Cheese Rolling, Bog Snorkeling, and More: Discovering Britain’s Strange Festivals (British Quirks 24/30)

Moving to the UK as an American, I thought I knew what a festival looked like: food trucks, music stages, maybe a craft market. What I didn’t expect was a country where rolling wheels of cheese down a hill could be a serious sporting event.

The First Festival That Made Me Question Reality

My introduction to British eccentric festivals was via the infamous Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling. Imagine hundreds of people hurtling down a steep hill, chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. People tumble, bounce, and occasionally fly through the air—all for the glory of catching—or at least surviving—the cheese.

I’ll admit it: my first reaction was to laugh, then gasp, then question my own sanity for living somewhere this wild.

Quirky, Competitive, and Completely British

The UK is full of festivals and competitions that make Americans do a double take:

• Bog Snorkeling (Wales): Swimmers in snorkels and flippers race through peat-filled water-filled trenches. No traditional swimming strokes allowed—just pure, muddy absurdity.

• Wife Carrying (Scotland): Contestants carry their partners through obstacle courses. Strength, speed, and balance are all tested, along with a sense of humor.

• World Gurning Championship (Cumbria): Participants contort their faces in the most grotesque expressions possible, often framed by a horse collar. It’s bizarre, hilarious, and strangely respected.

Every event seems to share a theme: the weirder, the better. And unlike back home, no one bats an eye at people willingly diving into a swamp or chasing dairy products down a hill.

Why They Keep Doing It

For the British, these events aren’t just for spectacle—they’re tradition, community, and a celebration of absurdity. They bring towns together, attract visitors from far and wide, and give people stories they’ll tell for years. There’s also something very British about laughing at yourself and embracing the ridiculous.

The Cultural Lesson

Living in the UK has taught me that weirdness isn’t something to hide—it’s something to celebrate. The same country that invented the stiff upper lip also invented mud wrestling and annual tomato fights. Festivals like these are proof that history, humor, and a love of competition can coexist in the strangest, most entertaining ways.

My Takeaway as an American

I’ve learned to approach these festivals with equal parts caution and curiosity. You never know when you might be asked to roll a wheel of cheese, snorkel through a bog, or make the ugliest face of your life—but you’re guaranteed to have a story that no one back home will believe.

And honestly? That’s exactly why I love it here.