From snorkelling through a bog in Wales to painting your belly in Japan and a gathering of TWINS in Ohio: Seven of the strangest summer festivals around the world revealed
- These summer celebrations will open your eyes to a whole new world of weird
- Which festival would you like to attend? Scroll down to vote in our poll...
- READ MORE: Travel experts reveal five cities perfect for solo travellers
Forget listening to techno music and queuing at length for overpriced food at typical festivals - these summer celebrations offer something far more off-beat.
Here, MailOnline Travel has rounded up seven of the world's most peculiar summer festivals.
And they'll open your eyes to a whole new world of weird.
Fancy yourself a champion at wife carrying, snorkelling through bogs or perhaps you'd like to dance with a painted belly button? Whatever you prefer, there's likely a celebration for it.
Scroll down to discover which strange festival you'd like to attend.
Boryeong Mud Festival - South Korea
In the thick of it: MudFest, pictured here, happens every July in the small town of Boryeong, South Korea. Attendees enjoy mud baths, slides and even mud-wrestling
For two weeks every July, around 1.5 million people flock to Boryeong, South Korea, a small town on the western coast, for MudFest.
Mud baths, mudslides and obstacle courses have made this festival world-famous - attracting locals and tourists alike. You'll find a range of mud-centred activities, from wrestling to body painting.
Amid the mud, there are also street performances, food stalls and live music.
Festival of the Near Death Experiences - Spain
The Festival of the Near Death Experiences (pictured) is held in Las Nieves in Spain and celebrates those who have come close to dying
Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme, or Festival of the Near-Death Experience, is held in the small village of Las Nieves in Spain every July.
The strange ritual involves celebrating those who have had near-death experiences by parading them around the town in open padded coffins.
Although centred around a fairly morbid theme, the festival usually involves a fireworks display and parties carried on into the following day.
Bog Snorkelling Championships - Wales
Once a year, in August, people flock to Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales to snorkel in a 60-yard peat bog trench for the Bog Snorkelling Championships
The Bog Snorkelling Championship is held every August in the dense Waen Rhydd bog in Llanwrtyd Wells in Mid Wales.
At the event, competitors try to complete two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard water-filled trench cut through a peat bog in the shortest time possible.
If swimming isn't your suit, you can enter the festival's fancy dress competition, which has awards for the best costumes. A pantomime horse and a life-size Barbie and Ken (still in their box) are just some of the previous year's costumes.
Wife Carrying World Championships - Finland
In Sonkajärvi, Finland, men strap their wives to their backs, as seen above, and complete an obstacle course
Every July, men from all over the world come to Sonkajärvi, Finland, to test their strength by running a tough obstacle course with their wives - or female partners - strapped to their backs.
The track is around 250 metres long and has two dry obstacles and one water obstacle about a metre deep. The winning team is paid in beer - enough to match the exact body weight of their carried partner.
There are prizes for second and third place plus awards for the most entertaining couple, best costume and strongest carrier. It costs 50 euros (£42/$53) to enter, granting access to a weekend full of events.
Twins Days Festival - Ohio
Seeing double: The Twins Days Festival is an annual event welcoming twins and other multiples from all over the world to Twinsburg, Ohio
The Twins Days Festival, which began in 1975, is the largest annual gathering of twins and other multiples in the world. And where better to host it than Twinsburg, Ohio?
The festival is held over a long weekend at the beginning of August and involves events from the 'double take parade' to a talent show.
Twins can register to participate in activities, while general admission costs $5 (£3.95) and there's a different theme each year. This year's is 'off two the races'. Guests are encouraged to dress up in racing gear from across the world.
Bellybutton Festival - Japan
Could you stomach it? Japan's bellybutton festival (pictured) is held every July in Furano, Hokkaido
Hokkai Heso Matsuri, also known as the Bellybutton Festival, takes place every year at the end of July in Furano, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan. The festival began in 1969 and celebrates the navel because Furano is seen as the centre, or bellybutton, of Hokkaido.
The main event of the festival is the 'Heso Odori' or 'Bellybutton Dance'. It involves participants painting unique and colourful faces, known as 'Zubara', onto their bellies and swaying to the rhythm of traditional folk tunes.
To emphasize their paintings, Visit Hokkaido notes, dancers wear large hats to conceal their faces from the neck upwards.
Elvis Festival - Australia
The Elvis Festival extravaganza takes place every summer in the small Australian town of Parkes - fans travel from up and down the country to attend
The Elvis Festival, held in the small farming town of Parkes, New South Wales, hosts around 25,000 die-hard fans every year.
The extravaganza boasts a jam-packed programme with parades, live music and dance and dress-up competitions. Aussies in their finest sequined suits travel from up and down the country to attend.
The event takes place annually in the second week of January and coincides with Elvis' birthday. The 2025 festival (8-12 January) will celebrate its 32nd year.
