You might be able to charm the birds out of the trees, but how about the worms out of the ground? That’s what they’ll be doing in Willaston, Cheshire, in June for the 35th World Worm Charming Championships. In this kooky competition, competitors are given a small plot of land, out of which they must entice, not dig, as many worms as possible.
You’re bound to get egg on your face if you enter the World Egg Throwing Competition on the B1394 between Helpringham and Swaton in Lincolnshire this June. Contestants must built a gravity-powered egg-hurling device – and launch an egg at a member of their own team. To get points, the egg must be caught unbroken or smash on the hapless recipient. Watch out, because these eggs can fly at speeds of 120 mph and cover distances of up to 150 metres.
This year, the 'world famous' Muston Scarecrow Festival is making a welcome return to North Yorkshire. From July 28 until August 5, visitors can expect to see more than 100 scarecrows all over the village of Muston. The whole village takes real pride in this festival and all visitors are in for a real treat.
Lose your cool at the Chilli Fiesta at West Dean Gardens near Chichester from 8-10 August. This red hot event draws thousands to the beautiful grounds at West Dean in search of the fiery little peppers and all sorts of chilli-related fun.
Llanwrtyd gets a double whammy in our list, by virtue of being home to another of the silliest events, the World Bog Snorkelling Championship green-events.co.uk. The dirtiest watersport of the year takes place here on 24 August in a 60-yard peat bog. Competitors wearing snorkels must flipper their way, without using arm strokes, to be first past the finishing line.
They’ll be getting in a right stew in Bacup, Lancashire, at the World Gravy Wrestling Championships in August. Watch the competitors slip slide away in luke-warm gravy as they fight to win points by holding each other down in the awful goo in pursuit of this nutty world title.
If it’s time for the crab apple harvest, it’s also the moment for the World Gurning Championships (egremontcrabfair.com) in Egremont, Cumbria. On 20 September, contestants will be invited to put their heads through the horse collar and pull the most grotesque expression possible. The person who gets the most applause for their ugly mush is the winner.
They’re bonkers about conkers in Ashton near Peterborough. On 12 October, more than 300 competitors will assemble at the World Conker Championships ready to smash each other’s conkers to smithereens to take the conker crown.
The Bognor Birdman is a competition for human powered flying machines, held each summer in Bognor Regis on the south coast. Dates for this year's event are 28th and 29th of June. Many flyers take part to raise money for charities, others design complex machines to aim for distance prizes... join in or just watch in awe.