Weird & WonderfulUK Festivals
A lovingly curated directory of Britain's most peculiar, spectacular, and sometimes outright baffling festivals. From chasing cheese down hills to pulling faces through horse collars — this is the UK at its most beautifully strange.
22 festivals found
Sorted by weirdest firstRoyal Shrovetide Football
A two-day mass football match through the entire town of Ashbourne. Goals are three miles apart. The 'ball' is hand-painted and cork-filled. Up to 1,000 players per side. Shops are boarded up, the river is fair game, and the only rules are: no murder and no motor vehicles. It's been played since at least the 12th century.
Tar Barrel Rolling
Locals set fire to full-sized tar barrels and carry them through the narrow streets of Ottery St Mary on their shoulders, before rolling them down the hill. Participants wear leather gloves and asbestos aprons. Children get their own smaller barrels. The town smells of burning tar for days.
Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling
Contestants chase a 9lb wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the near-vertical 200-yard Cooper's Hill. The first person over the finish line at the bottom wins the cheese. Expect broken ankles, bruises, and paramedics. This is the undisputed king of British absurdity.
Up Helly Aa
The Lerwick Up Helly Aa is Europe's largest fire festival. A thousand-strong torchlit procession of Vikings in full regalia marches through Shetland's capital before hurling their torches into a replica longship, burning it to ashes. The night ends with ceilidh dancing until dawn. It's dark, it's loud, it smells of paraffin.
World Worm Charming Championships
Competitors use vibrations (stamping, gardening forks, or specially tuned 'worm-charming' instruments) to coax earthworms to the surface of a designated plot. No digging allowed. The record is over 500 worms in 30 minutes. It's part of the Willaston Fete and draws international competitors.
Man vs Horse Marathon
Humans race against horses over 22 miles of Welsh mountain terrain. When a human first beat the horse in 2004 (after 25 years of trying), the horse's owner claimed the runner 'cheated' by taking the wrong path. The race started in 1980 after a pub argument about whether a man could outrun a horse.
World Bog Snorkelling Championships
Competitors in full snorkel gear swim two lengths of a 60-yard peat bog trench cut through Waen Rhydd bog. No conventional swimming strokes allowed — just flippers and a snorkel. The world record is around 1 minute 18 seconds. Wales's finest contribution to aquatic absurdity.
World Nettle Eating Championship
Competitors eat as many raw stinging nettles as possible in one hour. The leaves are forked into the mouth, rolled with the tongue, and swallowed whole. Points are deducted for flinching. The current record is over 70 feet of nettle stalks. Rinsing your mouth with cider between stalks helps (they say).
Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
Twelve dancers carry sets of reindeer antlers (carbon-dated to over 1,000 years old) through the streets of Abbots Bromley. Accompanied by a Fool, a Hobby Horse, a Bowman, and a Maid Marian figure playing a triangle. The dance dates to at least the 11th century and is one of the oldest surviving folk traditions in Europe.
World Gurning Championships
Competitors pull the most grotesque face they can manage while sticking their head through a horse collar (known as a 'braffin'). The tradition dates to 1267 as part of the Egremont Crab Fair. Judges look for the most hideous distortion of features. Dentures are often removed for maximum effect.
Haxey Hood
Thirteen men in red coats (the 'Boggins') throw a leather tube ('the Hood') into a crowd of hundreds. The goal: push it to one of four pubs in neighbouring villages. It's a chaotic, muddy, centuries-old rugby-adjacent scrum that can last for hours. The Lord of the Hood declares 'Hoose agin hoose, toon agin toon' to start.
World Shin Kicking Championships
Part of the Cotswold Olimpicks, competitors stuff straw down their trousers and kick each other's shins until one falls over. It sounds brutal because it is. The event dates back to the 17th century. The winner is the one left standing — or limping — the longest.
Bottle Kicking & Hare Pie Scramble
Three small beer barrels (the 'bottles') are fought over by the villages of Hallaton and Medbourne. The barrels are kicked, carried, and scrummaged across fields, hedges, and streams to a finishing post. Meanwhile, a hare pie is cut up and scrambled for on the village green. The event dates to the 17th century, commemorating a lady who was saved by a hare.
Straw Bear Festival
A man covered entirely in straw from head to toe is paraded through the streets of Whittlesey, led by his 'keeper' on a rope. The Straw Bear dances, chases children, and collects money. The tradition was banned in 1909 (thought to encourage begging) and revived in 1980. Morris dancers accompany the procession.
Bognor Birdman Competition
Competitors build human-powered flying machines and launch them off the end of Bognor Regis pier in an attempt to fly. No engines allowed. Most crash spectacularly into the sea. Categories include 'Traditional Birdman', 'King of the Air', and 'Cosmic Catapult' for teams. The longest flight ever was 104 metres.
World Toe Wrestling Championship
Two competitors lock toes on a purpose-built 'toedium' and attempt to pin each other's foot to the side. Best of three. Competitors must have bare feet with clean toenails and no fungal infections. Inspired by a pub argument in 1976 about which sport was toughest.
World Black Pudding Throwing Championship
Competitors throw black puddings at a stack of Yorkshire puddings balanced on a 20-foot plinth. The aim is to knock the pile off. Black puddings are wrapped in tights to hold them together. The winner in 2023 threw 17.8 metres. Lancashire versus Yorkshire — the pudding wars continue.
Wife Carrying Race
Male competitors carry a female partner (not necessarily their wife) through a 380-metre obstacle course including hay bales, a 'water splash', and a wooden stile. The prize is the wife's weight in beer. Inspired by the Finnish equivalent where it's believed the tradition started with men stealing women from neighbouring villages. Held since 2008.
Dunmow Flitch Trials
Couples who can prove they haven't argued for a year and a day — or alternatively, that they've argued but always reconciled within 24 hours — can claim a side of bacon (a 'flitch'). Candidates are 'tried' by a jury of six maidens and six bachelors. The trial has been held since 1104. Only 300 flitches have ever been awarded.
World Conker Championships
The official world championship of conkers — threading a horse chestnut on a string and smashing your opponent's conker to pieces. Held in the village of Ashton since 1965. Rules are strict: no steel-reinforced conkers, no soaking them in vinegar. The event raises money for charity and gets serious international competition.
World Stone Skimming Championships
Competitors gather on the Isle of Easdale to throw flat stones across a flooded slate quarry. The world record is over 100 skips. A perfect 'ten-skip' is the holy grail. The event takes place on the tiny slate island with a population of just 60 — and a pub.
Burning of the Clocks
On the winter solstice, thousands of people parade handmade paper-and-willow lanterns shaped like clocks through Brighton's streets, then burn them in a huge bonfire on the beach. The idea is to symbolically burn away the old year and welcome longer days. Fireworks, drummers, and a giant wicker structure complete the scene.
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