Every year, communities across the globe gather to celebrate their uniqueness through competitions that range from charmingly odd to downright bizarre. These events often spring from local traditions, historical quirks, or simply a community’s desire to create something uniquely their own.
Whether it’s chasing wheels of cheese down steep hills or competing to tell the biggest lie, these unusual competitions offer glimpses into the playful side of human nature and remind us that sometimes the best traditions are the ones that make us laugh.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling, England
Every May, daredevils from around the world gather in Gloucestershire to chase an 8-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a nearly vertical hill. Competitors tumble, roll, and bounce their way down the 200-yard slope while thousands of spectators cheer them on.
The first person to cross the finish line wins the cheese, though most participants end up visiting the first aid tent before claiming their dairy prize.
Wife Carrying World Championships, Finland
Each summer, the small Finnish town of Sonkajärvi hosts couples competing to complete an obstacle course while the male partner carries his female companion upside down with her legs around his neck. The prize for the winning couple is the wife’s weight in beer, making this possibly the only competition where a heavier partner is considered an advantage.
Participants can use various carrying techniques, though the Estonian-style piggyback has proven most successful.
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World Bog Snorkeling Championships, Wales
Competitors don snorkels and flippers to swim through 60 yards of muddy peat bog without using traditional swimming strokes. The murky waters of Llanwrtyd Wells have hosted this peculiar event since 1985, drawing participants from across the globe to test their bog-paddling prowess.
Many competitors arrive in costume, adding a festive atmosphere to this uniquely Welsh challenge.
Bull Pushing Festival, Japan
In the coastal city of Uwajima, pairs of bulls engage in a sumo-like contest where they attempt to push each other out of a ring using only their foreheads. The bulls wear decorative ropes and are carefully matched by size and temperament before each bout.
Unlike Spanish bullfighting, this traditional event involves no harm to the animals, focusing instead on strength and technique.
World Nettle Eating Championship, England
Brave competitors gather at the Bottle Inn in Dorset to consume as many stinging nettle leaves as possible in one hour. Participants face not only the challenge of eating the prickly plants but must also endure increasingly numb mouths and tingling tongues as the competition progresses.
The winner is determined by measuring the length of bare stalks left after all leaves have been consumed.
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Toe Wrestling Championships, England
Competitors lock toes in a specially designed arena at the Bentley Brook Inn in Derbyshire, attempting to pin their opponent’s foot while keeping their bottoms on the ground. The sport has its own governing body and strict rules, including mandatory foot inspections by a qualified nurse before the competition.
Many participants train year-round for this peculiar test of toe strength and strategy.
Pigeon Racing World Cup, South Africa
The Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race brings together the world’s elite racing pigeons for a grueling 373-mile flight across South Africa’s challenging terrain. Owners spend months training their birds for this prestigious event, which offers the largest prize purse in pigeon racing.
Modern technology allows spectators to track the birds’ progress in real-time through tiny GPS devices.
Baby Crying Contest, Japan
The 400-year-old Naki Sumo Baby Crying Festival sees sumo wrestlers compete to make babies cry, believing that a good cry will ward off evil spirits and ensure healthy growth. Two wrestlers face off while each holding a baby, making faces and noises until one infant bursts into tears.
The first baby to cry is declared the winner, though sometimes both babies crying results in a draw.
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World Stone Skimming Championships, Scotland
The tiny island of Easdale hosts competitors from around the globe attempting to skip stones across the flooded quarry’s surface. Each participant gets three stones, which must be no more than 3 inches in diameter and found on the island.
The competition draws serious athletes and casual stone-skippers alike to this remote corner of Scotland’s west coast.
World Sauna Championships, Finland
Competitors test their endurance by sitting in a sauna heated to 230 degrees Fahrenheit for as long as possible, with only half a liter of water available to pour on the hot stones.
Each round sees the temperature increase until only one participant remains. The competition requires medical supervision and strict adherence to safety protocols.
Underwater Hockey World Championships
Teams of six players use short sticks to push a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool, combining the strategy of hockey with the challenge of holding their breath. Players wear snorkels, fins, and protective gear while competing in this surprisingly fast-paced underwater sport.
The game requires exceptional breath control and underwater awareness as players coordinate their moves in three-dimensional space.
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Tuna Tossing World Championships, Australia
Port Lincoln celebrates its fishing heritage with an annual competition to throw frozen tuna as far as possible. The competition uses rubber replicas today but originally used real frozen tuna from the local fishing fleet.
Competitors employ various throwing techniques, from discus-style spins to hammer throw motions, in their quest for tuna-tossing supremacy.
World Gurning Championships, England
At the Egremont Crab Fair, competitors stick their heads through a horse collar and contort their faces into the most grotesque expressions possible. The tradition dates back to 1267, making it one of the world’s oldest continuous competitions.
Many competitors remove their teeth to achieve more extreme facial distortions, leading to some truly memorable photographs.
Air Guitar World Championships, Finland
Rock enthusiasts from around the world gather in Oulu to compete in minute-long performances of invisible guitar mastery. Contestants are judged on technical merit, stage presence, and ‘airness’ – the extent to which they transcend the ridiculousness of playing an imaginary instrument.
The winner receives a handcrafted electric guitar, which traditionally, they must not play during their victory celebration.
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World Worm Charming Championships, England
Teams compete to coax as many worms as possible out of their assigned 32-square-mile plot of grass within thirty minutes. Competitors employ various techniques, from vibrating garden forks to pouring tea on the ground, all while following strict rules about worm welfare.
The current world record stands at 567 worms charmed from a single plot, demonstrating the surprising competitive depth of this peculiar pursuit.
World’s Wackiest Competitions
These wonderfully weird competitions remind us that human creativity and the desire for community celebration know no bounds. From ancient traditions to modern inventions, these events bring people together in ways that transcend cultural differences and remind us not to take life too seriously.
So the next time you hear about a bizarre competition in some corner of the world, consider participating – you might just find yourself part of a tradition that’s been making people smile for generations.
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