In the United States there will be a lot of festivals to commemorate Independence Day in July. Other countries will have festivals for many different reasons that are very different than the typical July 4th celebration. There also is a very interesting festival occurring in New Mexico in the beginning of the month.
Boryeong Mud Festival, July 17-26, Korea
The mud in Boryeong is full of minerals and used as part of many beauty rituals. The mud festival started back in 1998 and has grew to epic proportions. People are often seen massaging the mud into their skin, wrestling in it, sliding around on it and just fully drenching themselves with it. This usually sleepy beach town has many visitors flocking from all over the word to partake in the festivities. The good thing is that after getting filthy there is plenty of salty water at the beach to take a swim in and rinse off.
Camel Cup, July 11, Australia
Alice Springs comes alive in July with the Camel Cup. This tradition started in 1970 as a silly bet. It turned into a hilarious time that has become an annual tradition. Most of the around 30,000 residents get in on the action somehow. The races start at noon and include people riding on camels, rickshaw races and even children riding on camels made out of wood. One of the most entertaining parts of this festival is trying to determine which camel will win and which one will give their jockey a hard time as camels are known to be moody.
Darwin Beer Can Regatta, July 12, Australia
All year long many residents of Darwin collect their beer cans so that they can make boats out of them at this festival. Since 1974 the beer can regatta has taken place and many people get quite crafty with the construction of their vessels. Unfortunately, not all beer can boats stay afloat and part of the fun is watching them come apart during the various competitions.
This festival has taken place in Douai for around 500 years. Large human effigies make their way through the streets during this event. Besides the giant structures, this festival is similar to Mardi Gras with a lot of music, food and liquor being served. By far the main attractions are the giants, the Gayant family, with the father being about 28 feet high and weighing around 815 pounds. The statue is mostly made of wicker and he is dressed in armor, complete with a sword and a shield. In order to get him and the other giants down the street, it takes about 50 people to move them depending on their size.
Roswell UFO Festival, July 3-5, New Mexico
Aliens are going be in Roswell very soon. At least a lot of people dressed up like them that is. Both believers and skeptics have come to this area since the Roswell incident took place in 1947. The festivities include a 5K and 10K “Alien Chase”, fireworks, parade of lights, costume contest for both humans and pets, lectures and a lot of UFO memorabilia for sale. There’s also plenty of food, music and people sitting around talking about aliens.
World BodyPainting Festival, June 27-30, Portschach, Austria
This colorful festival has been around since 1998. The week-long event starts with classes from the WB Academy that center on body paint, photography and modeling. The rest of the week celebrates everything from makeup to tattoos. More than 40 different countries are represented at this event as artists aim to compete to be the best at what they do. Some of the most outrageous body paint in the world can be seen here each year. If you can imagine it, it can probably be painted on your body at this festival.
