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The Chilham Chase

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  • BRITAIN
May 21 2013

Chilham Castle in Kent celebrated it’s 400th anniversary over the weekend, which culminated in runners re-enacting the Dudley Digges Memorial Chase, last run over 150 years ago. In his will, Sir Dudley Digges left prize money for a race to be run each year ‘by young men and maidens of good conversation from Chilham and its surrounds’. Over time the racers became less orderly, indeed even disorderly and the Wildman family, owners of the castle at the time in true Victorian rectitude, called a stop to the proceedings! On Sunday the race got underway once again with a “bang” and […]

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Whittlesea Straw Bear

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  • BRITAIN
Jan 14 2013

The Whittlesea Straw Bear festival took place on Saturday in an annual custom which was started in the 1800’s, forbidden in the early 1900’s, and revived in 1980 by the Whittlesea Society. The bear, and two smaller bears parade around the town of Whittlesea near Peterborough, accompanied by his or her attendant minder, musicians and dancers. They visit most of the town’s public houses on their journey, and perform a clumsy dance in front of the audiences that have gathered at each one. Historically they would do this to to receive gifts of money, food & beer. The straw costume […]

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Silvesterchlausen in Urnäsch

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  • ABROAD
Jan 04 2012

New Years eve is celebrated in a very special and unique way in many villages in the Swiss canton of Appenzell, but only in Urnäsch do they celebrate it again on January 13 (New Year’s Eve, according to the Julian calendar). The tradition of chläuse, a custom over 200 years old has developed from simple begging in disguise, into an expression of creative handwork. The Chläuse wear robes and masks which require a great deal of time and effort to make, each of which falls into one of three very different categories: the Schöne (beautiful), who wear richly decorated headdresses […]

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Hastings Pirate Day

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  • BRITAIN
Aug 06 2011

Ahoy, me Hearties! If you didn’t have a parrot, a peg leg, a hook or an eye patch, you would have felt like a right landlubber on Friday as hundreds of pirates converged, once again, on Hastings Old Town, to turn it into a Pirate town. Fast becoming one of the most popular events during the annual Old Town Carnival Week, even Captain Jack Sparrow sailed in from the Caribbean to join his pals and reek havoc in their search for treasure! Last year, the pirates of the channel claimed the world record for the greatest number of pirates in […]

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Jack in the Green

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  • BRITAIN
May 05 2011

May Day in Hastings can mean only one thing. Time to get get dressed up in leaves and paint yourself green and parade through the old town. (Unless you’re into motorbikes, in which case you’d probably rather get dressed into your leathers and park up on the seafront.) I wouldn’t advise combining the two, driving while impersonating a tree, but it has been done, a) I’m not sure the police would look too kindly on it, and b) even if you don’t crash, someone else is quite likely to when they see you. Jack in the Green traditional English May […]

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Lucerne Fasnacht

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  • ABROAD
Mar 10 2011

The Lucerne Carnival takes place over 4 days in the run up to lent. The events start on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, known as Dirty Thursday, and ends the morning of Ash Wednesday. The focus of the carnival are the parades that contain brass bands, (called Güügemusig) which fill the streets with the sound of trumpets and drums, and residents dressed in the most incredible range of costumes I’ve ever seen, with floats to match. These are pictures from Fat Monday (GüMo), when the second parade took place through the city which was awash with colour, music and plenty […]

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Beach of the Dead 2010 – Brighton Zombie Walk

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  • BRITAIN
Nov 01 2010

They keep coming back, year after year, in a bloodthirsty lust for human flesh!  

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Pride

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  • BRITAIN
Aug 09 2010

What can I say?…  

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The Great Spitalfields Pancake Race

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  • BRITAIN
Feb 25 2009

The annual Great Spitalfields Pancake Race took place on Shrove Tuesday with teams of pancake-flipping people chasing up and down Dray Walk in the Old Truman Brewery, all in the hope of winning the coveted prize of a stunning, engraved frying pan. For those who missed out on the main prize, there was still hope… as other prizes were presented for both the best-dressed and best behaved team, as well as scrumptious pancakes for all who entered!  

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The London Santa Run

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  • BRITAIN
Dec 07 2008

I really don’t think running is much fun, I did try it once. But put runners into fancy dress for a charity event, and I can begin to see the appeal. In the run up to Christmas there are Santa’s coming together throughout the country to do their bit. Un/Fortunately I needed to save my energy to take pictures, but for spectators and runners alike, there is undoubtedly a great hilarity to watching over 2000 Santa Claus, (a cheeky elf and a Jack Russell) of all different ages and physiques running together. Battersea was home to The London Santa Run […]

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About this blog

The vast majority of posts in this blog are about quirky & eccentric competitions & festivals. I started it in 2006 in France with a competition I’ll never forget. Where contestants battle it out to become the World Champion Pig Squeeler, or ‘Cri du Cochon’. I had little knowledge back then of quite how far my pursuit of these kind of events would lead me. I’ve travelled all over Britain (and occasionally further afield) to capture our curiosities and quirks. There’s nothing uniquely eccentric about the British, you’ll find people all over the world up to all sorts of weird and wonderful activities, but we do have a remarkable capacity to embrace the madness. ‘A Brit Different’ is the book that was born from it, my labour of love! So what next? There’s always something interesting going on, so watch this space, only time will tell!

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© Emma Wood 2021. Moral Rights Asserted. No part of Emma Wood's photographs may be copied or distributed by any means without her explicit permission.