Florida is many things: sunshine, alligators, retirees in flamingo shirts, and apparently, a state that will throw a festival for absolutely anything edible. I’ve lived here long enough to know that Floridians don’t need much of an excuse to celebrate food, but some of these festivals take things to a gloriously strange level.
From tossing dead fish across state lines to eating pie competitively in the heat, the Sunshine State has a festival calendar that reads like a fever dream. Buckle up, because things are about to get deliciously weird.
1. Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival
Nothing says “good morning, Florida” quite like watching a handler toss a rattlesnake around while you eat fried snake meat nearby. The Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival, held in San Antonio, Florida, is one of the most unapologetically wild events in the state.
It celebrates local wildlife in the most Florida way possible: by eating some of it…