25 Crazy And Outrageous Competitions From Around The World
Humanity has never needed much of an excuse to compete. But somewhere between inventing the Olympic Games and perfecting the marathon, we also invented shin-kicking, ferret legging, and racing down a steep hill after a rolling wheel of cheese. These 25 crazy and outrageous competitions prove that when it comes to human creativity — and sheer absurdity — there are truly no limits.
From the peat bogs of Wales to the river banks of Russia, these bizarre events are real, they’re celebrated, and thousands of people actually sign up for them every year. Some are ancient traditions with roots stretching back centuries. Others are gloriously modern inventions dreamed up by someone who clearly had too much free time and a genius sense of humor. All of them will make you simultaneously question humanity and love it a little more.
Whether you’re building your ultimate bucket list or just looking for proof that the world is wonderfully weird, buckle up. This global tour of absurdity is about to begin.
What Makes a Competition “Crazy” or “Outrageous”?
Not every unusual sport earns the label of truly outrageous. The competitions on this list share at least one of four defining qualities:
– Unconventional rules that would baffle anyone who stumbled in without context
– Extreme physical demands that push the body in deeply questionable directions
– An absurd premise so ridiculous it somehow becomes brilliant
– Deep cultural roots that make complete sense once you understand the history — and sometimes still don’t
With those criteria locked in, here are 25 competitions that meet the bar with flying colors.
The Competitions: A Global Tour of Absurdity
1. Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
Location: Cooper’s Hill, Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England
When: Annually, Spring Bank Holiday (late May)
A 7–9 lb wheel of Double Gloucester cheese launches down a near-vertical hill. Competitors hurl themselves after it. That’s the entire competition.
The cheese reaches speeds of up to 70 mph (112 km/h), meaning no human can actually catch it — the goal is simply to be the first person to reach the bottom. Injuries range from cuts and bruises to broken bones. The winner gets to keep the cheese. Despite efforts to cancel it on safety grounds, locals keep the unofficial event alive every year, and it dates back to at least 1826.
2. Wife Carrying (Eukonkanto)
Location: Sonkajärvi, Finland
When: Annually in July
Competitors carry a female teammate through an obstacle course that includes water hazards, fences, and sand traps. Speed is everything. The “wife” doesn’t actually have to be your wife — she just has to be willing and weigh at least 49 kg (108 lbs).
The prize? Her weight in beer. Wife carrying originated in Finland and is now a global phenomenon, with qualifying events held across the United States, Australia, and Europe. The Estonian carry — where she hangs upside down with her legs around the man’s neck — remains the most popular and efficient technique.
3. World Bog Snorkeling Championship
Location: Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales
When: Annually in August
Participants swim two lengths of a 60-yard peat bog trench using only snorkels and flippers. The key rule: no conventional swimming strokes allowed. You must rely entirely on flipper power to push through the thick, murky water.
Running since 1985, this is one of Wales’s most beloved annual spectacles. Around 170 competitors from over 20 countries enter each year. The bog is real, the water is cold, and the visibility is essentially zero. Welcome to Wales in August.
4. Air Guitar World Championships
Location: Oulu, Finland
When: Annually in August
Since 1996, competitors have taken the stage in Oulu to shred on an instrument that doesn’t exist. Judges score performances on technical merit, stage presence, and “airness” — the elusive quality of making air guitar look genuinely convincing.
The philosophy of the competition is disarmingly sincere: organizers believe that if everyone played air guitar, there would be no wars. Contestants travel from dozens of countries, wearing elaborate costumes and committing fully to the bit. It’s ridiculous, theatrical, and oddly moving when someone really nails it.
5. World Worm Charming Championship
Location: Willaston, Cheshire, England
When: Annually in June
Participants have 30 minutes to lure as many earthworms as possible out of a 3×3 meter plot of earth. Digging is forbidden — you can only use vibrations. Most competitors stomp, tap, or stick a garden fork in the ground and wiggle it.
The world record, set in 1980 when the championship began, stands at a staggering 567 worms in a single session. Competitors guard their vibration techniques like trade secrets. There is no prize beyond glory and a plastic trophy. Participants return every year anyway.
6. Shin-Kicking
Location: Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, England (Cotswold Olimpick Games)
When: Annually in May or June
Two contestants face each other, grab each other’s collar, and proceed to kick each other in the shins until someone collapses. That’s not a modern invention born of irony — this is a centuries-old sport that forms part of the Cotswold Olimpick Games, which date back to the early 17th century.
Competitors stuff straw into their trousers for minimal padding. The referee is called a “stickler.” Winners advance through knockout rounds. If you’ve ever wondered whether humans were always this wonderfully strange, the answer is a resounding yes.
7. Extreme Ironing
Location: Worldwide — mountaintops, underwater, mid-skydive
When: Various, with an annual bureau competition
Born in Leicester, England, in 1997 when a man named Phil Shaw decided to combine his least favorite household chore with rock climbing, extreme ironing has become a legitimate global movement. Participants take a real ironing board and actually press real clothes in the most dangerous or remote location they can access.
People have ironed underwater, on ski slopes, hanging from cliffs, and during freefall. The results must be photographed as proof. The garments must be genuinely wrinkle-free. Commitment to the bit is non-negotiable.
8. Baby Crying Contest (Nakizumo)
Location: Various temples across Japan, including Sensoji Temple, Tokyo
When: Annually in spring
Two sumo wrestlers each hold a baby. A referee wearing a demon mask attempts to make the babies cry. Whichever baby cries first — or loudest — wins. If both cry simultaneously, the louder one takes the prize.
This tradition dates back over 400 years and is rooted in the Japanese belief that a baby’s cry wards off evil spirits and ensures good health. Parents enter their children voluntarily and view it as a blessing. The wrestlers treat the babies with extraordinary gentleness despite the terrifying masks.
9. Black Pudding Throwing
Location: Ramsbottom, Lancashire, England
When: Annually in September
Competitors stand on a platform and hurl a black pudding — a traditional blood sausage — at a stack of Yorkshire puddings perched 20 feet above them on a plinth. Knock down the most puddings to win.
The event is a good-natured revival of the ancient rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire, two counties with a history of competition stretching back to the Wars of the Roses. The ammunition is real, the puddings are real, and the bragging rights are absolutely real.
10. Punkin Chunkin
Location: Various U.S. locations (originally Bridgeville, Delaware)
When: Annually in autumn
Teams build and operate machines — trebuchets, catapults, centrifugal devices, and air cannons — with one sole objective: launch a pumpkin as far as humanly possible. The air cannon world record exceeds 4,600 feet (roughly 1,400 meters), which is nearly a mile of airborne gourd.
This beloved American tradition began in 1986 and has grown into a massive spectator event televised on major networks. Engineers, hobbyists, and competitive pumpkin enthusiasts spend months designing and optimizing their machines. It is, by every measure, the most serious competition involving flying vegetables in existence.
11. Lawnmower Racing
Location: UK and USA primarily
When: Various, with major events in summer
Racing lawnmowers — blades removed for obvious reasons — at speeds that can exceed 80 mph on modified machines. The British Lawn Mower Racing Association launched the sport in 1973 with a specific goal: to create a motorsport accessible to ordinary people without enormous budgets.
It worked. Lawnmower racing now has dedicated leagues, international events, and fiercely loyal fan bases. Watching a row of modified garden tools screaming around a dirt track at speed is one of motorsport’s genuine hidden pleasures.
12. Chess Boxing
Location: Berlin, London, Los Angeles, and other global cities
When: Various throughout the year
Eleven alternating rounds: six of chess, five of boxing. A competitor can win by knockout, checkmate, or opponent’s resignation. Mental and physical exhaustion arrive simultaneously, which is precisely the point.
Chess boxing was conceived by Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh in 2003, inspired by a French comic book. The sport requires competitors to slow their heart rate after a boxing round and immediately focus on complex positional chess strategy. It has a dedicated world championship, multiple national federations, and a growing amateur circuit. It is completely insane and deeply impressive.
13. Bubble Baba Challenge
Location: Vuoksa River, Russia
When: Annually in summer
Participants strap themselves to inflatable dolls and race down a stretch of the Vuoksa River. The challenge requires navigating rapids and currents while maintaining a grip on an aerodynamic inflatable companion. Thousands compete every year.
The event has grown into one of Russia’s most popular outdoor summer festivals, drawing competitors and spectators from across the country. It’s chaotic, loud, and genuinely hilarious to watch from the riverbank.
14. World Sauna Championships (Discontinued)
Location: Heinola, Finland
This one comes with an important disclaimer: the World Sauna Championships no longer exist. Competitors sat in a sauna heated to 110°C (230°F) while water was poured over the coals every 30 seconds. The last person to walk out won.
The event drew global attention for years before it was permanently discontinued following a fatality in 2010. It stands as a sobering reminder that some competitions cross the line from outrageous into genuinely dangerous, and a reason why it belongs on any honest list of truly extreme human endeavors.
15. Ferret Legging
Location: Yorkshire, England
When: Various local events
Competitors tie the bottoms of their trousers shut, drop live ferrets inside, and endure for as long as possible. No undergarments are permitted. The ferrets are not declawed. The world record stands at 5 hours and 30 minutes, set by a man named Reg Mellor, who described his secret as “ye just got to be able to have your ferrets bite ye without minding.”
The sport originated in Yorkshire pubs and was particularly popular in the 1970s and 80s. It has declined in prevalence, but still surfaces at county fairs and rural festivals. There are no words adequate to the task of explaining it further.
16. Haggis Hurling
Location: Scotland (various Highland Games)
When: Annually throughout summer
A haggis — the traditional Scottish dish of sheep offal cooked in a stomach lining — is placed on a whisky barrel platform. Competitors throw it as far as possible, landing intact on the other side. The haggis must land in one piece to count.
This is a serious throwing event with dedicated technique, and it forms part of traditional Scottish Highland Games. The distance record stands at over 66 meters. Haggis hurlers take their craft seriously, and you would be wise not to laugh too loudly in their presence.
17. Mud Olympics (Wattolympics)
Location: Brunsbüttel, Germany
When: Annually in August or September
Football, handball, volleyball, and other sports — played in the thick tidal mud flats of the German Wadden Sea. Teams sink ankle to knee-deep with every step. Running is nearly impossible. The spectacle is extraordinary.
What elevates the Mud Olympics beyond pure absurdity is its purpose: the event raises money for cancer research. Thousands of participants pay entry fees, and the event draws major sponsorship and local support. Mud-soaked competition for a genuinely good cause.
18. World Toe Wrestling Championship
Location: Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire, England
When: Annually in June
Like arm wrestling, but with feet. Competitors lock toes and attempt to pin their opponent’s foot to a wooden frame called a “toesrack.” Three rounds, alternating feet. The rules are strict and enforced by dedicated referees.
Established in 1970 by a group of locals who wanted England to win at least one world championship in something, toe wrestling has since attracted international competitors. England has, gratifyingly, won most of the time.
19. Tunarama Festival (Tuna Tossing)
Location: Port Lincoln, South Australia
When: Annually in January
During the Tunarama Festival — a celebration of the local fishing industry — competitors hurl a frozen tuna as far as possible. The fish weigh up to 10 kg (22 lbs), and the competition requires both technique and raw strength.
The event draws thousands of tourists to Port Lincoln each Australia Day weekend and has become a significant economic driver for the region. Former Olympic hammer throw champion Sean Carlin held the record for years with a throw of 37.23 meters. The locals remain extremely proud of this.
20. Cardboard Boat Regatta
Location: Various locations across the USA and worldwide
When: Various, often summer
Teams build boats using only cardboard and duct tape, then race them across a body of water. The boats must carry at least one person. The results range from surprisingly seaworthy to catastrophically soggy within seconds of launch.
Cardboard Boat Regattas are popular at universities and community festivals worldwide, combining engineering ingenuity with spectacular public failure. Bonus points are often awarded to teams whose boats sink in the most theatrical manner possible.
21. Great Knaresborough Bed Race
Location: Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England
When: Annually in June
Six runners push a bed carrying one passenger through a 2.4-mile course that winds through the town and includes a river crossing — bed, passenger, and all. Teams decorate their beds elaborately, with themes judged separately from the race itself.
The event has run annually since 1966 and raises significant funds for local charities. The river crossing is the defining moment: some beds float, briefly. Most don’t. The passenger is expected to stay in the bed throughout, which requires a particular kind of trust in one’s teammates.
22. Underwater Hockey (Octopush)
Location: Worldwide
When: Year-round, with major championships annually
Two teams of ten players (six in the water at a time) push a 1.5 kg lead puck along the bottom of a swimming pool using short sticks, attempting to score in the opposing team’s goal. Players hold their breath while engaged and surface to breathe between plays.
Octopush was invented in the UK in the 1950s by a scuba diving club looking for a way to stay active in winter. It now has a World Aquachallenge Association, regular international championships, and active leagues on six continents. The sport requires extraordinary breath control, spatial awareness, and the ability to function effectively while essentially drowning.
23. Road Kill Cook-Off (Marlinton Roadkill Cook-Off and Festival)
Location: Marlinton, West Virginia, USA
When: Annually in October
Chefs compete using animals that commonly become roadkill — deer, squirrel, groundhog, possum — prepared according to strict freshness standards. The animals must be genuinely road-killed (not farmed), and chefs bring considerable culinary skill to the preparation.
Far from being a shock-value event, the Roadkill Cook-Off is a genuine celebration of Appalachian foodways and hunting culture. Dishes have included venison stew, squirrel dumplings, and groundhog chili. Local judges take the competition seriously, and the festival draws visitors from across the region.
24. Extreme Pogo (Xpogo)
Location: Worldwide, with major events at festivals and sporting venues
When: Various
Elite pogostickers perform tricks at heights exceeding 9 feet using specialized high-performance pogo sticks capable of launching riders to extreme heights. Tricks include flips, spins, and combinations that mirror skateboard and BMX trick vocabularies.
What began as a sideshow novelty has evolved into a recognized extreme sport with a dedicated professional circuit, world championship events, and athletes who train full-time. The sticks cost thousands of dollars. The tricks are genuinely terrifying and technically stunning.
25. Nailympia
Location: London, Sydney, Orlando, and other major cities
When: Various throughout the year
The world’s most prestigious nail art competition brings together professional nail technicians to compete across dozens of categories, including hand-painted art, 3D nail sculpture, fantasy nails, and speed application. Pieces can take hundreds of hours to create.
Nailympia occupies a fascinating space in the outrageous competition landscape: it’s an event that most people don’t know exists, involves a level of artistic mastery that genuinely staggers the uninitiated, and produces results so elaborate they border on architectural. Judges include industry icons, and winners shape global nail art trends for years. Outrageous in its dedication, it earns its place on this list without question.
Beyond the Finish Line: The Spirit of Crazy Competitions
What drives thousands of people to stuff ferrets in their trousers, swim through peat bogs, and throw haggis across Scottish fields? The answer is more human than it might first appear.
Community. Many of these competitions exist primarily as social glue. The Great Knaresborough Bed Race has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities. The Mud Olympics funds cancer research. Even cheese rolling, dangerous as it is, is fundamentally an act of communal tradition — locals protecting something that belongs to their town’s identity.
Rebellion against the mundane. Extreme ironing was invented by a man who genuinely hated ironing. By making it absurd, he reclaimed it. There’s a psychological truth buried in every outrageous competition: the act of doing something ridiculous together strips away pretension and reminds participants that life doesn’t have to be relentlessly serious.
Tradition. Shin-kicking is 400 years old. Nakizumo predates it by another two centuries. These events outlasted empires, wars, and modernization because communities chose to keep them alive. That’s not absurdity — that’s commitment to cultural identity in one of its purest forms.
The list of weird competitions grows every year, with new events invented and old ones rediscovered. Platforms like List25 have helped bring many of these obscure traditions to global audiences who might otherwise never discover them, turning local oddities into internationally celebrated spectacles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous crazy competition in the world?
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling is widely considered the most dangerous still-active competition, with near-universal injuries among participants due to the extreme slope and unpredictable falls. The now-discontinued World Sauna Championships resulted in a fatality in 2010, which led to its permanent cancellation.
Are these competitions actually legal?
Most are, yes — though some operate in regulatory grey areas. Cheese rolling, for instance, has no official permit and technically takes place without formal authorization. Others, like Chess Boxing and Underwater Hockey, have governing bodies and regulated competition structures.
Can anyone enter these competitions?
Many are open to the public with minimal entry requirements. Bog Snorkeling, Wife Carrying, and the Great Knaresborough Bed Race all welcome amateur entrants. Some, like Nailympia, require professional credentials or qualifying performances.
Where are the most unusual competitions concentrated geographically?
England accounts for a remarkable number of outrageous competitions — cheese rolling, shin-kicking, toe wrestling, black pudding throwing, ferret legging, and bog snorkeling (in Wales) all call the British Isles home. Finland is also a significant hub, hosting wife carrying, air guitar, and the former sauna championships.
Are there any outrageous competitions in the United States?
Several. Punkin Chunkin, the Roadkill Cook-Off, lawnmower racing, and cardboard boat regattas all have strong American traditions. The USA also hosts qualifying events for international competitions like wife carrying.
Do these competitions generate significant local economies?
Many do. The Tunarama Festival brings major tourism revenue to Port Lincoln, Australia. The Mud Olympics attracts thousands of paying participants. The Knaresborough Bed Race raises substantial charity funds. Outrageous competitions often become significant local economic engines precisely because their novelty draws outside visitors.
Conclusion
The 25 crazy and outrageous competitions on this list represent something genuinely wonderful about human nature: our irresistible compulsion to turn anything — ironing, cheese, ferrets, peat bogs, pumpkins — into a reason to gather, compete, and celebrate. These events aren’t footnotes to human culture. In many cases, they are the culture, preserved and passed down because communities recognized that joy and absurdity are worth protecting.
The next time you find yourself in rural England in May, Wales in August, or Finland in July, know that something extraordinary — and possibly involving mud, straw-stuffed trousers, or a live ferret — is probably happening nearby. The question is whether you have the courage to enter.