Atypical Events

Really Weird Food Events, Parties, and Festivals

Posted by jessie under Amusement, Parties, Restaurants

Since as far back as most can remember, people have always had a passion for two things: parties and food.

In many cases the two mix naturally and food helps to enrich the event or occasion that people gathered to celebrate. However, some specific foods are so revered that an event actually is formed for no other purpose than to gather and eat the special food.

Many such festivals like the Horseradish Festival or Crab Festival are well known and celebrated in many areas of the US. There are also some lesser known festivals that some might even consider a little weird.

Let’s take a look at some of the weird and strange food festivals celebrated around the US.

The Roadkill Cookoff

With a motto “you kill it, we grill it,” you know it’s gonna be good. That is, if you’re into attending festivals like the Roadkill Cookoff in Marlinton, West Virginia.

Held every September, the Roadkill Cookoff is held in honor of the practice of actually taking home and eating the dead deer or squirrel that you hit or found on the side of the road.

Head to the festival for a taste of dishes like Asleep at the Wheel Squeal, Stir-Tired Possum with Natural Brown Maggots, Tire Tread Tortillas, Rigormortis Bear Stew and Thumper meets Bumper.

However, the official festival rules say competitors can’t use actual roadkill, just animals commonly found dead by the curb. Bon Appétit!

 

 

Turkey Testicle Festival

Since 1978, people have gathered in Byron, Illinois on the second Saturday of October to “have a ball,” or a few, and by “have a ball” they mean “eat a turkey testicle.”

The Turkey Testicle Festival is restricted to the 21 and over crowd and for five bucks you get karaoke contests, raffle contests/prizes, beer, entertainment, and lots and lots of fried turkey balls.

But wait, just when you thought the fun was limited to one festival, there is yet another Turkey Testicle Festival in nearby Huntley, Illinois that has taken place at the Parkside pub for the last 25 years.

This one takes place right around Thanksgiving and is about an hour away from the one in Byron.

With two testicle festivals taking place in the Illinois, residents should have plenty of balls to go around.

 

 

National Baby Food Festival, Michigan 

If you ever wanted to see how fast you can scarf down baby food, the National Baby Food Festival is the event for you. Fremont, Michigan is the home of Gerber Baby Food and the National Baby Food Festival, which takes place in mid-July.

The Festival includes events like Baby Crawl, a Baby Food Cookoff, and an Adult Baby Food Eating Contest.

In the Adult Baby Food Eating Contest, two people connected by a bib have to feed each other five jars of baby food simultaneously. Whoever spills the least, wins.

Roughly 125,000 people show up to the event to celebrate baby food.

 

Gilroy Garlic Festival

For the past 30 years, a very fragrant festival has taken place in Gilroy, California. The Gilroy Garlic Festival celebrates “the stinking rose” in all its glory.

At this festival two tons of garlic are used to make garlic chocolate, garlic bread, and even garlic ice cream, and much more.

Some people even consider it to be the best garlic festival in the world (who knew there was more than one??)

Come for the food, the community and the entertainment, and be sure to bring some breath mints.

 

 

Waikiki Spam Jam

Every year in Hawaii, people come together to celebrate their favorite canned meat product at the annual Waikiki Spam Jam. And man do Hawaiians sure love their Spam—they eat more spam every year than any other state in the U.S., totaling nearly seven million cans of Spam annually.

It’s no wonder they have a festival to celebrate one of their favorite foods.

The Spam Jam features entertainment, craft booths, games, Spam-related merchandise and of course, plenty of Spammy cuisine cooked up by some of Honolulu’s finest restaurants.

With an estimated 20,000 people in attendance last year, the festival is quickly becoming one of Hawaii’s most popular.

 

 

Bugfest

Most people cringe at the thought of coming close to a creepy-crawly insect, let alone putting one in their mouth, but for more adventurous souls, bugs and worms are just another meal.

People who are interested in sampling dishes like mealworms marinara and stir-fry should check out the annual Bugfest at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Bugfest is the nation’s largest and most popular bug event.

Sample Café Insecta’s delicacies and be sure to check out the guy with the beard of bees. The festival takes place Saturday, September 20th, from 9AM to 9PM.

 

 

Harvard Milk Days

Every year in Harvard, Illinois, people gather for a three-day festival in appreciation of the beverage milk.

According to festival organizers, Harvard Milk Days the longest running festival in the state of Illinois.

If you attend this festival, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a Milk Drinking Contest, and anyone who has been to high school might remember taking the impossible “Gallon Challenge.”

At Harvard Milk Days, you can even drink your milk through different flavored straws that flavor the milk as you “sip” it. Got Milk?