Burning Man — Black Rock, Nevada
Dedicate yourself to art, the community, radical self-expression and complete self-reliance at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada this year. Starting on 31 August this annual festival takes place on an ancient lakebed, known as the Playa, and is dedicated to the expression of self through art. There are no rules regarding behaviour save one of the most important aspects of Burning Man, which is to leave no trace behind.

Visitors to Burning Man must be totally self-sufficient as nothing can be bought or sold inside the festival. Gifting is a key aspect of Burning Man. You may not be able to buy or sell something but you can gift your wares. Gifting does not imply a return or exchange for something of equal value. Tickets to the festival must be bought before hand at a cost of $260 upwards.

South Africans can enjoy a similar festival called Afrika Burns during September this year.

Liars Festival — Moncrabeau, France
Set to play out over August 2009 in the town of Moncrabeau, France, the Liar’s Festival is a place to indulge in ‘porkies’ and fantastic fabrications. At this annual yarn-spinning festival the biggest liar walks away with the crown.

Tale-tellers, jokers, leg-pullers, wind-up merchants and bare-faced fibbers get together for an orgy of delusion, a feast of tall tales, the biggest congregation of shaggy dog stories since... the last liars' festival.

Every year there are entrants from all over the world spinning their yarns. The rules are simple — tell a good (but untrue story) while avoiding the subjects of sex, politics and religion and if you’re the best fibber you could be crowned king of the liars!

Mud Festival — Poryong, South Korea
Every year in July the city of Poryong in South Korea plays host to one of the dirtiest festivals in the world. So bring out the messy child in you and head for the annual mud festival.

Poryong is world-renowned for high quality mud that is known to be an excellent treatment for the skin. The mud contains important minerals which are said to reduce wrinkles and remove excess oils.

At the festival expect to apply mud packs to every part of your body, indulge in mud body painting, the mud beauty contest and even participate in the mud sculpting contest. And then of course there’s the slides, the obstacle course and what would a mud festival be without... mud wrestling?

Akankanto Festival — Sonkajärvi, Finland
Have wife — will carry! If you’re in Finland during the Akankanto Festival you can enter the annual Wife Carrying Championship. If you manage to carry your ‘woman’ through the obstacle course and finish the ladies weight in beer awaits you.

There are a few rules to take heed of. Firstly, you don’t need a wife to participate — as long as the lady weighs more than 49kgs and is over the age of 17 you are good to go. Secondly, if you drop your wife you incur a 15 second penalty. The track is 253.5 metres long with two dry and one wet obstacle (one metre deep) and it costs €50 to participate.

Air Guitar Championship — Oulu, Finland
If you fancy yourself as the Hendrix, Clapton, Slash or Van Halen of air guitaring then you need to pack your ‘axe’ and head for the crazy air guitar championship in Oulu, Finland.

Pioneered in 1996 to coincide with the Oulu Music Video Festival, this mad competition is open to anyone who can rock the airwaves with their ‘guitar’. Experience exaggerated strumming, crazy picking and a bit of lip-synching as you watch hopefuls ply their trade.

The rules are simple. In the first round, each contestant must play a one-minute version of a "hard riffin' guitar classic" chosen by the jury. In the second, contestants get to choose their own song. In their search for the world's leading practitioner of the art of air guitar, the jury looks for originality, charisma and — above all — sheer skill and technical aplomb.

Cockroach Racing — Brisbane, Australia
Since 1982 Queenslanders have been celebrating Australia Day with the Cockroach Racing World Championships. So join in the fun every January at the Storey Bridge Hotel — you can bring your own favourite hairy legged crawler or you can buy one on the day.

The tradition began when two Aussie barflies began an argument as to where the Brissie cockroaches were the fastest. To test their particular convictions a race was set up in the parking lot — and the rest, as they say in the classics, is history. The race is now known as the ‘greatest gathering of thoroughbred cockroaches in the known universe’.

With race names like “Fat Cat Classic” and “Miss Cocky” the day begins at 12pm around a boxing style ring as the roaches get set for their big moment. Entry fees and cockroaches start from $5 each with all proceeds going to charity.

Cheese Rolling — Gloucester, England
May sees the annual cheese rolling down Coopers Hill in Gloucester. Traditionally the cheese rolling was by and for the local villagers but now people from all over the world join in. At the top of Coopers Hill a huge round of double Gloucester cheese is rolled while competitors race down the hill after it.

The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. In theory, competitors are aiming to catch the cheese, but since it has a one second head start and can reach speeds up to 112 km/h this rarely occurs.

Coopers Hill is exceptionally steep and not a good choice for a gentle stroll, let alone a mad dash after a big, rolling cheese, so beware — injuries such as concussions, ankle sprains and broken bones can occur.

Nude Night Surfing — Sydney, Australia
If hanging ten and being uninhibited is your thing then take to the waters off Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach for a spot of nude night surfing. This particular sporting attraction takes place in the height of the Australian summer over the Sydney Fringe Festival giving you the chance to flash your rude bits. Just watch out for the ‘Noahs’ as these toothy beasts are known to be active in the dark hours.

Water Festival — Songkran, Thailand
For a display of heart-warming Thai friendliness and awesome party spirit head to Songkran for the annual water festival that celebrates the end of the dry season and lasts up to seven days during April.

Water pistols, ice buckets, and hose pipes are the order of the day to keep the crowds wet, while trucks drive through the streets loaded with people and barrels of water. So stow your valuables in your hotel room and put your money in a waterproof bag.