Welcome back for another edition of our “Where To Travel In…” series, where we tell you about the best places to travel each month.  If you thought September was a dull month, think again.  There’s plenty of good stuff — and plenty of weirdness — to keep you busy all month long.  So prepare to usher in fall with these festivals and celebrations from around the world.

Oktoberfest – Munich, Germany

September 18 – October 4

Contrary to popular belief, Oktoberfest is NOT in October… it’s mostly in September.  That’s a cruel trick to play on drunk people.  But Septemberfest doesn’t really have the same ring to it.  This year marks the 200th anniversary of what has become the world’s largest fair, and we’re sure people will celebrate by drinking even more beer during the 16-day festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival – Asia

September 8 – October 7

It’s not even autumn yet, yet all over Asia millions of people will be celebrating the 3,000-year old Mid-Autumn Festival.  In Malayasia, Singapore and the Philippines, this celebration of moon worship is called the Lantern Festival, where the streets become overrun with fairs, thousands of colorful lanterns are illuminated and bakeries sell the most popular treat: mooncakes.  The largest celebration will take place on September 22nd when the moon is the fullest.

Ganesh Chaturthi – India

September 11 – 21

This 10-day Hindu festival celebrates the birthday of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune (but if you’ve got an elephant head, that sounds more like misfortune than good fortune). It is a time of singing, dancing, theater and competition between communities as they try to upstage one another by building the largest and most elaborate Ganesha statue.

Krishna Janmashtami

September 2

Lord Krishna’s birthday is celebrated all across India, and many temples hold performances that reenactment the life of Krishna. In Mumbai, they celebrate with a ceremony called Dahi Handi, where young men form a human pyramid and try to reach a pot of butter that hangs between two buildings.  Since no one really cares about winning butter, money is attached to the pot as an incentive to climb up five stories.

Pagerwesi – Bali, Indonesia

September 29

September is a month of festivities in Indonesia, and perhaps the most important is Pagerwesi. This is when people hold opulent ceremonies and make offerings to their supreme god to drive out evil spirits and attract good ones. Ceremonies take place in almost every house and temple in Bali, but the most extravagant are in Northern Bali.

Festa de la Mercè – Barceonla, Spain

September 23 – 26

Barcelona virtually shuts down for the city’s biggest party of the year. Performances, firework shows, religious ceremonies and parades take place well into the night. The main event is when people form a human pyramid and have a young child climb to the top and stand up. Why do Spaniards love to endanger children?

Festival of Ancient Culture – Xi’an, China

September

During the entire month of September, Xi’an celebrates their history by performing traditional dances and music that have existed for over 4,000 years.

We hope you’re hungry because September has a lot of great food festivals…

Galway International Oyster Festival – Galway, Ireland

September 22 – 26

The Galway International Oyster Festival began in 1954 to herald oyster season and now it has grown into one of the longest running food festivals in the world. It’s also home to the World Oyster Opening Championship, where the contestant who shucks 30 oysters the fastest is declared the winner, and still nobody will really care.

Brotherhood of Goat Meat Eaters Festival – Bellegarde-en-Marche, France

September 5

This small village has been celebrating the goat — by eating it — ever since goat horns that were used as weapons saved the village during the Hundred Years War.  Now they celebrate with a parade and feasts of goat.  That doesn’t seem like an appropriate way to honor the goat, does it?

Newent Onion Fayre – Newent, Gloucestershire

September 11

The Newent Onion Fayre largest (and most unusual) fair in the region and it’s a celebration of all things onion. There’s even an onion eating competition.  The winner probably won’t be allowed in the car on the ride home.

The Great British Cheese Festival – Cardiff, England

September 25 – 26

You can sample over 450 varieties of cheese at the Great British Cheese Festival, which is one of the largest cheese festivals in the world.  Just don’t cut it and ruin everyone’s day.

Beef-A-Rama – Minocqua, Wisconsin

September 25

The main event in this celebration of beef is when over 60 roasts are paraded through town, which really isn’t that cool to do if there’s homeless people present.  Visitors can purchase beef sandwiches after the parade.

World Bacon Eating Championship – Cincinati, Ohio

September 4

Normally the World Hamburger Eating Championship would be taking place around this time, but since it’s off this year, you can buy your own burgers and head to the world Bacon Eating Championship instead for even more delicious meal.

Independence Day may have passed, but you can relive it in other countries…

San Marino’s Day

September 3

This tiny country of 30,000 people celebrates their independence day with The Feast of San Marino and the Republic.

National Day of Vietnam

September 2

Vietnam celebrates their independence from France and Japan with nationwide celebrations.

Mexican Independence Day

September 16

No, Drinko de Mayo is NOT Mexico’s independence day (it commemorates the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla in 1862). This year’s celebration will be the largest ever as Mexico celebrates 200 years of independence. Mexico City will be the sight of parties, parades and plenty of Tecate.

Check out some of these great music and art festivals in September…

Bestival – Isle of Wright, England

September 9 – 12

Bestival is a three-day music festival known for its features like an annual fancy dress competition, an inflatable church where people can get married, and a “Breastival” yurt where mothers can breastfeed in privacy. Like people would really find exposed breasts offensive at a music festival.

Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England

September 17 – 25

Jane Austen fans flock to the city of Bath, where Austen once lived, for this annual festival. Last year they set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Gathering of People Dressed in Regency Costumes with 409.

World of Wearable Art – Wellington, New Zealand

September 23 – October 3

Art and fashion collide during a two-hour performance that showcases some of the most extravagant and avant garde designs in the world.

September is a big month for sports.  Weird sports, that is…

International Camel Races – Virginia City, Nevada

September 10 – 12

What began as a joke 51 years ago has now become a real event where people from all over the world come Nevada to race camels around a 300 foot track.

World Championships of Sand Sculpting – Federal Way, Washington

September 3 – October 8

Last month’s U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition was just a warm-up to the largest sand sculpting competition in the world.

Historical Regatta – Venice, Italy

September 5

This gondola rowing race through the canals of Venice is the most famous event in the city.

World Stone Skimming Championships – Easdale Island, Scotland

September 26

Made our list of 15 Strange Sports Festivals and World Championships.  The winner is the person who can skip the stone the furthest distance.

Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw

September 3 – 4

This entire festival is dedicated to one event: chip throwing. For everyone that didn’t grow up on a farm, that means cow poop throwing. Worst part is, competitors can’t use gloves.  Who and why would anyone want to do this?

World Berry Picking Championships – Suomussalmi, Finland

September 4

Who cares about the start of the NFL season when you can watch the even more dramatic World Berry Picking Championships? Contestants have one hour to gather as many lingonberries as they can to win a cash prize.

Stiletto Sprint – Toronto, Canada

September 17

Hundreds of people — men included — race in three-inch heels for cash. The winning woman gets $10,000 and the winning man gets $1,000. That seems backwards. Shouldn’t the man get more because he doesn’t know how to run in heels?  And if he does know, we’re concerned.

You can always count on Spain, Japan and the U.S. to hold the weirdest festivals in September…

Cascamorras – Baza and Gaudix, Spain

September 6 and 9

Every year, a battle over a statue of the Virgin Mary resumes as the town of Gaudix sends appointed jesters to try and steal the statue from Baza. If they’re able to avoid being pelted with paint and stays completely clean, they get to keep the statue. But they’ve failed every year for the last 500 years. So two days later, when jesters are sent back to Gaudix, they’re pelted again by their own people for failing the mission.  Being the jester is supposed to be an honor but it sounds like punishment.

Dosjin Festival – Matsumoto, Japan

Late September

We’re not sure if the rumors are true, but nonetheless, the Japanese love to celebrate the penis. At this phallus festival, women dress up as giant penises and walk around the streets, and giant penis floats are paraded around town.

Ohara Hadaka Matsuri – Ohara, Japan

September 23 – 24

For thousands of years, nearly naked Japanese men from the town of Ohara run with heavy Shinto shrines into the sea as part of the Shio-fumi ritual during the Ohara Naked Festival. Legend has it that both participants and spectators receive good luck and prosperity. This is the second most famous of Japan’s Naked Festivals; but you’ll have to wait until February to see the biggest one in Okayama.

Macchina di Santa Rosa – Viterbo, Italy

September 3

A tradition over 400 years old that revolves around 130 men carrying a 30-meter tall tower adorned in lights through the city and up to the Santa Rosa Church to honor the transfer of the body of Santa Rosa to this church in 1258.  At least they get to eat Italian food after all that work.

Equinox Snake Shadow – Chichen Itza, Mexico

September 23

The Mayans built and aligned the Temple of Kukulcan, the Snake God, so that on the spring and fall equinox, his shadow would appear to crawl down the side of the pyramid.

Long’s Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival – Estes Park, Colorado

September 9 – 12

Drink, dance… and joust? Yes, this annual festival hosts a jousting competition. But that’s not all: there’s also terrier races.  There are tons of highland games, but how many have terrier races?

Feria de Pedro Romero – Ronda, Spain

The first week of September

The entire town dresses in 18th century Goya-style costumes during this festival, with the main attraction being a bullfight to honor Pedro Romero, the father of modern bullfighting.

Bugfest – North Carolina, United States

September 11

The largest festival of bugs takes place at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences where visitors can learn about bugs, play with bugs and even eat bugs.

Running Of The Sheep – Reedpoint, Montana

September 5

If you’re too chicken to attend the Running Of The Bulls in Spain, then the Running Of The Sheep is for you. The event also features contests for the ugliest and prettiest goats.

Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri – Osaka, Japan

September 14 – 15

This is the most famous of Japan’s cart-pulling festivals (called Danjiri Matsuri). Participants pull large wooden carts holding a portable shrine through the streets in a race against 60 to 70 other carts.

Where do you want to go this September?