The 30th annual Weifang International Kite Festival recently took place in Weifang city, located in Shandong province in eastern China. Weifang is known as the “kite capital of the world” because it is considered to be the birthplace of kites themselves. “Legend has it that kites were invented in China 2000 years ago and introduced to the West by Marco Polo.”

“As an internationalized event of the proud folk tradition, the Weifang International Kite Festival attracts numerous Chinese and foreign kite masters every year. The tantalizing stunts and spectacles of competing kites amuse thousands of visitors, as well as their distinctive models, colors, styles and the particular flying techniques perfected in different countries.”

We’re captivated by the incredible variety of awesome kites that were flown at this year’s festival - from teams or horses to an assortment of be-tentacled underwater creatures, monsters, tigers, bears and, of course, the splendid traditional dragons.

Visit designboom to learn more about the Weifang International Kite Festival and Weifang’s colourful kite-making history.

Check out these photos taken at the Nail Olympics. You might not be able to get much done while wearing nails decorated with dancers, mermaids, or geisha, but they look pretty awesome. The first Nail Olympics was held in Las Vegas back in 2001. This year the colourful competition is taking place in Rome.

“A jury of eight people from Japan, the U.S., Korea, Italy, Sweden, and the Czech Republic hold the fate of the 220 competitors in their hands. Out of this uniquely talented group, only a few will emerge victorious within the seven specialties, including the “stiletto” category, which features painted nails shaved down to impossibly sharp points that would make Freddy Krueger squeal.”

Photos by Alessandra Tarantino

[via Neatorama]

Photographer Christine Zona travels around San Francisco and Los Angeles photographing the awesome and incredibly exuberant participants in the world of competitive air guitar playing.

“These guys are amazing,” Zona says. “They live ‘normal’ lives but become these larger than life characters on stage just once a year. Following their air guitar careers and photographing them has become an addiction.” Zona is currently putting together a book on the series. Check a few photos out below and then be sure to head on over to her website to see more of her work.

[via Flavorwire]

Brace yourselves, we’re about to broaden your respective horizons. Did you know that people sometimes gather and compete in attempt to put underpants on goats? The official term for this unusual pastime is “Goat Dressing.”

Frank Harrell (aka Cowboy Frank) describes Goat Dressing as a two-person event created especially for gay rodeos:

“The team stands 50 feet from the point where the goat is tethered. One of the team members has a pair of jockey-style underwear worn over their forearms. When the whistle sounds, the team runs to the goat. The team member without the underwear picks up the goat’s rear hooves, grabs the underwear from around the other member’s arms, and pulls it up the legs of the goat. Both team members must then race back to the start/finish line. The underwear must stay over the goat’s tail bone until both members of the team run back past the timer.”

For those of you unacquainted with gay rodeos, they’ve been around since 1976 and take place across the US and Canada. In addition to traditional rodeo events, Gay Rodeos also include such special events as Goat Dressing and the Wild Drag Race, which is a race between a woman, a man, a drag queen, and a steer. So now you know.

Photos taken at the Liberty Stampede Rodeo in Pennsylvania.

[via Buzzfeed]

Check out these photos from the 2012 European Beard and Moustache Championships, which recently took place in Wittersdorf, France. The entrants, over 100 dedicated and creative men each sporting some sort of seriously awesome facial hair, primped and preened their exceptional whiskers in preparation for the competition.

Visit My Modern Metropolis to view more photos of fantastic facial hair from the 2012 European Beard and Moustache Championships.

Hey, why aren’t they broadcasting the 2012 Guinea Pig Olympics on TV? Yes, yes, human athletic competitions are all well and good, but check out these furry little Olympians! They’re in peak physical condition and there’s no sport they can’t conquer.

Thank goodness photographer Paul Cocken has been on the scene documenting these exciting events for the rest of us. 

If you want to commemorate these inspiring events you might consider getting a 2013 Guinea Pig Games Calendar.

Visit thaeger to view even more awesome photos of Guinea Pigs athletes doing what they do best. . that is, besides eating and sleeping. Hey, maybe those are events too!