America's Wackiest Summer Festivals

BlobFest 2010

MSNBC: Maybe they’re just crazy from the heat. While many towns and cities celebrate the season with street fairs, music festivals and other time-tested events, some folks take a, shall we say, less traditional approach to summer fun.

Yes, July is apparently Weird and Wacky Festival Month with events commemorating everything from bagels to B-movies. For those with an itch for the uncommon, here are four that definitely fit the offbeat bill:

San Fermin in Nueva Orleans: Can’t make it to Pamplona, Spain, for the Running of the Bulls? No problemo. Head instead to the Crescent City on July 9 and you can get chased, not by bulls, but by upwards of 300 roller derby girls sporting red outfits and helmets with horns. Ole!

BlobFest: The ooey, gooey villain of the 1958 cult classic is long gone, but its gelatinous spirit lives on in Phoenixville, Pa., where much of the movie was shot. Highlights of this year’s BlobFest (July 8–10) include a veritable schlockfest of low-budget films and the ever-popular fire extinguisher parade. (Why, you ask? Because freezing is the only way to stop a blob, silly.)

Storming of the Bastille: Well, technically, it’s the Eastern State Penitentiary, the former prison turned museum in Philadelphia, but on July 16, it might as well be the notorious French jail. On that day, Francophiles can watch as dozens of costumed revolutionaries storm the walls as 2,000 Tastykakes (a local confection) are thrown from the prison’s towers and bear witness as Marie Antoinette cries out the immortal words: “Let them eat Tastykake!”

BagelFest: Mmmm, bagels. Thousands and thousands of bagels, not to mention a Bagel Parade, Beautiful Bagel Baby contest, Miss Bagelfest pageant and the world’s largest free bagel breakfast. Of course, the 26th Annual BagelFest in Mattoon, Ill. (July 21–23) will also have craft booths, carnival rides and live music (including Travis Tritt this year), but hey, for us, it’s all about the bagels. Weird festival fans, it’s time to roll!