The American Festivals Project, partially funded by a National Geographic Young Explorer's Grant, is led by photographers Ross McDermott and Matt Burris.
The project explores America's variety of small-town festivals, with the aim of discovering a rich diversity of culture that has in part remained hidden. Traveling in a Waste Vegetable Oil-powered truck, and living in a 1969 Airstream trailer, Ross and Matt are covering over one year of unique festival life from forty-nine of America’s states.
Americans have heard of Mardi Gras and music festivals like Bannaroo. But most of us know very little of the National Hobo Convention in Britt, Iowa, and have never heard of the Middle of Nowhere celebration in Ainsworth, Nebraska. Some festivals, such as the infamous Rattlesnake Roundups, date back to the 1940s. There are an endless number of colorful, mind-blowing events that span the calendar from January to December.
Here are just a few to name:
- Hairy Chest, Legs, and Beard Contest in Fairbanks, Alaska
- All-Night Gospel Singing in Bonifay Florida
- Machine Gun Shoot in Westpoint, Kentucky
- Toboggan Championships in Camden, Maine
- Little People of America Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- The Quiet Festival in Ocean City, New Jersey
- The World Senior Games in St. George, Utah