Under-The-Radar 2017 Must-Go Festivals

While many travelers and locals enjoy national holidays and traditional festivals, it’s the quirky ones that make America such an amazing and fun place to live in. These are the under-the-radar must-go festivals in 2017:

1. Norsk Høstfest (Minot, ND)

40th Anniversary of Norsk Høstfest(Sept. 27-30) – Minot, North Dakota. With a slogan like ‘Pure Scandimonium,’ you should know from the gate that you’re in for a party like no other. Held annually in Minot (Josh Duhamel’s hometown), it’s North America’s largest Scandinavian festival with tens of thousands of attendees each year traveling in from around the world to enjoy authentic Nordic cuisine, artisans showcasing ancient traditions, nightly dances, performances on the Great Hall of the Vikings stage and more. The festival celebrates the Scandinavian heritage of each of the five Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland.

2. Loris Bog Off (Loris, SC)

The Loris Bog Off, celebrating its 38th year in 2017, showcases the region’s famed comfort food: chicken bog. For non-Low country folks, it’s a chicken and rice based dish packed with sausage and other variations (sort of the southeast coast’s answer to the bayou’s jambalaya). The festival pits home cooks against each other to create the best bog recipes.

3. Palmetto Peanut Boil (Columbia, SC)

The Palmetto Peanut Boil: Visitors can celebrate South Carolina’s official snack food – the boiled peanut! Team cookers will set out to impress the judges with their boiled peanut recipes. Throughout the afternoon, attendees will vote for the winner of the People’s Choice Award, but at the end of the day only the 1st place recipe will win the Boiled Peanut Trophy! While the teams are mastering their boiled peanuts, guests will spend the afternoon enjoying live music, children’s activities, door prizes and great food! All proceeds benefit the Animal Mission and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Columbia, SC. The 2017 date has not been determined yet, but happens around August each year.

4. Lexington Medical Center Irmo Okra Strut (Irmo, SC)

The Lexington Medical Center Irmo Okra Strut is the largest and longest running celebration of okra in the United States and is held in Irmo, South Carolina. This year mark’s the 44th year of South Carolina’s premier regional festival. The festivities begin with an Okra Strut Parade (South Carolina’s largest parade!). Other activities include musical entertainment, carnival rides, an okra eating contest, arts & crafts vendors, children’s activities and festival food. Money raised by the festival is put back into the community through charitable contributions to local civic and school organizations, for scholarships and improvements of public areas. The 2017 date has not been determined yet, but happens around September each year.

5. Trailing of the Sheep Festival (Ketchum, ID)

Trailing of the Sheep Festival – Ketchum, Idaho – Oct 4 – Oct 8, 2017: There’s no better traffic jam than one started by 1,500 sheep! Each year, these sheep parade down Ketchum’s Main Street as they travel to their winter pastures, accompanied by historic sheep wagons and performers. This quirky festival also is an annual favorite. The four-day event, aims to preserve the stories and colorful history of sheep ranchers and herders, celebrate the rich cultures of the past and present and educate children, adults and families about the production of local food and fiber that sustain local economies and generations of hard-working families.

6. Cheyenne Frontier Days (Cheyenne, WY)

Cheyenne Frontier Days– Cheyenne, Wyoming – July 21 – 30, 2017:  The world’s largest outdoor rodeo, Cheyenne Frontier Days is considered the “Daddy of ‘Em All” attracting more than a quarter million visitors each year. The 10-day festival is held every July and offers gripping PRCA rodeo action featuring the top professionals (with more than $1 million in cash and prizes) and world championship bull riding coupled with behind the chutes tours, trick riding, a wild hours race and more.

7. Burning Man (Black Rock Desert, NV)

Burning Man (Aug. 28 – Sept. 5) — Though it may seem too obvious, it’s hard to deny how offbeat Burning Man is. From the 10 Principles of the pop-up city to the life-size art that burns and/or glows to the fact that if you show up to Black Rock Desert on September 6, you would never have known where the event took place, Burning Man is a festival unlike any other.

8. Goldfield Days (Goldfield, NV)

Goldfield Days (August 20-21) — Perhaps the only festival where you can purchase a parcel of land that has original mining claims, Goldfield Days is a celebration of the historic ghost town of Goldfield, Nevada. Guests can search for gold and ghosts, watch gunfights, see the miners’ liar contests and pretend you’re in the early 1900s.

9. National Basque Festival (Elko, NV)

National Basque Festival (July 1-3) — What began as a celebration that brought sheepherders and cattle ranchers into town for a day is now the largest Basque festival in the country. It features incredible Basque food, traditional Spanish cowboy dancing and sport exhibitions like wood chopping.

10. Rio Frio Fest (Hill Country, TX)

Forget Florida or Mexico for Spring Break … head to Texas’ beautiful Hill Country for the under-the-radar ultimate 5-day Spring Break music festival — Rio Frio Fest (March 15-19, 2017). Get in the “Texas State of Mind” as things heat up with a nonstop line-up of concerts and activities, including floating down the crystal-clear Frio River in an innertube with a cold beer in hand, authentic Texas crawfish boils, hog sacking, helicopter rides over the region’s chalk cliffs and more.

11. Utopia Fest (Utopia, TX)

UtopiaFest (Sept. 22-24, 2017) in Utopia, Texas, is an annual campout festival similar to Bonnaroo but without the costly ticket price — and it’s kid-friendly. It offers mind-blowing musical performances within the natural amphitheater of Four Sisters Ranch (and the Hill Country sunsets aren’t a bad backdrop!). Food trucks make up its infamous ‘Food Forest’ with vegan, vegetarian and carnivore menus, and they also offer hassle-free tent rentals for the novice camper: http://www.utopiafest.com/hassle-free-tent-rentals/.

12. ArtPark Fairy House Festival (Lewiston, NY)

ArtPark Fairy House Festival (June) – Lewiston, New York. A whimsical outdoor festival held annually in Lewiston, NY, encourages attendees to create, discover and play in a magical fairy world. Located in the Lower Park of Artpark, the festival features hundreds of tiny house creations and fire, air, water and earth fairy clans gallivanting about. Enjoy theatrical performances, hands-on art activities, live music, dance performances, a fairy tea party and more.

13. Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival (Avon, OH)

Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival (June) – Avon, Ohio. Hosted in the “Duct Tape Capital” of the world and home of Duck® brand duct tape, this three-day event celebrates the sticky product and its enthusiasts. The festival showcases the fun (and unique) uses of the product with sculptures and crafts made of duct tape, and even a parade featuring duct tape floats. Admission is free.

14. Banana Split Festival (Wilmington, OH)

Banana Split Festival (June) – Wilmington, Ohio. Wilmington, Ohio’s Banana Split Festival was created to defend the city’s claim to the title “birthplace of the banana split” and the all-American ice cream dessert is the star of this two-day event. The festival features a banana split eating contest, cruise-in and classic car show, make-your-own banana split booth and 5K run with prizes. Admission is free.

15. Mermaids of the Mighty Niagara Annual Block Party (Youngstown, NY)

Mermaids of the Mighty Niagara Annual Block Party (August) – Youngstown, New York. Every year, Youngstown, NY, plays host to an outrageous mermaid block party featuring a mermaid costume contest, dunk tank, pie-in-the-face station, island music and special guest Mermaid Tory.