La Pourcailhade
When it comes to unusual events, the annual “Pig Celebration” in the southwest of France stands out. This festival takes place on the second Sunday of August in the former major pig-rearing regions of France. Highlights of the festival include sausage-selling stalls and piglet races, where visitors can bet on which animal they think will win. The weirdest part of this event is the “Pig Squealing Championship,” where participants must make different pig noises based on various stages of the animal’s lifecycle. (I even think this is harder than doing exam questions…)
Fête du Lait
Le Neuf, a small village in northern France, is the venue for the annual Milk Festival, attracting farmers from across the province. The one-day event held every September will amaze visitors with 100 different specimens of cows and allow them to taste some of the region’s finest dairy products. The highlight of this event is the beauty queen contest, where young women from local villages compete for the title of “Miss Protein.”
Fête de l’Escargot
Snail enthusiasts would be delighted to visit the picturesque town of Osenbach in Alsace at the end of April! The annual Snail Festival here is a serious affair, to the extent that the town even has its own brotherhood dedicated to these “humble” mollusks. People flock from all around to attend this two-day event, which features traditional music and dance, local beer tastings, and most importantly, snail tastings. The festival also features a traditional snail race, held in a custom-built arena.
