A recent visit to Cowapolooza (Woodstock, Ontario’s annual cow festival) got me thinking about all the cool events happening in our own backyard. You could spend an entire year hopping from one local festival to the next. It seems every community has one, even if some of them make you scratch your head.

Driving through small towns in Ontario, you’ll pass signs on the way in that say things like “Welcome to Zurich, home of the bean festival!” or “Welcome to Belfountain, home of the Salamander Festival!” (I’ve been to both).

Cowapolooza, Woodstock, Ontario

I was chatting with my Aunt Jackie recently. She told me about a conversation she had with a visitor from out of town who came for the West Coast Blues Festival in Goderich, Ontario. She thought it was fantastic. Neither Jackie nor I had any idea it was so awesome and it’s in our own backyard.

That’s pretty normal though I think. When we think about going on a trip or taking a vacation, we usually don’t think local. But local festivals rock. They’re close by, affordable and a great way to celebrate and support communities.

They’re also an excellent source of bizarre and wildly unhealthy foods. Like a deep-fried Mars bar at the Waterloo Busker Carnival…

Or a pickle-on-a-stick at the Blackstock Demolition Derby…

So if you’re looking for something awesome to do close to home, do a quick search for local festivals and fairs in your area. Odds are you’ll find something pretty cool.

What are your favourite festivals?

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Josh Martin

Chief Adventure Officer (yes, I made that up)

Josh Martin is the founder and chief blogger at Badge of Awesome. He lives in southwestern Ontario, Canada and is the author of "Misadventure Musings: Lessons learned from life's awesome and absurd moments" and "Going on a Bear Hunt: Five things cancer taught me about overcoming obstacles."