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International Pillow Fight Day
Every April, many people eagerly prepare for a night of pillow fights. This is one of the world's unique summer festivals, attracting a large number of participants. The pillow fight is no longer unfamiliar, as it is now celebrated in 120 cities across 39 countries.
This is a very unique festival where participants fight each other with… pillows. Despite the fighting, this “riot” doesn’t cause any injuries; on the contrary, many people consider it a very fun festival that helps them relieve stress and strengthen bonds with friends.
Glastonbury Music Festival (England)
At the end of May each year, music lovers from all over the world flock to the Glastonbury music festival in England. It is considered the world's largest music festival and one of the world's most unique summer festivals.
Many Glastonbury music festivals have taken place in bad weather, but perhaps that hasn't stopped the audience from fully immersing themselves in the music. Even heavy rains that turn the ground muddy have become a unique feature of the festival. Attendees even take advantage of this opportunity to have fun playing in the wet mud.
The Glastonbury Festival takes place over five days in a muddy, weed-filled field near Pilton, Somerset. In addition to band performances, the festival features other acts such as comedy, dance, circus acts, and films.
Genzano Infiorata Flower Festival (Italy)
If you visit Italy in June, especially during Corpus Domini, you'll have the chance to witness the truly unique Genzano Infiorata flower festival. This is one of the world's most unique summer festivals, with religious origins stemming from Benedetto Drei and his son using flowers from St. Peter's Basilica to recreate a mosaic by cutting and arranging the flowers in different petal shapes, creating a truly remarkable picture.
During Infiorata, the streets of Italy are decorated by carpeting them with colorful flower petals, creating stunning works of art. These flower carpets come in a variety of designs, ranging from geometric shapes to inspirations from famous paintings.
To create such enormous flower carpets, people first sketch the image with chalk, then use thousands of flowers of different vibrant colors to connect and create vivid images. The flowers chosen must be of natural color and not dyed.
Body Painting Festival (Austria)
The Body Painting Festival, also known as the festival of painting on the human body, is held annually in July in Austria. First held in 1998, the festival offers prizes such as best special effects, most unique face painting, and awards for amateur artists. The festival aims to celebrate the beauty of the human body while showcasing the boundless creativity of humankind.
The person who played a major role in establishing this festival is Alex Barendregt, an employee of the Austrian tourism agency. In the summer of 1998, he was tasked with organizing a novel and exciting event, and Barendregt came up with the idea of organizing the Body Painting festival, which has now become one of the most unique summer festivals in the world.
La Tomatina tomato-throwing festival (Spain)
La Tomatina, arguably the largest fruit-throwing festival in Europe and one of the world's most unique summer festivals, is held on the last Wednesday of August in the town of Bunol, Valencia, Spain. The festival lasts for about a week. Interestingly, only about 8% of attendees are Spaniards; the rest are tourists.
At around 11 a.m., dozens of heavy trucks loaded with ripe tomatoes streamed into the town center to the cheers of thousands of enthusiastic participants. The first event of the Tomatina festival began, kicking off the festivities with the game of "palo jamón." A block of delicious jamon (cured ham) was hung atop a tall, greased pole in the town center. The battle began when someone climbed to the top of the pole and brought the piece of ham down.
All participants are encouraged to wear eye protection and gloves. Additionally, for safety, participants must crush the tomatoes before throwing them at others. No one is allowed to bring objects that could harm others, such as glass jars, metal objects, etc., and especially, tearing other people's clothing is strictly prohibited.
