1. Roswell UFO Festival – Roswell, New Mexico, USA (July)
Beam us up, glitter aliens. Roswell goes full alien invasion with a weekend of out-of-this-world cosplay, alien parades, science panels, and enough tinfoil hats to disrupt satellite signals. It's part sci-fi, part street fair, and all kinds of weird.
2. The Wine Fight– La Rioja, Spain (June)
La Batalla del Vino kicks off with a procession to a mountain-top chapel and ends in a full-blown wine fight where locals and tourists soak each other in gallons of red wine. Why you’d want to toss wine somewhere other than down your throat is beyond me, but to each their own.
3. La Tomatina – Buñol, Spain (August)
Spain really loves their food fights! 20,000 people. One hour. 150,000 tomatoes. Zero chance of staying clean. Thousands gather in the streets to launch overripe tomatoes at each other. It's slippery, it’s saucy, and it’s the messiest therapy session you’ll ever sign up for.
4. Bolas de Fuego – Nejapa, El Salvador (August)
Throwing tomatoes too tame for you? Then maybe hurling fireballs is more up your alley. Held annually to commemorate a volcanic eruption in 1658, this fiery festival takes “playing with fire” to a whole new level. Participants wear gloves, soak rags in kerosene, light them up, and throw literal fireballs at each other in the streets.
5. Air Guitar World Championships – Oulu, Finland (August)
If you’ve ever shredded a solo on an invisible Stratocaster (who amongst us hasn’t?), this is your time to shine. Contestants mime their way to rock legend status under one guiding belief: if everyone played air guitar, all bad things in the world would vanish. It doesn’t get any groovier than that, man.
6. Running of the Nudes – Pamplona, Spain (July)
Held just before the infamous Running of the Bulls, this cheeky (pun intended) event is where advocacy meets exhibitionism. Featuring animal rights activists and a few brave tourists streaking through the streets in protest of bullfighting. Some wear strategic body paint, others go all in, opting for full-blown birthday suit.
7. Wife Carrying World Championships – Sonkajarvi, Finland (July)
This bizarrely athletic competition involves men racing through a brutal obstacle course while carrying their partners piggyback, fireman-style, or the oddly popular “Estonian carry” (upside-down with legs over the shoulders). The winning prize? The wife’s weight in beer. Couples therapy not included.
8. World Toe Wrestling Championships – Wetton, Staffordshire, UK (June)
Started in the '70s by a group of Brits determined to invent their own sport, this toe-to-toe showdown is exactly what it sounds like. Contestants lock toes and try to pin their opponent’s foot for three rounds of gritty, awkward glory.
9. Great Texas Mosquito Festival – Clute, Texas, USA (July)
Everything's bigger in Texas—including the mosquito appreciation. Featuring BBQ, music, and a mosquito costume contest emceed by the 26-foot-tall mascot, Willie-Man-Chew.
10. Monkey Buffet Festival – Lopburi, Thailand (November)
This isn’t a summer festival, but there’s no way we could leave this one off the list. You may be apprehensive about this festival given its name, but don’t worry, it’s not a buffet of monkeys…it’s a buffet for monkeys. Thousands of crab-eating macaques are served an elaborate feast of fruits, veggies, and sweets as a “thank you” for attracting tourists to the area.