La Pourcailhade is a festival dedicated to one of the most popularly eaten animal around the world, the pig. I’d like to mention that the Festival isn’t dedicated to pork as much as it is to the pig. There’s the usual “eat the most… to win” contest and a few barbecues go on but they’re far from being the main attractions at La Pourcailhade.

These would be the Best Pig Outfit competition, the “Cri do Cochon” and even the piglet race. The latter is self explanatory and it is made even more fun by betting on the side. It’s basically what the Koreans feel when going to the dog tracks.Where things during La Pourcailhade get even more interesting is in the Best Pig Outfit competition. It is also rather self explanatory but could you seriously imagine anything funnier than grown people walking around and showcasing their pig-like appearance? Especially French people, perceived as some of the coolest and snottiest people in the world.

Just in case you haven’t had your chuckles in high enough doses, the Brotherhood of the Pig (I’m not joking, that’s the real name of the organizer) will certainly kill you with laughter during the “Cri do Cochon” event. A translation like “Cry of the pig” doesn’t do it justice. During this event, Pourcailhade participants will do their best to imitate cries and sounds made by the pig during various stages of its life. Be it giving birth, the sounds of piglets, the raunchy sounds of orgasms and the shrieks of death.

Basically, La Purcailhade is a great festival and while Mardi Gras allows you to pig out something, you might regret down the line, the French will make a pig out of you, something you’ll remember about laughing with your friends. For those interested, La Pourcailhade is held every year on the second Sunday of August. The event takes place in Trie-sur-Baise, a village in the south western region of France.