Carnival rides and fried foods are a staple at most festivals and fairs in America. As fun as these festivities are, they can be predictable. Think about how fun it would be to try something different and to step out of your comfort zone just a little. We’ve compiled our list of some of the wackiest festivals and fairs happening worldwide this January. If you don’t want to venture too far from home, there’s even an interesting festival happening in the United States.
Ati-Atihan, Kalibo, Philippines – January 8-17
This Catholic festival honors the Santo Niño or the Christ Child. Participants dress in colorful, elaborate costumes made from feathers, flowers, beads, and animal bones. They cover their faces and bodies in soot to look like the indigenous Ati people. The dancing and drums go on continuously for days. The streets are filled with nonstop revelry as people sway, shake, and step to tribal beats. Locals and tourists join in the costumes and dancing. The climax is the grand street parade on the final day. Ati-Atihan is known for its energy, chaos, and welcoming atmosphere where everyone can let loose.
Kanamara Matsuri, Kawasaki, Japan – Early January
The Kanamara Phallus Festival pays homage to the male anatomy to promote fertility and safe childbirth. Artisans create giant phalluses that are paraded down the streets on palanquins. Revelers also carry wooden phalluses of all sizes. Sweets and fruit shaped like penises are sold by vendors. The festival started centuries ago when prostitutes prayed at a shrine dedicated to a “steel phallus” for protection from STDs. Today, it aims to destigmatize the conversation around reproductive health.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, Harbin, China – January 5-end of February
The annual Harbin Ice Festival showcases mindblowing sculptures made from ice and snow. Artists create towering castles, gigantic slides and rides, full-scale buildings, and intricate pagodas out of ice bricks cut from the nearby Songhua River. At night, these glittering structures are illuminated by neon and LED lights in a rainbow of colors. Fireworks and stage shows add to the excitement. Visitors bundle up to admire over 100 massive frozen creations at this winter wonderland spectacle that brings over 18 million people to Harbin.
La Tamborrada, San Sebastian, Spain – January 19-20
La Tamborrada is a two-day festival that involves constant drumming. Over 10,000 participants with drums march through the streets of San Sebastian’s old town, playing songs nonstop from midnight to midnight. The drummers dress in colonial uniforms and chefs’ outfits. It commemorates the city’s survival of a siege back in 1813. The incessant beat of drums reverberates through the streets as the city parties all day and night.
Dinagyang, Iloilo City, Philippines – January 20-22
Dinagyang also pays tribute to the Santo Niño with indigenous dance and costumes. Tribal performers energetically dance and beat drums on the streets to compete for prizes. The highlight is the Ati Tribe Competition, where performers decked out in elaborate headdresses, bright makeup, and colorful costumes recreate traditional dances. Judges score them on energy, choreography, costume, and musicality. Dinagyang wraps up with an awards ceremony and street party. Over a million visitors flood the city to witness the controlled chaos and incredible costumes.
World Buskers Festival, Christchurch, New Zealand – January 17-27
Experience the surprise and spontaneity of street performers at this international busking fest. Hundreds of quirky acts take over downtown Christchurch for 11 days of music, comedy, acrobatics, magic, and spectacle. Performers from over 20 countries compete for prize money, entertaining crowds of visitors. You never know when a juggler, magician, or comedian will pull you into their act. Be prepared for audience participation! Enjoy the family-friendly atmosphere with roving acts, stage shows, arts and crafts vendors, and food stalls around every corner.
Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Elko, Nevada, USA – January 30-February 4
Displaying the softer side of Western ranch culture, cowboy poets and musicians gather to share tall tales, recite verses, and pick tunes around the campfire. Started in 1985 with a small group of ranchers swapping stories, this event now draws thousands to hear poetry readings, folk and country western concerts, storytelling sessions, dances, film screenings, and exhibits. Attendees can take workshops on woodcarving, Dutch oven cooking, quilting, and Western swing dancing. They can browse Western gear at the traders’ markets and try some campfire stew. The Gathering offers an inside look at cowboy arts and culture.
As you can see, January hosts some of the most creative, lively, and downright wacky festivals around the world. From the chaotic costumes and drums of the Philippines’ Catholic festivities to avant-garde art installations of ice in China, your senses will be overloaded with new sights and sounds. Or perhaps you’d prefer swapping tales and songs around a cowboy campfire in Nevada or getting pulled on stage by a mischievous busker in New Zealand. Either way, beat the winter blues and mundane routine by adventuring to one of January’s madcap festivals. Dance with outlandish revelers under the tropical sun, get lost wandering through an icy palace of light, or tap your toes to banjo tunes – there’s a one-of-a-kind experience for every free spirit. This January, why not start the new year by joining the controlled insanity? You’re sure to kick off the new year with incredible memories to last until next year’s wacky fests roll around.
