Unusual Festivals for July
* July 22: Beer Can Regata
For the past 31 years, the Combined Lions Clubs of Darwin have been promoting the annual Beer Can Regatta on Darwin's famous Mindil Beach.
Begun as an unusual by-product of the devastation caused to the Australian city by “Cyclone Tracy” in 1974, the Regatta resulted from locals having (a) too many beer cans; (b) too much free time; and (c) no recycling program. Said one drunk Aussie to another: "Why not stage a beer can race?" And so it went.
Amazingly, when built correctly, loads of beer cans strung together actually stay afloat. Apparently, the key is to *empty* the beer cans before affixing them together. Bored by boats? Then maybe you'll be interested in the thong-throwing contest. Hard to say, but I think those are empty, too.
* July 22-23: Stilt Dancing
Anguiano, Spain, is home to a small community of stilt dancers who twirl and twist throughout the city's streets. In honor of the city's patron saint, Mary Magdalene, the stilt dancers are composed of the town's men and boys who dress in brightly-colored shirts and petticoats that trail to their ankles while exposing the 3-foot wooden stilts below them.
The dancing begins at the city's central church, where the human tops dance down the front steps of the church and along the steep, cobbled streets into the town square. The dancers move in a tight, spinning motion that requires dexterity and bravery, and no, they would NOT think it was funny if you unleashed a big bag full of marbles.
* July 29: Fiesta of Near Death Experiences
This unusual festival is for people who have come close to death but lived to talk about it. Bizarrely, they attend church in a coffin, borne aloft by members of their family. (Sadly, if you have no friends or family, you have to carry your own coffin into the church.)
Held in Las Nieves, a small town in Galicia near the border with Portugal, thousands of people fill the narrow streets on the day of Santa Maria to hear the sad and sometimes disturbing stories of the survivors. After the somber event, though, things start to turn fun, as fireworks and street food compete for the attention of participants.
Got the inside track on an unusual festival? Let us know about it!
Labels: Event, festivals, Gadling site, unusual
posted by LadyIrene @ 7/23/2007 03:58:00 AM
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