Offbeat Traveler: Odd events to attend in 2013
Feb. 16 to March 6
Put some zest into your life by visiting the Menton Lemon Festival in southeastern France. The festival, now in its 80th year, features floats, light displays, a children’s carnival, parades and plenty of lemons -- about 140 tons of citrus fruits will used for displays and floats during the event. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Around the World in 80 Days,” inspired by the 1873 Jules Verne novel. (Valery Hache / AFP/Getty Images)
The festival attracts about a quarter of a million visitors each year and is one of the French Riviera’s most popular events. General admission for events starts at about $13. More info: http://www.fete-du-citron.com. (Valery Hache / AFP/ Getty Images)
July 5 to 6
At these games, a man slings a woman, who needn’t be his wife, over his shoulders, and races through an obstacle course. The man who crosses the finish line in the least amount of time wins. The woman must be 18 years or older and weigh at least 108 pounds, or wear weights until the minimum weight is reached. (Joonas Hukkanen / AFP / Getty Images)
Winners Taisto Miettinen, upright in foreground, and Kristiina Haapanen of Finland compete during the 2010 Wife Carrying World Championships. Additional festivities at the games include singing contests, a market and dances. Admission to the market is free. Admission to the championship race is about $33. More info: www.eukonkanto.fi/en. (Joonas Hukkanen / AFP / Getty Images)
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Aug. 28
This festival is what you might expect when you combine more than 100 tons of tomatoes and about 40,000 people -- one of the world’s largest food fights. At the end of August each year, people from around the world gather in Bunol, a town in eastern Spain about 20 miles west of Valencia, to chuck tomatoes at each other after someone climbs a greased pole to reach a ham. (Denis Doyle / Getty Images)
Among the rules: Participants may throw only tomatoes, and they must be squished, to lessen their impact, before being thrown. More info: www.tomatina.es/index.php?lang=english (dBiel Alino / AFP / GettyImages)
Nov. 24
Each year on the last Sunday of November, the city of Lopburi, a city in Thailand about 75 miles north of Bangkok, treats its monkey population to a feast of fruits, several tons’ worth, and soft drinks. The festival is held at Prang Sam Yot, a Khmer-style temple that dates back to the 13th century that also serves as one of the monkeys’ stamping grounds in the city. (Pornchai Kittwongsakul / AFP / Getty Images)
Monkeys consume soft drinks at the annual Monkey Buffet Festival. More info: www.tourismthailand.org/Where-to-Go/Lopburi. (Pornchai Kittwongsakul / AFP / Getty Images)
