site logosite logo
  • Portfolio
  • Book
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
SIDEBAR

Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival

1 comment
  • BRITAIN
Oct 02 2012

Glittering London Pearly Kings & Queens came together from boroughs across the city, to take part in the annual Costermongers’ Harvest Festival at St Mary-le-Bow Church, in the city of London, on Sunday. The Harvest Festival is their flagship event with everyone decked out in their shiniest and most elaborate outfits. Starting at Guildhall Yard, the well attended event features traditional English entertainment including Maypole dancing, Morris dancers, a marching band, and of course, the singing of classics such as ‘Maybe It’s because I’m a Londoner’, before the short parade to St Mary-le-Bow Church, home of the renowned Bow Bells, […]

READ MORE

Jack in the Green

0 comments
  • 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 […]

READ MORE

Lucerne Fasnacht

0 comments
  • 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 […]

READ MORE

Krakelingen Festival

0 comments
  • ABROAD
Feb 28 2011

Every year in the Belgium city of Geraardsbergen, about 800 residents parade through the streets in costumes that evokes it’s 25-century-old history. Started by the druids, and ending with more contemporary subjects, the parade combines both Christian and pre-Christian elements. Led by the church dean and city councilors, participants carry bread, wine, fish and fire from the church of Hunnegem to Oudenberg Hill, climbing up to the Holy Mary Chapel on the hilltop, the highest point in the city. Inside, the dean blesses the krakelingen (ring-shaped breads) and recites a prayer. The religious and secular authorities then drink wine from […]

READ MORE

Burning The Clocks

0 comments
  • BRITAIN
Dec 22 2010

The shortest day of the year was celebrated in Brighton yesterday evening with the ‘Burning The Clocks’ parade. As an antidote to the excesses of commercial Christmas people dress up and parade through the city, some dancing, some playing music, and some with paper lanterns that they have made, to the beach, where they are then burnt as a token to greet the lengthening days.  

READ MORE

Beach of the Dead 2010 – Brighton Zombie Walk

0 comments
  • BRITAIN
Nov 01 2010

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

READ MORE

Pride

0 comments
  • BRITAIN
Aug 09 2010

What can I say?…  

READ MORE

Burning The Clocks

0 comments
  • BRITAIN
Dec 24 2007

The shortest day of the year was celebrated in Brighton on Friday evening with the ‘Burning The Clocks’ parade. As an antidote to the excesses of commercial Christmas, people gather to make paper and willow lanterns to carry through the city and then burn on the beach as a token to greet the lengthening days. All are unique to each maker, carrying their wishes, hopes and fears.

READ MORE

Share

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!

Categories

  • ABROAD (11)
  • BRITAIN (135)
  • IN THE MEDIA (5)

Recent Posts

  • Classic Blue Pantone Colour of the Year 2020
  • Many Happy Retrieves
  • Living Coral Pantone Colour of the Year 2019
  • Fieldsports photography

Archives

  • December 2019 (1)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • November 2018 (2)
  • September 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • December 2015 (1)
  • November 2015 (1)
  • May 2014 (2)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • November 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (1)
  • June 2013 (1)
  • May 2013 (2)
  • April 2013 (2)
  • January 2013 (2)
  • October 2012 (1)
  • September 2012 (2)
  • July 2012 (1)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (1)
  • April 2012 (2)
  • January 2012 (2)
  • December 2011 (1)
  • September 2011 (1)
  • August 2011 (2)
  • July 2011 (3)
  • June 2011 (1)
  • May 2011 (5)
  • April 2011 (1)
  • March 2011 (2)
  • February 2011 (1)
  • December 2010 (3)
  • November 2010 (1)
  • October 2010 (1)
  • September 2010 (1)
  • August 2010 (2)
  • July 2010 (3)
  • June 2010 (2)
  • May 2010 (1)
  • April 2010 (1)
  • March 2010 (1)
  • February 2010 (1)
  • December 2009 (1)
  • September 2009 (2)
  • August 2009 (3)
  • July 2009 (2)
  • June 2009 (4)
  • March 2009 (1)
  • February 2009 (1)
  • January 2009 (1)
  • December 2008 (3)
  • November 2008 (1)
  • October 2008 (1)
  • August 2008 (2)
  • July 2008 (3)
  • June 2008 (4)
  • March 2008 (3)
  • February 2008 (3)
  • January 2008 (2)
  • December 2007 (4)
  • November 2007 (3)
  • October 2007 (4)
  • September 2007 (4)
  • August 2007 (5)
  • July 2007 (6)
  • June 2007 (4)
  • May 2007 (2)
  • April 2007 (3)
  • November 2006 (1)
  • October 2006 (1)

© Emma Wood 2025. Moral Rights Asserted. No part of Emma Wood's photographs may be copied or distributed by any means without her explicit permission.