Haiti Part 5: Festival Mizik Jakmel Update

by Adrienne Wilson on


Although Festival Mizik Jakmel, with headliners Stephen and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley did not make it into Gadling’s Massively Huge 2007 Summer Music Fest Roundup, I mentioned the first-time event not long before I took a trip over to check it out on my own. Actually, at the time I booked my ticket to Haiti I hadn’t planned on attending the three-day music festival because I hadn’t heard of it. I was simply planning on going to explore culture, arts, food and beaches. When I found out the festival and my travel dates linked up, it made my trip plans all the better.

As noted before the festival would not only involve a slew of musicians from across the globe singing around the clock, there would also be art events, workshops, a tourism conference, and most importantly an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest drumming ensemble in the world. (India got the claim to fame last year.) If you ask me – that is one mega feat to beat. And by now you are probably wondering if their mission was accomplished?

To answer the question: Yes and No.

I haven’t the slightest idea what happened to the drum ensemble and I was a little disappointed that it didn’t occur. My hopes were flying high and my heart-racing every time I heard that the drumming would start. I tried to imagine Congo beach packed with 10,000 drumming sets of hands, but even my imagination failed me. There were a number of people who shared the same somber feeling as I had, but with all of the other events to look forward to there was little room or time to stay disappointed long.

The concert line-up for the first day included some amazing musicians such as Mizik Mizik featuring Belo and Tifane, Reggae Cowboys, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and one of my favorites, Les Nubians. The only problem now was figuring out what time they were going to go on. No one in my camp seemed to have an idea of when the DJ would cut his music and let the real live show start. To kill time we walked around Congo beach for a while. There were tons of people hanging around making puppets dance for the amusement of others and others just standing and waiting. From the stage and screen set-up you could tell they were expecting a packed sandy beach. By the end of night number one I wouldn’t have been the one to tell you whether the masses came out in full force or not. You’d have to ask another festival participant. With it being the first international music festival ever for the area of Jacmel I figured there would be some minor bumps and road blocks in the way, but performances kept getting pushed back. There was no telling when anything would happen and having just arrived to the country overnight from LAX to PAP, I was beat. As badly as I wanted to check every little detail of the festival out I found myself retreating for some rest.

Day two was much better and as it turned out the people that stayed long enough on day one really enjoyed the performances. I wish I had been one of them.


When we finally arrived for the second installment the music was in full-swing and the beach looked at least 7,000 people deep. It had been raining on and off the entire day, but even the wet weather couldn’t keep people from seeing such performers as Emeline Michel, Tabou Combo & Black Alex, RAM and especially Stephen / Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. I was fortunate enough to score some standing room in VIP and made my way up to see portions of most of the performances. It being my first time hearing of many of he Haitian artists, my ears were busier than ever trying to focus in on it all. I listened like a student in a Haitian Music and Kompa 101 class.


RAM was one of the artists that really caught my attention. The music seemed very trippy and can be described as “Vodou rock n’ roots.” Following RAM was Emeline Michel, whose music I had heard before on a few compilation CD’s. The masses really enjoyed her music as well as all the major Haitian bands that went on and it wasn’t until the Marley brothers finally came on stage did I notice a slight difference in crowd participation. I went ablaze inside myself. I was so hyped on seeing them and the setting was perfect. Naturally, everyone moved and sang along to the Bob Marley covers as performed by son Stephen Marley, but there were times when I thought the people could be moving more. It was partly the language and the awe of having the Marley brothers in Haiti that had the crowd standing still at certain moments noted my travel buds.

Even with the language barrier I could still sense the music working. It managed to bring a massive number of Haitians, tourists, and sponsors to Congo beach for two nights in a row thus far and the Marley’s reinforced the theory with their messaging, “We are all one people.”

When the show was over that night I headed back to the Hotel Cyvadier to rest my eyes and sing Festival Mizik Jakmel lullabies.

Day three was all washed up from what I gather. The rain wasn’t letting up and performances were cancelled. I departed Jacmel earlier than planned for Port-au-Prince. I could be wrong about day three and I would love to be corrected if I am. Overall I thought it was a success for a free event and with everything that did and didn’t happen it gives everyone that showed up and those who couldn’t make it something to look forward to next year.

It’s faint right now, but I think I hear 10,000 sets of drumming hands on Congo plage. To view more pictures from the festival check out the Festival Mizik Jakmel Flickr photostream.

Yesterday: Art & Souvenirs
Tomorrow: A Few Last Words

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of May 5

by Adrienne Wilson on

This week I’m bouncing all over the place with a wide range of random picks from the contributors here. From gear to moo-moo’s to Daft Punk – look below to find what you may have missed.

5. Movie Posters from Belarus:
Fun! Who doesn’t enjoy looking at posters and prints from around the globe? The focus of this set here is Belarus for the most part, but still so cool!

4. Yurts: Comfort in the Great Outdoors:
Love the outdoors, but hate the discomfort? Problem solved! Check into a yurt on your next go in some of America’s state parks.

3. Cool Outdoor Gear Made From Recycle Materials:
Here is a cool way to be green and good to the earth. Willy points us to the perfect spot to learn more about sustainable gear to get you all ready for your summer backpacking tours be it through the suburbs, the park, or across Europe.

2. Cow Tourism:
This one is very random, but when I read it I fell in love with it. First it was Neil’s account on the first time he’d ever met a girl wild enough to steal a cow bell and how he later found out the importance of those bells. If only all travel romance tales could happen a little more like this, but with your twist I guess. Anyways, aren’t cows the greatest?

1. Gadling’s Massively Huge 2007 Summer Music Festival Roundup:
Pardon me if I seem a bit tuned out. Chances are I’m mentally at one of the music festivals found here in Gadling’s largest guide to the summer sound circuit ever and physically preparing to go!!! Thanks to Justin you can tune in too and later tune out, but I must apologize as we won’t be providing the tickets. You’re on your own there

Gadling’s Massively Huge 2007 Summer Music Festival Roundup

by Justin Glow on

Welcome to Gadling’s massively huge 2007 summer music festival round-up! This is the definitive guide to music festivals from around the world, from Serbia to Japan, Ireland to Kansas — we’ve highlighted 33 of the world’s best. No matter where you’re traveling to this summer, there’s sure to be a fest to suit your musical tastes. Let’s go!


Pinkpop, May 26-28, Landgraaf, Netherlands. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this three day event is the oldest annual music festival in the world, with almost 40 years under its belt. The 2007 lineup includes Marilyn Manson, Iggy and the Stooges, The Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, and Scissor Sisters. [Official website]

Primavera Sound Festival, May 31-June1, Barcelona, Spain. Located on the beautiful Mediterranean coastline of Barcelona, the Primavera Sound Festival boasts an impressive headlining act including the likes of Wilco, The White Stripes, Sonic Youth, and a personal favorite of mine: Of Montreal. [Official website]



Gods of Metal, June 2-3, and June 30th, Milan, Italy. With a name like GODS OF METAL, how can you go wrong? This is Italy’s largest and loudest metal festival, featuring bands like Mötley Crüe, Velvet Revolver, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Megadeth, and Type O Negative. [Official website]

Sweden Rock Festival, June 6-9, Sölvesborg, Sweden. The Sweden Rock Fest has been around since the early 90s, when the stage was mostly filled with Swedish bands. Today the festival has gone international, offering up such class acts as Aerosmith, Meat Loaf, REO Speedwagon, and Motörhead. [Official website]

Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival, June 7-10, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A. Wakarusa is a newcomer on the festival circuit — the four day festival, which was born in 2004 and is held just outside of Lawrence, Kansas at Clinton State Park, features a jam band-focused lineup consisting of headliners Les Claypool, Widespread Panic, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many, many more. [Official website]

Bonnaroo Music Festival, June 14-17, Manchester, Tennessee, U.S.A. The word “bonnaroo” is Cajun slang meaning “a really good time,” and with the star-studded lineup this year, the festival stays true to its word. What began in 2002 as a mostly jam band festival, Bonnaroo has branched out to include music from all genres, and this year is no different. Headliners include The Police, Tool, Widespread Panic, Wilco, and The Flaming Lips. [Official website]

Hultsfred Festival, June 14-16, Hultsfred, Sweden. The Hultsfred Festival (Hultsfredsfestivalen in Swedish) is an annual, three day event which began in 1986. The wildly diverse bill includes Ozzy Osbourne, 50 Cent, Pet Shop Boys, and Korn. [Official website]

Bang Your Head!!!, June 22-23, Balingen, Germany. Die ultimative Rock und Metalparty, Bang Your Head!!! began in 1996 and quickly grew to become one of Germany’s premiere underground metal festivals, bringing in audiences from all over the world. 2007 will see bands like Heaven and Hell, Edguy, Hammerfall, and Amon Amarth. [Official website]

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, June 22-24, Pilton, England. Glastonbury is the “largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world,” with over 150,000 people sprawling over 900 acres (in 2005). Unless you’ve already got tickets to this monstrosity, you’re out of luck. The show has completely sold out, well before they’ve even announced the full lineup. You can bet it will be big, though. [Official website]

Hellfest Summer Open Air, June 22-24, Clisson, France. Hellfest is an “extreme music” festival located in Clisson, France. Korn, Slayer, Dream Theater, and Megadeth lead the lineup, with plenty of other bands with crazy, hard-to-read logos there for support. Running an “extreme music” festival in rural France isn’t easy, though, and the organizers urge concert-goers to “respect the residents, the community, the environment and all other aspects of the festival,” and to “help combat prejudices and media propaganda who portray metal heads as violent, blood-thirsty demons who revel in black masses.” Looks like they’re on the right track. [Official website]

Hovefestivalen, June 26-30, near Arendal, Norway. This festival is the only one on the list that takes place on an island: Tromøy, formally occupied by vikings. This summer, over 20,000 people will shipwreck themselves to see many great bands, including Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, Chamillionaire, The Killers, My Chemical Romance, and Slayer. Also of note, they bill themselves as the most “environmentally sound festivals in Norway.” [Official site]

Peace & Love, June 26-30, Borlänge, Sweden. Peace & Love is one of Scandinavian’s fastest growing festivals. Their goal is to spread the message of “Diversity, Solidarity and Understanding,” while mixing in music, poetry, theater, and art. Iggy and the Stooges, Alice Cooper, Babyshambles, and many others will be there to help spread the message. Wait… peace and love, and… Peter Doherty? We’ll see about that. [Official website]

Eurockéennes de Belfort, June 29-July 1, near Belfort, France. The Eurockeennes has been held at the peninsula of Malsaucy near Belfort, France for the past 18 years. This year the Wu-Tang Clan, Arcade Fire, and Marilyn Manson headline the event described as being “a hullabaloo of different musical style[s.]” [Official website]

Open’er Festival, June 29-July 1, Gdynia, Poland. This Heineken-sponsored music fest takes place on the Babie Doły military airport grounds in an “urban complex” called Trójmiasto (which roughly translates to “3-City”) which consists of — you guessed it — three cities: Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot. Beastie Boys, Björk, Muse, The Roots, Sonic Youth, Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, Groove Armada, and Dizzee Rascal will all be in attendance. Killer lineup. [Official website]


Roskilde Festival, July 5-8, Roskilde, Denmark. Second only to Glastonbury Festival in size, the Roskilde festival is one of Europe’s largest, with over 100,000 attendees last year alone. The festival also features a “Naked Race” each year, where an even number of guys and gals strip off their clothing and run laps around a track. Why? Why not? Two winners — one male and one female — are comped at next year’s festival. Musically speaking, Muse, The Who, Beastie Boys, The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queens of the Stone Age and Björk will all be in attendance. Nude people and great bands — what else do you need? [Official website]

Evolution Festival, July 7, Florence, Italy. Who knew Italians loved metal so much? With Gods of Metal in June, and Evolution in July, metal-heads have no reason to leave Italy this summer. Fans of Sebastian Bach, this is your lucky day — literally: Evolution takes place on 7/7/07, and aside from seeing everyone’s favorite Skid Row, the festival is bringing in underground metal acts from all over the world, including Nevermore, Sodom, Cynic, and Virgin Steele. Be afraid. [Official website]

Oxegen, July 7-8, County Kildare, Ireland. Oxegen is another fest sponsored by Heineken (Open’er in Poland also serves the green-bottled goodness), only this one is in Ireland. This makes you wonder why they don’t have a certain other beer company’s support. Guinness, where ya at? Turns out, Guinness used to sponsor the show. I’m sure there’s a good story as to why Heineken took over. Anyway, the festival boasts six stages, camping areas, and carnival rides. And the music, right — the music! Air, Bright Eyes, Muse, Interpol, Bloc Party, Daft Punk, and a TON more will be making an appearance. [Official website]

Dour Festival, July 12-15, Dour, Belgium. Pronounced dow-er (don’t lose any scene points for saying the name wrong!), this huge music fest in Belgium saw upwards of 130,000 people over four days in 2006. This year Andy C, Hot Chip, Wu-Tang Clan, and DJ Shadow are included in the list of headlining acts.

Masters of Rock, July 12-15, Zlín, Czech Republic. Look, another heavy metal festival in Europe. This one’s big, though — real big. Masters of Rock is the second largest heavy metal fest (out of 10,000, it seems!) with almost 30,000 headbangers in attendance in 2006. Motörhead, Children of Bodom, Rage, and Sepultura are on the bill, along with a ton of smaller Czeck heavy metal bands.

EXIT, July 12-15, Novi Sad, Serbia. Head a little further east, and you’ll run into the 7th annual EXIT summer fest in Novi Sad, Serbia. Watch out, Heineken. Beck’s has their hands all over this one. “Held in the picturesque setting of an eighteenth century fortress by the Danube,” the festival boasts the hottest names in the electronic and dance music scene, including Basement Jaxx (another personal favorite of mine), John Digweed, and Richie Hawtin, along with pop music mainstays like the Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang Clan, and Robert Plant. [Official website]

Pitchfork Music Festival, July 13-15, Chicago, Illinois U.S.A. US-based Internet music mag Pitchfork has turned their snarky online success into one of Chicago’s hottest summer festivals, featuring a bunch of bands whose fans hope you’ve never heard of. I kid, I kid! The bill includes Sonic Youth, Slint, GZA, The New Pornographers, Iron and Wine, Of Montreal, and a few others. [Official website]

Metalcamp, July 16-22, Tolmin, Slovenia. Another — cough — European metal fest. Metalcamp is no walk in the park. Hard-hitters such as Motörhead, Blind Guardian, Immortal, Hatebreed, and Sepultura will be there to disturb the peace. [Official website]

Earthshaker Fest, July 19-21, Kreuth, Bavaria. Motörhead, Within Temptation, Cradle of Filth, Testament, Kreator, Sepultura, J.B.O., Gamma Ray, U.D.O., Unleashed, Korpiklaani, Legion of the Damned, God Dethroned, Freedom Call, Norther, Dew-Scented, Keep of Kalessin, Hatesphere, Graveworm, Threshold, Mystic Prophecy, Eluveitie, Melechesh, and last but not least: Beatallica! Haven’t heard of Beatallica? Start with their entry on Wikipedia, and then do what you can to see them live. [Official website]

Paléo Festival, July 24-29, Nyon, Switzerland. Named afer a successful racehorse (seriously), The Paléo fest is one of Switzerland’s biggest. Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, over 3 million people and 250 artists have attended the fest since its inception in 1976. 2007 brings the Swiss artists like Björk, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, and Arcade Fire. [Official website]

Fuji Rock Festival, July 27-29, Naeba, Japan. Our one and only Asian festival to make the list, the Fuji Rock Fest began its days in 1997, when a typhoon struck the Mt. Fuji area and nearly demolished the entire event. Meanwhile, hardcore fans stuck around like there wasn’t a frickin’ hurricane going on. Amazing. Even so, the second and third day of the festival had to be canceled. Hopefully this year the weather will hold, because they’ve got a killer line-up. Artists include The Chemical Brothers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Shins, and Blonde Redhead. [Official website]



Augustibuller, August 2-4, Lindesberg, Sweden. “Augustibuller” literally translates to “August sound pollution,” so don’t be mad when you show up and hear the likes of whatevercore bands like Madball, All That Remains, Discharge, and Rotten Sound. Hey, they warned you. [Official website]

Wacken Open Air, August 2-4, Wacken, Germany. The Wacken Open Air fest bills itself as the “largest exclusively metal music festival in the world,” with over 60,000 metal fans congregating in Wacken, Germany in 2006. It’s truly unbelievable how many metal festivals there are in Europe, but this is the one to go to. [Official website]

Lollapalooza, August 3-5, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Ah, Lollapalooza — the quintessential American rock music festival of the 1990s. You’ve had some rough times in the past, sure, but we’re glad to see you back in the swing of things. And what a line-up! Grant Park, watch out. Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Muse, Iggy & the Stooges, Modest Mouse, Interpol, My Morning Jacket, and many, many more will invade the Windy City this August. Be there. [Official website]

Uppsala Reggae Festival, August 9-11, Uppsala, Sweden. Uppsala is the largest reggae festival in all of Scandinavia. Earlier this year, the company who organizes the festival declared bankruptcy, leaving the fate of the festival unknown. Fortunately a new company (with some money) was formed, and the festival will continue on as planned. USCB Allstars, Gentleman, and Midnite are all on the bill, with plenty more reggae favorites to be announced soon. [Official website]

FM4 Frequency Festival, August 15-17, Salzburg, Austria. Austrian radio station FM4 and promotion company Musicnet joined forces back in 2001 to create the FM4 Frequency Festival, now Austria’s largest alternative music celebration. Nine Inch Nails, !!!, and M.I.A. are expected to perform, along with ex-Blur front man David Albarn’s latest project: the unnamed band whose debut album,The Good, the Bad and the Queen, reached #2 on the UK albums chart and reached gold status. Unnamed band, eh? I wonder how they announce them to the stage? “Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together for…!” [Official website]

Slane, August 18, Slane village, County Meath, Ireland. Slane is an annual concert held in Slane village, along the banks of River Boyne. In the past, ticket-less fans have died while attempting to swim the river to gain access. Teams of jet ski-riding rescue units now patrol the water during festival time. The Rolling Stones will be headlining this years concert, though it seems to be sold out. [Official website]

A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, August 18-19, Biddinghuizen, Netherlands. More commonly referred to as simply Lowlands, this festival is on par with late-May festival Pinkpop for popular Dutch festivals. This year, bands like Arcade Fire, Dizzie Rascal, and Motörhead are on the bill, along with the “hillbilly tribute to AC/DC,” Hayseed Dixie. A mixture of music, stand-up comedy, film, visual arts, literature and street theatre makes for a unique experience dubbed “Glasto meets Goa!” [Official website]

Electric Picnic, August 31-September 2, Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland. Who knew Ireland had so many good music festivals? The last, but not least, on our list is Electric Picnic, a unique festival that offers up an eclectic mix of music, film, stand-up comedy, and silent disco. Wait, silent disco? According to Wikipedia, “the concept of a silent disco is having a DJ play music which is then transmitted to headphones worn by audience members.” Modest Mouse, The Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, and many others will perform over three days. [Official website]

Fin!

10 Weird Summer Festivals

by Willy Volk on

From a baby-jumping festival in Spain, to rocketing down a hill after cheese in England, to chuckin’ cow chips in Wisconsin, here are 10 of the weirdest festivals you can hit this summer.

Be sure to take a camera. And some Band-Aids.

* May 14-15: The Pulilan Carabao Festival

Many farmers in the Philippines rely on carabaos, also known as water buffalo. Throughout the year, the beasts plow, sweat, and toil in the fields, getting muddy, and receiving little in return for their efforts. However, each May, the town of Pulilan celebrates its favorite farmyard animals.

For two days, the animals are the center of attention. On Day One, farmers shave their carabaos, soften their skin with oil, apply perfume to them, and decorate them with paint and ribbons. In the afternoon, farmers lead the carabaos to the town square to participate in a parade and kneel for blessings before a church. On Day 2, the froo-froo stuff is out the window as the carabaos compete in a race. Close to Manila, you can catch this “no bull” event easily.

* May 18-19: Mike The Headless Chicken Days

In 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen went to the barn to fetch dinner for his wife and mother-in-law. He spied Mike The Chicken and decided that he would do nicely. He raised his ax, swung it, and lopped off Mike’s head. However, Lloyd accidentally left one ear and the brain stem intact, meaning Mike didn’t die. For the next 18 months, Lloyd and Mike toured the region, charging spectators a quarter to take a gander at the headless bird, which could still eat and crow — sort of.

Today, the city of Fruita, Colorado, honors that poor, brainless bird’s moxie with its annual Mike the Headless Chicken Days that includes a Chicken Dance Contest, a Chicken Recipe Contest, a 5k “Run Like a Headless Chicken” race, Chicken Games, and more. Attending this event is definitely a “no-brainer.”

* May 28: Cooper Hill Cheese Rolling

Though it sounds benign (and kind of goofy), cheese-rolling is very dangerous. Running full-tilt down a very steep hill behind a madly spinning 7-pound wheel of cheese can be well-nigh lethal. In fact, police have attempted to ban the event, but participants have refused to observe the ban. Men and their cheese wheels can not be separated easily, evidently.

So what happens during a cheese roll? Simple: the cheese is set to rolling, and racers zoom down the hill after the cheese. However, as the cheese can reach speeds of up to 70 mph, it rarely happens that someone catches the cheese. First to the bottom wins the cheese. Glorious.

* June 8-9: The Baby-Jumping Festival of Calacho, Spain

In celebration of the Catholic festival of Corpus Christi, grown men leap over newborns, with full parental consent. Donning scary, vaguely Elvis-like costumes and wielding whips and truncheons, the men attempt to “cleanse” the babies of evil. Evidently, recklessly leaping over them is the best way to achieve this.

The town has observed the strange practice (called El Colacho) since 1620, and any onlookers who seem to be in need of a quick exorcism are pulled into the event, as well — so look normal, by God! And leave your babies with the sitter.

*June 16: The Hollerin’ Contest

Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina (population: 49), celebrates the art of hollerin’ each June; this year, the event falls on the 16th. On that day, participants can showcase their own personal “hollerin’ style” in any of 5 contests, including the Junior Hollerin’ Contest, the Ladies Callin’ Contest and, of course, the (men’s only) National Hollerin’ Contest.

Also featuring pageants and games — think: a biggest bell pepper contest, a watermelon roll (no idea if this involves a steep hill or not), and a square-dancing jamboree — the event draws an international crowd. Sounds like a knee-slapping good time.

* July 5-8: The Amazing Roswell UFO Festival

I visited the freaky, little outpost of Roswell, New Mexico a few years ago and had a out-of-this-world time. This July, the faithful (and the cynical) will gather at the Roswell UFO Festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the “Roswell Incident,” when a UFO was said to have crashed into military grounds nearby.

Featuring experts, authors, researchers, and lecturers dissecting the infamous incident, the celebration will also sport an alien parade, an alien costume contest , and an alien hot air balloon ride. I’m sure someone will be previewing Close Encounters.

*July 28 and 29: BLMA’s 12-Hour Endurance Race

In July, over 40 teams will test their mettle in The British Lawn Mower Racing Association‘s flagstone event: the 12-hour endurance race. Racing mowers? Isn’t that kinda pointless? Actually, since the event begins at 8 pm and lasts through the night, it’s downright grueling. See for yourself.

* 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.

* August 1-5: The Testicle Festival

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Clinton, Montana’s elegantly-named Testicle Festival. This 21-and-up-only event features lots of beer (like Bull Snort Brew) and all the bull balls you can eat. What?

Yup, attendees dine on Rocky Mountain Oysters — more commonly known as bull’s testicles — which are usually served deep-fried. Spectators also thrill in Bullsh*t Bingo, in which the crowd bets on when a bull will poop. Wow! Just think of the souvenirs available to you!

* September 1-2: The Wisconsin State Chip Throw

During Labor Day weekend, residents and visitors of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin gather to hurl dried cow poop during the Wisconsin State Chip Throw. Contestants are NOT allowed to use gloves, but they MAY lick their fingers prior to chucking their chips — which could be kind of gross when working on your second throw of the event.

Of course, the event also features a bovine-inspired Tournament of Chips parade, but who can bother watching the passersby, with all the turd-tossing?

Sounds like summer is going to be lots of fun!

Seventh Annual Bicycle Film Festival

by Adrienne Wilson on

Calling all fat tire, skinny tire, single tire and bicycle fans across the planet… It looks as if the 7th Annual Bicycle Film Festival is preparing to kick off between May 16-20 in NYC and they are still accepting submissions for films with a strong theme or character for bicycles. Submissions are being accepted until March 1, 2007. All mediums and styles are being selected so if you’ve got any well-cut footage of the time you pulled dare-devil like stunts over the Great Wall or spent a summer slowly cycling across the Australian outback, this may be a great opportunity to put it to use, show and tell and further more to attend a really gnarly film festival.

Festival days will go beyond throwing back popcorn in a dark dimly lit theater watching film. There will be a bike parade, street party, rocks shows as well as an art show featuring works by Michel Gondry, Swoon, Shepard Fairey, and Peter Sutherland. Surely this news must have rocked your socks off or your pedal, bike chain or whatever!!! While I don’t have any films to submit myself if I find myself anywhere in and around the NYC area during the May dates I’ll be there. The Bicycle Film Festival also takes place in LA, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, London, Sydney and Tokyo and many others. See the website for additional details.