Quirky festivals around the world

From bastions of the music festival scene like Glastonbury, to Oktoberfest in Germany and cherry blossom celebrations in Japan, there are numerous cultural moments that are so established or well-known that people will travel from far and wide to get involved.

But there are a few other festivals out there that have garnered our attention for their uniqueness and often downright bizarreness. Here are five of the quirkiest festivals that happen annually around the world.

Parkes Elvis Festival, Australia

The small town of Parkes in regional NSW has a population of just over 12,000, yet it’s home to the biggest Elvis Presley festival in Australia. Every year in early January, this farming community dusts off its bejewelled jumpsuits and breaks out the dance moves to celebrate the music and the legend of Elvis Presley. Thousands of Elvis (and Priscilla) impersonators, fans and spectators come for four full days of themed entertainment, including dances and competitions. To get there, hop on board the Blue Suede Express or the Elvis Express, which is a train service that runs from Sydney to Parkes specially for the festival. When you arrive, get changed into your outfit (if you haven’t already) at Court Street Motel, which is in the centre of all the festivities.

Hogmanay, Scotland

In the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, New Year’s Eve sees up to 8,000 people parade down the ancient thoroughfare of the Royal Mile holding flaming torches; from a bird’s-eye perspective, it looks like a sea of amber flames floating in the darkness. This torchlit procession opens the city’s annual Hogmanay festival, which celebrates the start of the new year. The walk takes a few hours to complete and at the end, revellers throw their flaming torches into a mountain-like bonfire. After dancing to Scottish music, oohing and aahing at fireworks set off over Princes Street Gardens and enjoying various other elements of this medieval ceremony-cum-street party, come home to your own castle at Calton Hill Apartment.

Hokkai Heso Matsuri (Bellybutton Festival), Japan

Located on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, the town of Furano hosts an annual festival in July called Hokkai Heso Matsuri, aka the Bellybutton Festival. The event was founded in the late 1960s, when locals wanted to create something that showcased their town as the humming centre of Hokkaido (the thinking behind it being that the bellybutton is the centre of the human body). Expect bizarre and impressive dancing, including performances where men dance in formation with faces painted on their bare stomachs and miniature kimonos wrapped around their waist, all the while hiding their heads under a large straw hat. After the celebrations, come home to the Furano Natulux Hotel.

Beer Floating Festival, Finland

Kaljakellunta is the name given to Finland’s non-official beer floating festival, which attracts participants from all over the world every summer. The event consists of thousands of people floating down the Kerava River or the Vantaa River in a range of blow-up boats (some people even use small bouncy castles or paddling pools) while drinking cold beer. There are no official organisers, rules, tickets, fixed dates or established routes to this festival, so dates and details are usually spread by word-of-mouth or online. The event has previously started in Vantaa, a city just outside of Helsinki so – provided the start line remains the same this year – you can stay close by at the Apartment Paasikivi.

Chicago Ducky Derby, USA

The Chicago Ducky Derby is an annual fundraising event for Special Olympics Illinois (an Olympic-style sports event for children and adults with intellectual disabilities) but its growing popularity with locals and travellers alike has turned the event into a festival of sorts. Every year in August, 60,000 bright yellow rubber ducks get dropped into the Chicago River to race. The duck that floats past the finishing line first wins a range of donated prizes. Anyone around the world can get involved in the festivities by ‘adopting’ a duck; Quack Pack (6 ducks), Flock of Ducks (24 ducks) or Diamond Duck Pack (240 ducks). Get the best view of the event from your room (or pop to the rooftop bar) at LondonHouse Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton, which is right by the Columbus Bridge starting line.