1. Spam Jam – Austin, Minnesota
Austin, Minnesota, embraces its title as the birthplace of Spam with a festival dedicated to the world’s most polarizing canned meat. The event attracts thousands of attendees eager to sample gourmet Spam dishes, from Spam sushi to Spam ice cream. Cooking competitions challenge chefs to transform the humble meat into high cuisine, while local artists craft Spam-themed sculptures out of actual cans.
The festival isn’t just about eating—it’s a full-fledged celebration of Spam’s quirky legacy. A Spam-themed parade marches through town, complete with costumed performers dressed as giant cans. There’s even a Spam-eating contest for those willing to test their endurance. Whether you love it or love to hate it, there’s no denying Spam Jam is a uniquely American experience.
2. UFO Festival – Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell’s extraterrestrial legacy takes center stage each year in a festival that’s as bizarre as the town’s infamous history. Thousands of visitors, some true believers and others just here for the spectacle, descend on the desert for an event packed with alien costume contests, spaceship parades, and abduction-themed photo ops. The streets are lined with vendors selling UFO-shaped everything, from cookies to T-shirts, while conspiracy theorists debate government cover-ups in lively panel discussions.
The festival also features live entertainment, from sci-fi-themed dance performances to space-age rock bands. Kids can participate in alien scavenger hunts, while adults test their trivia skills on all things extraterrestrial. Whether you’re convinced we’re not alone or just looking for an unforgettable weekend, Roswell offers the perfect setting for a celebration that’s truly out of this world.
3. International Hair Freezing Contest – Takhini Hot Springs, Yukon (close enough to Alaska!)
Technically Canadian but just a short hop from Alaska, this festival defies logic and embraces the absurd. Participants soak in steaming hot springs before emerging into subzero air, where their wet hair instantly freezes into gravity-defying sculptures. The goal? To create the most ridiculous, intricate frozen hairdo possible before snapping a photo for the competition.
With categories like “Best Group Freeze” and “Most Creative,” the contest encourages wild experimentation. Some entrants shape their hair into towering ice spikes, while others craft elaborate frozen beards. Once the photos are taken, everyone plunges back into the warmth of the springs. It’s part endurance challenge, part art show, and completely surreal.
4. Cow Chip Throwing Contest – Beaver, Oklahoma
What started as a practical joke on the frontier has become a time-honored tradition in Beaver, Oklahoma. Every year, locals and visitors gather to compete in a sport unlike any other: flinging dried cow patties as far as humanly possible. With a surprising amount of skill involved, serious competitors train to perfect their grip, stance, and release for maximum distance.
Once dried, the cow chips are odorless and remarkably aerodynamic—more frisbee than filth. The festival also features a parade, live music, and a cowboy poetry contest, embracing the town’s Western roots. In a world of high-tech entertainment, Beaver proves that sometimes, the simplest traditions are the most fun.
5. Turkey Testicle Festival – Huntley, Illinois
For those with adventurous taste buds, Huntley’s annual Turkey Testicle Festival is a deep-fried delight. Thousands of attendees gather for a lively event featuring beer, live rock bands, and baskets of—you guessed it—crispy turkey testicles. While the main dish might make some squeamish, many festivalgoers say it tastes surprisingly similar to chicken nuggets.
Beyond the food, the festival has an atmosphere of unfiltered small-town revelry. Costumed attendees dance to live music, and first-timers are ceremoniously inducted into the “brave eater” club. Whether you’re here to taste-test or just to soak in the eccentricity, Huntley serves up an unforgettable experience.
6. Underwater Music Festival – Looe Key Reef, Florida
Part music festival, part conservation effort, this underwater concert transforms a coral reef into a surreal, submerged stage. Divers and snorkelers float among schools of fish while musicians, dressed as mermaids and sea creatures, perform ocean-inspired tunes. The music is broadcast via underwater speakers, creating an ethereal experience for both human and marine listeners.
The festival promotes reef conservation, reminding attendees that the ocean is as fragile as it is beautiful. Between sets, visitors can explore the reef, participate in underwater clean-up efforts, and learn about marine preservation. It’s a festival like no other—where the audience swims, the stage breathes, and the music echoes beneath the waves.
7. Woolly Worm Festival – Banner Elk, North Carolina
According to Appalachian folklore, woolly bear caterpillars can predict winter’s severity based on their stripe patterns. Banner Elk fully embraces this legend with an annual festival where these fuzzy insects take center stage. The main event is the Woolly Worm Race, where caterpillars inch their way up a string, their progress cheered on by enthusiastic spectators.
Beyond the insect excitement, the festival features a parade, craft vendors, and plenty of regional food. Families flock to enjoy the autumn atmosphere, while meteorologists debate whether woolly worms are more accurate than modern forecasting. Science aside, it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and good old-fashioned fun.
8. Frozen Dead Guy Days – Nederland, Colorado
Few festivals can claim to honor a frozen corpse, but Nederland, Colorado, does just that. The town’s strangest tradition celebrates Bredo Morstoel, a man cryogenically frozen and stored in a backyard shed. The festival pays tribute with coffin races, where teams sprint through the streets pushing makeshift coffins in a bizarre test of speed and coordination.
Other icy-themed events include frozen turkey bowling, polar plunges, and a “Frozen Dead Guy” lookalike contest. The festival’s morbid humor is balanced with a genuine sense of community, proving that even the weirdest traditions can bring people together. It’s chilling, it’s hilarious, and it’s a weekend you won’t forget.
9. Testicle Festival – Deerfield, Michigan
If Huntley’s turkey testicle event isn’t daring enough, Deerfield’s Testicle Festival goes bigger—literally. This festival revolves around deep-fried bull testicles, a delicacy known as “Rocky Mountain Oysters.” Attendees line up for a taste, often pairing it with cold beer and live country music.
But the festival is more than just an unusual menu—it’s a full-fledged party. Cornhole tournaments, mechanical bull rides, and late-night dancing make this an event that’s as rowdy as it is bizarre. It may not be for the faint of heart, but it’s a uniquely Midwestern celebration of culinary bravery.
10. Tunarama Festival – Port Lincoln, Australia (close to Oregon’s Tuna Toss origin!)
While Oregon first pioneered tuna tossing, Port Lincoln, Australia, perfected the sport with its annual Tunarama Festival. Here, competitors hurl massive fish as far as they can, turning an oddball tradition into an unexpectedly athletic spectacle. The record throws are genuinely impressive, sometimes reaching distances over 100 feet.
Beyond the tuna toss, the festival celebrates the region’s fishing heritage with seafood cook-offs, boat races, and a lively parade. Spectators cheer as contestants take their best shot, proving that even the most unconventional sports can unite a town in laughter and friendly competition.
11. Voodoo Festival – St. Louis Cemetery, Louisiana
This annual event isn’t just a music festival—it’s a tribute to Louisiana’s rich voodoo culture. Hosted in New Orleans, the festival blends live performances with rituals, storytelling, and cultural exhibitions. Attendees can explore voodoo altars, watch traditional ceremonies, and learn about the city’s deep spiritual roots.
The mix of music, mystery, and folklore makes for an immersive experience. Whether drawn by curiosity or reverence, visitors leave with a deeper appreciation for the culture that shaped New Orleans. It’s a festival as haunting as it is unforgettable.
12. Humungus Fungus Fest – Crystal Falls, Michigan
Crystal Falls is home to one of the largest living organisms on Earth—a single fungus spanning 37 acres underground. Naturally, the town throws a festival in its honor, featuring mushroom-themed games, fungus foraging walks, and, of course, plenty of mushroom-based dishes.
The highlight is the mushroom cook-off, where chefs compete to create the best fungus-inspired dish. Whether you come for the science, the food, or just to say you partied with a giant mushroom, this festival proves that even fungi deserve a celebration.
