Most Southerners love to laugh, often poking fun at ourselves. And, we enjoy showcasing and sharing our unique regional cuisine variations and culture at festivals and gatherings throughout the year. Blending humor with some of our most unusual Southern foods, here are my top picks for the Funniest Food Festivals in the Southeast.
The World Grits Festival
Rollin' in Grits at the World Grits Festival - Photo Credit: Steve Franks / World Grits Festival
St. George, South Carolina
The Grits Capital of the World - Have you ever wanted to roll in grits? Grits lovers by the thousands gather in St. George, South Carolina each April to enjoy three days of true grits fun at the World Grits Festival. Festival events include a parade, grits meals, arts and crafts, street dancing, clogging, a carnival, a grits eating contest and (here's your chance) a rolling-in the-grits contest. Prompted by the 1985 discovery that the people of the town of St. George consumed more grits per capita than any other place in the world, the festival has been taking place for over 20 years, and today attracts as many as 50,000 grits lovin' attendees.
The Grits Capital of the World - Have you ever wanted to roll in grits? Grits lovers by the thousands gather in St. George, South Carolina each April to enjoy three days of true grits fun at the World Grits Festival. Festival events include a parade, grits meals, arts and crafts, street dancing, clogging, a carnival, a grits eating contest and (here's your chance) a rolling-in the-grits contest. Prompted by the 1985 discovery that the people of the town of St. George consumed more grits per capita than any other place in the world, the festival has been taking place for over 20 years, and today attracts as many as 50,000 grits lovin' attendees.
RC and Moon Pie Festival
Bell Buckle, TennesseeEnjoy the World's Largest Moon Pie - Festival day, held in June, begins with an early morning 10-mile run, a good idea if you are planning to spend the day eating Moon Pies (a sweet snack made of graham crackers with marshmallow filling and dipped in chocolate or other flavors.) Events throughout the day include regional entertainment, several Moon Pie themed games and contests, an arts and crafts fair, food vendors selling Southern favorites like Tennessee Smoked Barbecue, hand squeezed lemonade and (since we will fry anything) deep fried Moon Pies. The festivities conclude when the World's Largest Moon Pie is cut and served by the Festival King and Queen with the assistance of the Knights of the Moon Pie Round.
West Virginia Road Kill Cook-off - Autumn Harvest Festival
Marlinton, West VirginiaThe Buck Stops Here - Poking good natured fun at some of the region's stereotypes for over 15 years, this annual festival offers samplings of unique back-country culinary creations such as squirrel gravy over biscuits or teriyaki marinated bear. The festival takes place each year on the last Saturday in September and locals, as well as visitors from near and far, gather to enjoy an array of strange dishes, some with even stranger names...The Buck Stops Here, for example.
The Chitlin' Strut
Salley, South CarolinaThe Self Proclaimed and Uncontested Chitlin' Capital of the World - Held at the Salley Civic Center and Fairgrounds, always on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, this festival revolves around the preparation and consumption of chitterlings or chitlins. Attracting thousands of apparently hungry chitlins fans (some estimates say over 50,000), who consume over 10,000 pounds of chitlins, the festival features a parade, entertainment, carnival rides, hawg-calling and strut contests, craft vendors, food vendors selling other food options and more. In celebration of the Library of Congress Bicentennial, the Chitlin' Strut was selected as one of the entries to represent South Carolina in the Local Legacies Archive.
The Okra Strut
Irmo, South CarolinaThe Nation's Original Celebration of Okra - Slimy, seed filled pods, delicious breaded and fried, Okra is celebrated each fall at this community festival in the town of Irmo, South Carolina. Attracting over 50,000 festival goers each year, the two-day festival features a parade (Where else will you be able to see Okra Man?), rides and amusements, a street dance and more. The town of Irmo is situated ten miles from Columbia, South Carolina off the shore of picturesque Lake Murray.
