10 of the World's Strangest Conventions

World Toilet Summit & Expo

The shittiest convention ever? Laugh all you want, but their objectives are actually quite altruist: bringing sanitation and clean water to the 2.5 billion people around the world who still need it.
Created by the World Toilet Organization, it was first launched in Singapore in 2001 and since then it has travelled to various cities around the world including Beijing, Belfast, India, Moscow, Seoul, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Macau.

Twins Days Festival

Starting in 1976, Twinsburg, Ohio's Twins Days Festival is held every year on the first weekend of August. The attendees, almost 3,000 every year, run the range of ages from newborns to octogenarians, most of them twins, although not necessarily identical, usually coming along with their families.

Celebrity Impersonators Convention

More than 150 dynamic doppelgängers, who perform in stage shows, host seminars and lead classes for Liza Minellis and Barbara Walterses wannabes. They get together every year at the Celebrity Impersonators Convention in Las Vegas.

Xena Warrior Princess Convention

Fans of Xena Warrior Princess have been attending conventions in her name since 1996, and there's a big one in Los Angeles every year. The mythical heroine, played by Lucy Lawless, graced television screens between 1995 and 2001 and has become quite the feminist icon. Viewers have debated over the years whether Xena and another character - Gabrielle - were lovers. But the gay and lesbian community are convinced and Xena has reached cult status. There's even a group called 'The Marching Xenas' who participate in gay and lesbian pride parades.

International UFO Congress Convention

Usually held in Laughlin, Nevada, since 1991, this week-long event usually has over thirty speakers, a Film Festival, tons of vendors and experiencer sessions and has become the conference of the year that people look forward to going to and networking with researchers while reconnecting with friends. Topics generally covered are abduction, UFO sightings, UFO crashes, crop circles, paranormal experiences, government conspiracy and much more.

ScareFest Horror and Paranormal Convention

The Scare Fest is the largest Horror and Paranormal Convention in the USA where you will be able to experience three horror-filled-days in November, usually at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The Scare Fest is hosted by Ghost Chasers International, Inc. and was created by Jeff Waldridge, Patti, and Chuck Starr.

Judy Garland Festival

Born in Grand Rapids, Frances Ethel Gumm is the town's most famous resident. Who is that? Why it's jumping Judy Garland, of course, famed red-slipper actress from The Wizard of Oz. And since 1975, Grand Rapids has been cashing in on her fame with a June festival full of authors and scholars discussing her life and career, a screening of the famous film, collectors and vendors peddling their wares, plus a gala dinner with a silent auction of various Garland and Oz memorabilia.

International Cake Exploration Societé Convention

Now this is a convention I wouldn't miss. Over 4000 sugar artists, cake decorators and vendors from all over the world are registered at the ICES and most get together at their annual convention, where the festivities include browsing among hundreds of elaborately decorated display cakes, competing for the titles of Sugar Artist and Master Sugar Artist, and resuscitating botched cakes at an on-site Cake Hospital.

Blobfest

Remember the 1958 movie "The Blob"? Yeah, neither do we. But since 2000, the town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - one of the filming locations - has held an annual "Blobfest". Activities include a re-enactment of the scene in which moviegoers run screaming from the town's Colonial Theatre, which has recently been restored. Chef's Diner in Downingtown is also restored, and is open for business or photographs of the basement on weekday mornings only.

Sexpo

Sexpo is Australia's expo about adult entertainment, sexuality, and lifestyles. The exhibition sells products related to sex and sexuality while educating about safe practices. The festival's exhibitor base is continually broadening and now incorporates companies from a wide range of fields, including; aviation, wine tasting, marine sports, spa pools, hair and make up artists, physical fitness equipment, and many others that have helped increase and broaden the appeal of the event.