This article discusses some of the weird food festivals around the world. Festivals are an excellent way to gather people together to commemorate practically any event.
While there are many different sorts of festivals, including music festivals, food festivals are among the most popular.
There are festivals for almost any type of food, including pizza, seafood, bacon, chocolate, and even fruits, and they take place worldwide.
Food festivals are a fantastic opportunity to experience the culture of a place. However, as these extravagant food festivals hint, some regional traditions are wilder than others.
Here are some of the weird food festivals around the world.
1. Herring Festival
You can go to the yearly Herring Festival if you go to Hvide Sande, Denmark. This festival, which also features the global herring fishing championship, honors the schools of herring that migrate to the Ringkobing fjord. You’re in luck if you like your herring fried, filleted, pickled, or baked into fish cakes.
Furthermore, you can learn how to pickle fried herring in classes or watch the pros work while you watch.
You can also enter the Herring Recipe of the Year competition, and kids can enroll in the Junior Fishing Contest or attend the Herring fishing school. If you dislike seafood, you might want to choose another restaurant.
2. Thorrablot
The Thorrablot celebration, which runs from January 23 to February 23, features traditional Icelandic fare such as pickled ram’s testicles, whale fat, sheep’s head, and rotten shark.
It is known as orrablót in Icelandic, a large feast honoring the Norse deity Thor that also features other traditional Icelandic foods like rye bread and smoked salmon.
3. Chinchilla Melon Festival
The festival only takes place every alternate year in Chinchilla, Australia. There are numerous meals, a melon chariot race, a celebrity melon eating competition, and even melon skiing to celebrate everything melon.
One of the fascinating features is the melon weigh-in to determine which local farmer can grow an enormous melon.
Even a free melon feast, beach party, concerts, and street procession are available for your enjoyment. This is a fantastic opportunity that you shouldn’t pass up. This is one of the weird food festivals in the world.
4. Giant Omelet Celebration
According to legend, Napoleon loved the omelet he had in Bessieres, France, so much that the following morning he gave the order to break every egg in the community to make a massive omelet for his troops.
Even now, Bessieres continues the custom by serving an omelet with 15,000 eggs, usually around Easter.
Furthermore, Abbeville, Louisiana, which celebrates with a 5,000-egg omelet in October, is one of many other places with a French background that hold their omelet festivals each year. This is one of the weird food festivals in the world.
5. Battle of the Oranges
For the Battle of the Oranges, inhabitants in the northern Italian city of Ivrea are divided into nine separate squads. Oranges are thrown at each other by men, women, and kids to “kill” the other teams.
The festival’s beginnings are unknown, although most people are familiar with the legend of the evil marquis who tried to rape a young woman but was instead beheaded by her.
The festival is claimed to represent the townspeople storming his palace in revolt after he passed away.
6. La Tomatina
La Tomatina may be the event for you if you enjoy having a good time and don’t mind getting messy. One of the most well-known festivals in Spain, this one is held in Bunol.
There are many tomato-based delicacies to sample, but the event’s main attraction is the most significant food fight in history, which uses over 100 tons of overripe tomatoes.
Furthermore, it will be possible for you to hurl tomatoes at uninvited guests while dodging and attempting to escape being struck yourself, somewhat resembling a large-scale game of dodgeball but using vivid red fruits instead of balls, interesting.
7. Cheese Curd Festival
Wisconsin’s Ellsworth, which calls itself the “cheese curd capital,” a festival celebrating the byproduct, is now held each June.
People can indulge in goodies like cheese curd brats and deep-fried curds as part of the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery’s celebration of all things cheese curd. A timed eating event is available for dedicated curd eaters, cheese curd pie, and dessert competitions.
8. Boston Local Food Fest
Boston, Massachusetts, is a fantastic destination, particularly if you want to sample some regional cuisine. In September, the Boston Local Food Fest examines how food gets to your plate.
Because most of us never actually meet the people who cultivate our food, the event showcases local farmers and provides you with the opportunity to interact with them.
The event is focused on healthy and locally produced cuisine, and there are many local exhibitors and food trucks to select from.
This festival has a slightly different vibe than the other, more party-like settings, but it might gain popularity with time. This is one of the weird food festivals.
9. Cheese Rolling Festival
At Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, England, spectators congregate every May to see a group of men pursue a sizable mound of cheese down a steep hill.
The slope is carefully searched for stones and other possibly hazardous materials that participants might hurt themselves on because it can be a dangerous activity. The cheese wheel belongs to the winner.
10. Taste of Charlotte
If you haven’t been there, you might not consider Charlotte, North Carolina, an incredible culinary city. This celebration is free and spans six city blocks. This is a coin-style event where you purchase your tokens with over 100 vendors in advance.
Furthermore, the festival features various kinds of food, including steak, barbeque, and much more, as well as the Best of the Taste Awards.
Even for children, there is a lot to see and do, as well as food demonstrations. Charlotte has lovely weather in June, and you’ll undoubtedly love trying everything. This is one of the weird food festivals.
11. Baltimore Seafood fest
Although most people associate Baltimore with crab cakes, the city is well-known for its love of seafood. In September, you can eat everything from crab to oysters to shrimp during the Baltimore Seafood Fest.
At Canton Waterfront Park, where the event is held, you can see Northwest Harbor. You can purchase specialized entry tickets with bonuses like a bucket of crabs.
You can get fish tacos, lobster rolls, and everything in between, thanks to the more than 30 local vendors and food trucks that will be there.
Additionally, there are regular live performances and cookery demos. This is one of the weird food festivals.
12. Night of the Radishes
The modest radish takes center stage at a cuisine and folk art event on December 23 in the Mexican city of Oaxaca, which may celebrate everything pumpkins on Halloween.
Locals use the root vegetable to create exquisite sculptures of animals, Jesus, and even Emiliano Zapato, a revolutionary hero from Mexico.
13. Waikiki Spam Jam
Hawaii residents celebrate their love of Hormel Foods’ canned beef at the Waikiki Spam Jam, a street festival. In Hawaii, you may find Spam in almost all supermarkets, convenience stores, eateries, and residences.
The occasion, complete with a Spam mascot, benefits the Foodbank and its initiatives to feed the hungry on the islands.
14. Sacramento Bacon Fest
Attending a complete event devoted to cured pork sounds sensible because almost everyone loves bacon. This week-long celebration elevates bacon to entirely new levels.
You may enjoy a bacon milkshake, bacon salad, bacon pizza, bacon ramen, bacon tater tots, and nearly everything else with bacon.
Craft beer pairs nicely with bacon, and more than 100 restaurants participate in this celebration by offering unique bacon dishes.
Additionally, there is live music, and festival visitors have come to love the hilarious Kevin Bacon Soundtrack Tribute Show throughout the years. Scheduling your trip to Sacramento around Bacon Fest is an excellent idea because Sacramento is a great destination.
15. Lemon Festival
Every year in Menton, France, there is a festival called Fête du Citron, where art installations made of oranges and lemons are displayed.
The exhibits, which have previously featured safari animals, scooters, and well-known places, draw about 160,000 visitors.
16. Wild food festival
The Wildfoods festival originated as a celebration of regional foods and flavors in the small New Zealand town of Hokitika in 1990. It features some of the most bizarre dishes worldwide, including fried grasshoppers, mountain oysters, cockroaches, and crocodile snacks. This is one of the weird food festivals in the world.
17. Golden Spurtle
The annual Golden Spurtle in Carrbridge, a community in the Cairngorms National Park, is devoted to the traditional breakfast fare because porridge is considered the epitome of Scottish cuisine.
The World Porridge-Making Championships, which are a component of the event, award the Golden Spurtle, a wooden stick traditionally used to stir the porridge pot, to the champion.
18. Ottawa Poutine Fest
If you like poutine, you should visit Ottawa, Canada, for this festival because it has just become fairly popular.
In its native country, it is celebrated yearly in May by tens of thousands of people who enjoy the mouthwatering combination of cheese curds, gravy, and fries.
Furthermore, you can go to nearby eateries that offer poutine in their unique ways, such as churro poutine, butter chicken poutine, or Pad Thai poutine.
If you can’t get enough, you may attend a poutine eating competition or take a course to learn how to make your own.
The event is kid-friendly and offers face painting, among other kid-friendly activities. This is one of the weird food festivals in the world.
19. San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival
Most food festivals have alcohol in every area. Thus some don’t make an effort to conceal it. San Diego hosts the Bay Wine and Food Festival every November.
San Diego is a fantastic destination in the first place. However, you may want to bring a jacket later in the year because it might become chilly.
This festival is particularly well-liked and draws wineries, brewers, and chefs from around the nation. There are lots of delectable foods and beverages available, and the daytime weather should be lovely with lots of sunshine.
20. Nugget Rib Cook-Off
This festival takes place in Sparks, Nevada, around the conclusion of the summer. This is the place for you if you enjoy ribs and BBQ.
For the enjoyment of the hundreds of thousands of visitors, about 25,000 pounds of ribs will be barbecued. Also, it claims to be the biggest and best free barbeque festival in the country.
Furthermore, Chicken nuggets may be present, but the Nugget Casino Resort is where the name originated.
Numerous other activities are available, such as a concert series featuring national performers like Mark McGrath and 10,000 Maniacs.
21. Taste of Dallas
Texas’s Dallas is a fantastic place for foodies. For more than 30 years, Taste of Dallas has hosted an annual festival. Look for the Backyard Bites section for mouthwatering barbecue, craft beer, burgers, and lawn games to keep you engaged.
Don’t forget the Taste Curbside area with food trucks, and visit the Fuel area if you like to eat healthily.
You may attend the Foodie Experience for a little more money, including unlimited tastings from more than 30 chefs, restaurants, and drinks, so acquire your ticket early. This is one of the weird food festivals available.
22. Hawaii Food and Wine Festivals
Although most people don’t need an excellent reason to visit Hawaii, if you do, the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival might be it.
In September, Honolulu will host this event. Two James Beard Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, created it.
Furthermore, It lasts four days and includes several eminent chefs, wine and spirit producers, and culinary figures. You can attend the event, indulge in delectable cuisine and beverages, and yet take in Hawaii’s breathtaking natural splendor.
Since many people are unfamiliar with Hawaiian cuisine, this is a terrific opportunity to sample a variety of meals. This is one of the best weird food festivals.
23. Watercress Festival
On the third Sunday in May, the residents of Alresford, in southern England, hold a festival to honor the versatile aquatic herb used in traditional English cooking in soups, salads, and sauces.
It takes place in the village’s center and transforms into a street festival where local farmers sell their wares and famous chefs prepare unique feasts.
Recipes for the festival include watercress sushi rolls, beef Wellington in watercress, beetroot, apple, and fish with watercress. This is one of the best weird food festivals.
24. Garlic Festival
The pungent onion-family bulb is the star of the Isle of Wight’s Garlic Festival, as its name would imply. Garlic fudge, garlic biscuits, and garlic popcorn are just a few of the festival’s garlic-based goodies made by the island’s chefs.
Along with living entertainment, craft booths, local cheeses, meats, honey, wine, and cider, there is also a beer tent where you can wash down the garlic goodies. The Garlic Queen will even pose for a photo with you. This is one of the weird food festivals.
25. New Orleans Wine and Food Experience
To enjoy local culture and festivities, travel to New Orleans, Louisiana. The Wine and Food Experience, which marked its 26th year in 2018, is one of the most well-known festivals.
This festival is fun and delicious, plus it has raised more than $1 million over the years for several New Orleans nonprofit groups.
There are some outstanding national and international wines and some fantastic local chefs. You may experience everything that the renowned and historic city of New Orleans has to offer without ever getting bored there.
26. Taste of Vail
Travelers love the small-town charm of Vail, Colorado, and the fantastic skiing and snowboarding spots there. Many top regional chefs participate in this festival, which is held annually.
For this festival, winemakers and vineyard owners from across the nation congregate in Vail. Keep an eye out because some famous people might try to blend in.
Find a charming lodge to stay at, then take in the cool, fresh air while enjoying some excellent regional cuisine and delicious wine. This celebration usually occurs on the first day of autumn.
27. NYC Wine and Food Festival
Another fantastic site for a food festival is New York City, where there is a ton to see and do in addition to taking in the festivities.
This festival supports the nonprofit Share Out Strength and the NYC Food Bank. Thus it serves a worthwhile purpose.
Furthermore, you’ll get to witness some celebrity chefs and well-known figures in the culinary world because it takes place every year.
You should schedule some time to spend here, but also leave yourself plenty of time to take in the city’s other attractions, which are so lovely that they gave it two names.
28. International Alba White Truffle Fair
To sample one of the renowned white truffles produced in Piedmontese, a small, tranquil village in Alba, Italy, hundreds of tourists travel there.
At the White Truffle Fair, which runs from the beginning to mid-November, the flavorful ingredient takes center stage in both savory and sweet dishes.
Only the most prominent figures in the food industry are permitted to attend the truffle auction that concludes the expo. This is one of the weird food festivals.
29. Sacramento Bacon Fest
The idea of this event, where you can get anything from bacon fair floss to bacon ramen and bacon gelato, will salivate bacon fans worldwide. The smell of bacon is unavoidable since chefs prepare the meat from hogs fed naturally outside on the street.
30. Taste of Chicago
American cuisine from Chicago has spread all around the country, but the finest location to eat it is where it originated.
Every year, more than two million people attend this festival, which is advertised as the biggest food festival in the world.
Furthermore, you may discover all the typical fare, such as Chicago dogs, Chicago-style pizza, and other local delicacies you might not be aware of.
Keep room for dessert, including the renowned Eli’s Cheesecake. Also, this festival takes place every year in July when Chicago is at its best.
If you’ve never been, check out some of the attractions in the Chicago region. This is one of the weird food festivals.
31. Pizzafest
One of the most consumed dishes worldwide, pizza is available in various styles and flavors. This week-long annual cuisine festival takes place in Naples, Italy, in September.
If all you’ve ever had is American pies, you’re in for a huge treat if you go to Italy to celebrate pizza. There will be enough pizza to eat, but it will be worth it for the entertainment and instruction.
Furthermore, you can attend a pizza-making workshop in addition to the World Pizza-Making Championship.
Try a slice of Neapolitan, marinara, or Margherita pizza, among other varieties. This is one of the weird food festivals.
32. Dumpling Festival
Chinese families enjoy zongzi dumplings as part of the Dumpling Festival, a public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, which occurs on the fifth Chinese lunar month fifth day.
The dumplings are glutinous rice and fillings wrapped with banana, bamboo, or lotus leaves. The dragon boat race, which has its international federation and is currently the most spectacular event during the festival, is held.
33. Pahiyas Festival
Every May, residents of the town of Lucban celebrate the Pahiyas Festival to thank Saint Isidro de Labrador, the farmer’s patron saint, for a bumper crop.
Residents compete to out-decorate their neighbors’ homes during the celebration, which celebrates all the food harvested in the area. Every available square inch of people’s homes is covered in colorful fruit.
Fruits and vegetables, sausages, and milled rice flour that has been brightly colored and cooked on banana leaves are all used as decorations. This is one of the weird food festivals.
34. Scottish Fish and Chips Festival
Although the name suggests that it takes place in Scotland, this festival is hosted in Barga, Tuscany. A three-week midsummer celebration of one of the most un-Italian foods is the Scottish Fish and Chips Festival.
You can find its origins in Barga’s ties to Scotland, where several Italian immigrants gathered during World War One. Traditional fish and chips are presented with tomato salsa and a glass of Chianti.
