasionally! Don't just stand by and watch, treat your taste buds the flavours of the excellent street food while tuning in to the drifting rhythm of the music. Hosted by the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Notting Hill Carnival is the place to be for the most vibrant and spectacular processions, funky beats, and some truly breathtaking costumes.

Air Guitar World Championships, Finland

Air Guitar World Championship

Based on the ideology that wars would end, climate change stop and all bad things disappear if all the people in the world played Air Guitar, this crazy festival is now in its 21st year! The championship promotes world peace with the annual event attracting entrants from across the globe, who descend upon the Helsinki for a weekend of unadulterated rock and roll without any instruments.

Day of the Dead Festival, Mexico

Day of the dead

This traditional Mexican holiday celebrates the lives of those who have passed away while seeking to help their spiritual journey. Celebrated throughout Mexico and the USA, the multi-day festival shares a lot of visual similarities with Halloween with people adopting ghoulish dress and make up rituals. Celebrations for this quirky festival are thought to have been happening for around 3,000 years! In 2008 “Dia de los Muerto” was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Burning Man, USA

Burning Man

For a week in September tens of thousands of people descend upon this Nevada desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever.  At its core the organisers want the event to be, “unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transaction or advertising.” More a way of life than a festival, Burning Man is built around principles that include the acts of gifting, radical self-reliance and of course, a communal effort.

 

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