From stuffing your face with grits to just watching ice melt, there’s something for everyone.
The weather is affectionate , the heyday are bloom . and the animals are come forth . And so , dutifully , are we . With COVID restriction relaxing we have two years of socializing to make up for . That , plus fete season , mean that we ’re gon na go hard . And thingsmayget a little balmy .
Sure , you may meet up at more traditional affairs : wildflower viewings , tulip extravaganzas , ormusic festivals(Coachella returns in just a couple of hebdomad ) , but why not do something out of the ordinary ? If you ’re up for anything — or should your tastes scarper esoteric — we’ve got some quirky spring festival to shake off the winter claptrap once and for all , unidentified flying object include .
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World Grits Festival
St. George , South CarolinaApril 8 - 9The part around St. George , South Carolina — just a Harlan Fisk Stone ’s throw away from Charleston — consumes more grit per caput than anywhere else in the country . And who can blame them ? The creamy and round the bend cornmeal staple of Southern cuisine is a Chamaeleon , served with just about anything . Since 1986 they ’ve been celebrating their championship status with the World Grits Festival andusuallythe issue includes a “ rolling in the grits ” competition , where an inflatable kiddie pool is filled with sand and dissident — you guessed it — roll around in it , trap as many gumption on their body as possible in 10 seconds . lamentably the times dictate that they forego the spectacle this yr , but there ’s still stack of action over the weekend , from a corn toss competition to a wheelbarrow competition to a gritrock eat competition . There ’s even a parade . BYO corn on the cobnut costume .
Nenana Ice Classic
Nenana , AlaskaUntil the ice rink breaksSince 1917 , the citizen of Nenana , Alaska — current population 341 — have been bet on Mother Nature . In the only legal gaming in the state , every year bet are made on when the exact moment the methamphetamine hydrochloride on the frozen Tenanan river will break , measured by a clock connected to a tripod set up 300 foot from shoring . Tripod falls in , clock stops , and winners take home quite the jackpot . In 1917 the pool began at $ 800 , bet on by a chemical group of railway workers . Last year , it was up to $ 255,000 . A Tripod Days festival is control in other March , with attractions like sled weenie races , dancing competition , cut baby and banana tree eating competition , reason out with the raising of the tripod . But even if you missed that , there ’s still time to get a stake in and perhaps get up there to determine the legal action go down : Tickets are sell all around Alaska for $ 2.50 ; metre of breakage in 2021 clocked in on April 30 at 12:50 p.m.
Carniroll Presents: The Roll Up
Northampton , MassachusettsApril 15 - 17In this three - day extravaganza , Carniroll , the carnival - festival hybrid , presents its own cross to keep Earth Day and 4/20 , with a lineup of 50 performers including Waka Flocka , Griz , Method Man , Redman , and Wiz Khalifa . Plus there ’s a car show , wrestling matches , seminars on Earth consciousness , raging atmosphere balloon rides , and an NFT auction where attendees can bid on souvenir for experiences like sitting on a throne on the side of the degree , and pressing the button to kick off the firework . And we have n’t even gotten to the locoweed part yet , except that they must have partake in quite a piece while planning this thing . Also , you could leave the festival to re - up , by invest an gild onJack ’s CannabisonWeedmaps , then catching a Weedmaps bird to the dispensary and back .
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Waikiki Spam Jam
Honolulu , HawaiiApril 22- May 1Did you know that Hawaii consumes 7 million cans of Spam a class ? Their love for the processed kernel date back to WWII , when it was a staple of the GI diet . And now , they hold an annual atomic number 11 - packed jubilation — this twelvemonth lasting nine mean solar day — making it the biggest fete in Hawaii . Sample originative Spam dishes from local eatery , likecrispy won ton topped with alligator pear and Spam , andHula pie(macadamia nut chicken feed cream on a cookie crust ) with candied Spam ( ! ) , take part in Spam - related activities on the Waikiki Beach Walk , and have photo ops with life - sized rear end of Spam . Or , rather , mass wearing costumes oflife - sized buttocks of Spam .
North Carolina Pickle Festival
Mount Olive , North CarolinaApril 22What ’s the dill weed with North Carolina ’s affinity for pickles ? Specifically , the community of Mount Olive , plate of the Mt. Olive fix sword since 1923 ? We do n’t know , but we ’re happy to reap the gratifying and sour bounty , at their annual day - long Pickle Festival . issue forth for the free pickles , stay for the pickle murals , pickle train , competitions like a 5 thou evening rivulet ( costumed , and glowing ) , a pickle packing material challenge , mascot race and , of course , a pickle eating competition , where the winner gets $ 100 and a yr ’s supply of kettle of fish . They may not want to see any more pickles after that , but hey , it ’s a meridian opportunity to make friends .
McMenamins UFO Festival
McMinnville , OregonMay 13 - 14Whether you ’re all - in on extraterrestrials or just odd about what lounge in the final frontier , the annual McMenamins UFO fest will be sure to enlighten . Based on an actual UFO sighting in the area in 1950 , this year ’s festival has expert speakers like author and UFO experiencer Whitley Strieber , and Bryan Bender , who focus on the Pentagon , NASA , and the Defense Department and aerospace industries for POLITICO . So maybe some of your questions will be answered . Or maybe not . Either way , there ’s loose outcome like an Alien Costume Ball , UFO parade , and best-loved costume contest , plus live euphony , vendors and plenty of wine-colored : theWillamette Valleyhappens to be one of the wine capitals of the US . So , if you do n’t believe in aliens when you first get there , maybe just have a couple of drinks then see how you palpate .
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Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival
Destin - Fort Walton Beach , FloridaMay 14 - 15You may know lionfish as the striped showstopper sprucing up aquariums in dentists office throughout the land , but there ’s a dark side to its smasher . When this invasive predator species finds its mode into coastal waters — especially Rand ecosystems — it bring havoc , consuming over 50 species of fish , competing for food for thought with dwindle down population of aboriginal dwellers , and taking out the species that really help the Reef . To lift cognisance about the job , and observe those who aid curb it , theLionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festivalwas created . The two - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. fete includes savoring of lionfish , conservation booth , and info on how you may become aReef Ranger(worth it just for the rubric ) . It coincides with the annualEmerald Coast Opentournament , where team reap as many lionfish as they can for prizes and glorification .
Elkfest
Jackson , WyomingMay 21 - 22Mid - March , when the weather beckons toward spring , is when elk ( and cervid , and moose ) shed their antler . Hunting for these sheds has become a favorite interest in Wyoming , a way to emerge from wintertime by getting some reinvigorated atmosphere and drill , and perhaps get along home with a prize . These shed are also the intellect for Elkfest , an annual festivity centered around an antler auction ( and anything else hoard , like skulls ) , benefit the National Elk Refuge and local boy scouts . Other consequence on the roll : learn about elks from wildlife expert , boy scout education , and chili . The whole thing kicks off Jackson Hole’sOld West Days , cross Memorial Day weekend with ranch tours , brewfests , nightly Old West gunfight , and a liberal concert ( last year it was Travis Tritt ) .
Oz-Stravaganza
Chittenango , New YorkJune 3 - 5Boy , do people have it off to celebrate Wizard of Oz . In Kansas alone there ’s a yellow brick road in Sedan — the universe ’s foresightful , with its own Yellow Brick Road festival — plus Dorothy ’s House and a Land of Oz in Liberal , and the Oz Museum in Wamego . But while the book and movies have a nebulous “ Kansas ” as a setting — allowing them all to lay title to the fiction , in Chittenango , New York , they have more concrete evidence : it ’s the provenience of author L. Frank Baum . And as such they observe , with fireworks , a parade , and special show and events . See landmarks from Baum ’s animation , like where he was wed , and visit the All Things Oz Museum , with Oz memorabilia , admit Munchkin costume , original airscrew , and Judy Garland ’s autograph .
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Georgia Peach Festival
Fort Valley and Byron , GeorgiaJune 3 - 4 and 11Want to see the world ’s largest peach cobbler ? You ’ll find it at the Georgia Peach Festival , a joint effort between the city of Fort Valley and Byron that kicks off peach time of year , which runs through August . smasher were first planted in the arena in the eighteenth century , with the first commercial production happening in the mid-19th 100 . Today , the festival lionise the farmers that make it all happen , with flapcake breakfast , concert , fireworks , and plenty of smasher . Including that stupendous cobbler , made annually and measuring 11 feet by 5 fundament , 8 inches deep , trapping 75 Imperial gallon of knockout . make for your own container and you ’re welcome to shovel some in to take home with you .
Duck Tape Festival
Avon , OhioJune 16 - 18Avon , Ohio , a suburb of Cleveland , is the home of Shurtape Technologies , maker of Duck Tape mark canal tapeline . And they have it off that fact . Because coming in just under the wire of spring — seal their chances to be in this roundup — is the annual Duck Tape Festival . As dads love life duct tape , it takes piazza on Father ’s Day weekend , and is detached to attend , with craft , games , food , a parade , a fashion show and lots of stickiness ( be thrifty what you touch ) . Plus , lifetime - sized Duck Tape carving . This year ’s theme is “ Knock It Out of the Park , ” so require plenty of baseball game - theme chicane .
Seems a little foggy in those helmets, but maybe that’s how aliens like it.|Photo by Jim Fischer; Courtesy of McMenamins UFO Festival
The tripod setup at the Nenana Ice Classic. When it falls, someone gets rich.|James Brooks/flickr
The tripod setup at the Nenana Ice Classic. When it falls, someone gets rich.|James Brooks/flickr
The aliens (or whatever this is) at the McMenamins UFO Festival come in peace.|Photo by Jim Fischer; Courtesy of the McMenamins UFO Festival
So pretty, so invasive.|Courtesy of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Picking out antlers at Elkfest.|Harvey O. Stowe/Shutterstock
Duck Tape, but make it fashion.|Rona Proudfoot/Flickr
