Top 10 Stupidest Events In The World

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the ten most strange and bizarre events around the world that are definitely worth adding to your travel bucket list.

#10: The Darwin Beer Can Regatta

Australia

This annual event is a testament to Australians’ ingenuity, resourcefulness, and alcohol tolerance. Held in Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, participants in the Beer Can Regatta compete in various water races throughout the day. Their vessels are entirely homemade and crafted using recycled materials like milk cartons, bottles, and of course, beer cans. The tradition began in 1974, when the first regatta was held in an effort to clean up some of the beer cans commonly littered around the beach. Creative and eco-friendly, this is a popular event that draws crowds of locals and tourists alike.

#9: The World Egg Throwing Championship

England

In Swaton, England, Egg Throwing is more than just an Easter-related pastime, it’s a tradition that dates back 700 years. The origins of this annual festival date back to the 14th century, when the monks of Swaton’s riverside church would give out eggs to parishioners. When flooding prevented the villagers from crossing the river, the monks would simply toss the eggs across the high waters and into eager hands. Swaton residents honor this tradition through events like the annual egg toss, as well as the egg relay, egg trebuchet, and Russian egg roulette. This tradition has its own moral code too, as all eggs are ethically sourced from free-range chickens.

#8: Carnival of Ivrea

Italy

In Northern Italy, an annual battle reenactment takes over the streets of Ivrea during the days leading up to the beginning of Lent. The event commemorates the city’s fight against a tyrant ruler in the 12th or 13th century, but their choice of ammunition for the battle is less than historically accurate. Split into two teams, the reenactors hurl oranges at one another, representing either the commoners on foot or the tyrant’s ranks in carts. It’s the largest food fight in Italy, and draws in eager participants from around the world every year.

#7: International Hair Freezing Contest

Canada

This is one event you might be better off catching the televised version of, unless you can handle seriously frosty temperatures. At a hot springs resort in Yukon, participants sculpt their wet hair into elaborate structures that freeze solid in the frigid February air. The results are simultaneously fun and striking, resembling polar glaciers balanced perfectly atop rosy-cheeked smiling faces. After the final sculpture is photographed, participants are judged and winners announced in the springtime, after they’ve hopefully thawed out. Held annually since 2011, the competition awards prize money for winners in all categories, and is even sponsored by Tim Horton’s.

#6: Emma Crawford Coffin Race

Colorado, USA

This Manitou Springs tradition has a heartwarming, if a bit morbid, backstory that honors a young musician who died of tuberculosis in 1891. Emma Crawford’s wish was to be buried at the top of a local mountain, but heavy rains disturbed her resting place and brought her coffin sliding down the mountainside. Today, residents of Manitou Springs craft custom racing coffins with their own Emma Crawford riding inside, and race her along a similar route her coffin slid down all those years ago. Though Crawford’s remains have been returned to the mountain’s summit, it’s said she still haunts the town of Manitou Springs today.

#5: Air Guitar World Championship

Finland

Since 1996, the town of Oulu, Finland has hosted the best of the best in mock rock. Participants brave the stage and give it their all with completely invisible instruments. Judges rank their favorites based on creativity, showmanship, and energy. No musical talent required, just vibes. The event began as an effort to promote world peace, as the organizers believe that "wars will end, climate change will stop and all bad things will vanish when all the people in the world play the air guitar." Lofty goals, yes, but this event seems like a harmless and fun way to put some extra positive energy out into the world. And the grand prize? A custom guitar made of, presumably, not air.

#4: Running of the Bulls

Spain

You’ve probably heard of this world famous event, held in Pamplona, Spain. Every July, six bulls are released into the streets to chase thrill-seeking participants from around the world. Many more gather behind tall wooden fences to watch the spectacle unfold, observing the chaos and excitement. This event, though popular, is not without controversy. Participation is risky, 50 to 100 injuries occur every year. In the hundred years since records on the matter began to be kept, 15 participants have even been killed. Many animal rights activists oppose the event, citing the harassment and stress the animals endure as cruel and unnecessary. Still, the event is a massive draw for tourists annually, largely due to the event’s depiction in popular books, films, and television.

#3: Naki Sumo

Japan

Also known as the Crying Baby Festival, this annual event has been held throughout Japan for hundreds of years. Commonly held around Children’s Day on May 5, the event involves sumo wrestlers competing to make an infant cry the fastest. The tradition is said to bring good health and fortune to the participating infants, and is also rooted in a belief that the cries of a baby are said to ward off evil spirits. While allegedly all done in the name of a long, healthy life for each child, there’s no way these babies are having a good time. Most participants in these festivities are Japanese, though the tradition has also drawn some foreign interest as well.

#2: El Colacho

Spain

If you visit the small Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia during the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, you’ll see a centuries old tradition that is wholly unique. Each year, babies are laid on mattresses in the street as men dressed in bright yellow and red devil costumes jump over them. This tradition originated in 1620, but no one knows exactly how or why. The ritual acts as a blessing for the babies, cleansing them of their Original Sin and ensuring lifelong health and happiness. We think it must be unnerving for the babies, who presumably have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

#1: Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

England

The videos that come out of this annual festival are unbelievably Gouda. Well, Gloucester, actually. Held near the birthplace of the world famous semi-hard crumbly cheese, the cheese roll takes place every spring and draws thousands of spectators. Onlookers watch as a roughly seven pound wheel of Double Gloucester is rolled down a steep hill, pursued by dozens of running, tumbling, and falling participants. Whoever catches the cheese or crosses the finish line first is declared the winner. Their prize is the cheese wheel itself, plus international glory and a year’s worth of bragging rights. The tradition is estimated to be at least six hundred years old, although the event has grown significantly in recent years with the advent of social media.

Would you participate in any of these strange events? Let us know in the comments!