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Lin-Con -

A group of Abraham Lincoln impersonators meet up every year, accompanied by a few Mary Todds, and retrace the former President's footsteps around Columbus, visiting the locations where he spoke, stood, and lay. You know, just for fun.

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Lin-Con -

They're a historical appreciation society that likes to get hands-on with their appreciation. If you've got the look, flaunt it?

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BronyCon -

This particular convention is a gathering of people who have an undying love for the children’s TV franchise 'My Little Pony,' which, despite targeting young girls, has attracted a huge number of male participants in the 18-35 age range.

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BronyCon -

Over 10,000 "Bronies" dress up as their favorite characters and embrace the 'My Little Pony' culture of extreme friendliness and acceptance. 

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MicroCon -

MicroCon was created by the tiny self-declared nation of Molossia as a place for delegates of micronations around the world to gather and share their independently governed worlds, ideas, and dreams with one another.

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AnthroCon - AnthroCon is a gathering of people, known as "furries," that started in 1997. Furries like to dress up as anthropomorphic animals and socialize, hone their role-playing and gaming skills, and just be.

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AnthroCon -

Furries often insist it isn't the hyper-sexual obsession that many people perceive it to be, but rather it's a way for people to be themselves, with a specific "fursona" that just so happens to be a giant fox.

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Sunshine State Eggfest -

While the name might lead you to believe it's a celebration of all things egg, it actually revolves around a specific brand of barbecue grill that has inspired a serious cult following. The Big Green Egg grill has been in production since 1974 and, in an act of appreciation, the annual event involves grilling competitions, product demonstrations, and a lot of eating. Doesn't sound so ridiculous now, does it?

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Vent Haven ConVENTion -

Every year in Cincinnati, USA, a ridiculous number of ventriloquists gather to honor the age-old practice of speaking without moving your lips.

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Vent Haven ConVENTion -

People of all ages and their varied wooden buddies attend workshops, watch pros, and get some much needed practice for...whatever it is they plan to do.

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Lebowski Fest - This year will be the 18th consecutive 'Gathering of the Dudes,' in celebration of 'The Big Lebowski.' Participants can cuss, drink White Russians, and bowl to their heart's content!

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Lebowski Fest -

The celebration of the Coen Brothers' cult classic has even drawn out actors from the film, including the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, and the movement has apparently even inspired its own religion.

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Twin's Day Festival - This festival, held every summer since 1976 in Twinsburg, Ohio, summons biological twins of all ages to celebrate the very fact of being twins. Though it is not written anywhere, somehow they all understand that they should dress identically when they show up.

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Twin's Day Festival -

It is the largest annual gathering of twins on the planet, drawing thousands of participants from all over the United States and many other countries.

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BlobFest - Remember the 1958 sci-fi film 'The Blob?' Fans of the cult horror movie, starring Steve McQueen, get together each year to act like a bunch of no-good teenagers, celebrating the pink oozing alien entity known as The Blob.

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BlobFest -

For three days at The Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, USA, hundreds of fans unearth the B-movie classic by attending screenings, participating in a street fair, and re-enacting the iconic 'running out of the theater' scene.

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MerFest -

All those little boys and girls who loved 'Little Mermaid' have grown up and taken charge of their own fairy tale. Hundreds of people have been known to gather in North Carolina, USA, to celebrate and embody the mythical water-dwelling creatures. 

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MerFest -

Similar to furries, the mer-people develop "mersonas." They also wear tails that have been known to cost as much US$4,000, take workshops on holding their breath, and even have beauty pageants.

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Sideshow Convention -

The weird and wonderful flock to Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania, USA, to revive the absurdity of the carnival sideshow, risking "bodily harm for the sake of twisted entertainment," as their website says. You can expect sword swallowing, performers eating light bulbs, and all sorts of oddities.

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Elvis Festival -

There are Elvis conventions all around the world these days, filled with people dressing up like the King—from young G.I. Elvis to old and bloated peanut-butter-jelly-bacon Elvis.

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World Clown Association - These brightly colored performers call in sick from all children's birthday parties once a year to get together and dance, sing, and generally clown around. 

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World Clown Association -

Depending on your disposition, it could be loads of fun, or something out of your worst nightmare.

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World Toilet Summit & Expo - It's all business at this toilet convention, but not that kind of business! The annual conference brings together key stakeholders, decision-makers, and designers in the sanitation sector. 

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World Toilet Summit & Expo -

The summit started in 2001 at a time when toilets and sanitation remained low on the global agenda and when they believed "May the flush be with you" was a good slogan.

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International UFO Congress - The International UFO Congress, as you might guess, gathers people who have extraterrestrial theories and paranormal experiences they yearn to share. It was established in 1991 and is held annually in Laughlin, Nevada. It also currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest UFO conference in the world.

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International UFO Congress -

The convention's program includes presentations by scientists, academics, researchers, and those who have experienced paranormal phenomena from all over the world. Topics include UFO sightings and crashes, alien abduction, crop circles, governmental secrecy, and much, much more.

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International Cake Exploration Societé Convention -

Called ICES for short, this convention is dedicated to preserving, advancing, and encouraging exploration of the sugar arts, gathering over 4,000 sugar artists from all over the world to their annual event. Festivities include a lot of drooling, and even resuscitating botched cakes at an on-site Cake Hospital!

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World Taxidermy Championships -

Springfield, USA, hosts over 4,000 devotees to the art of taxidermy, which, if you thought was a declining industry, you're sorely mistaken. Taxidermists and their apprentices can buy everything from fake eyes, fake fur, and the animal molds necessary to create their furry pieces.

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The Sunburst Convention of Celebrity Impersonators -

This four-day mass gathering of famous people's lookalikes revolves around several "showcases" of each impersonator's talents and is open to the general public. Orlando, USA, brims with fake sightings during this time of year!

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Celebrity Impersonators Convention in Las Vegas - With impersonators, there's always copycats! More than 150 dynamic doppelgängers also gather in Las Vegas to perform in shows, host seminars, and lead classes for aspiring wannabes.

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Redhead Day -

Redheads rejoice! Since 2005, people with vibrant red-toned locks gather for a two-day festival every year in the Netherlands to celebrate their redheadedness.

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Barbershop Quartet Convention -

You may have thought barbershop quartets are a thing of the past, but middle-aged men continue to gather and sing old-timey tunes a cappella.

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Porc Fest -

The Porcupine Freedom Festival is an annual week-long Libertarian camping event in New Hampshire, USA, where participants exercise their liberty in everything from selling their wares to exercising their right to free speech or openly toting their gun.

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Xena Warrior Princess Convention -

'Xena: Warrior Princess,' the syndicated fantasy adventure series starring Lucy Lawless as the titular, sword-wielding heroine, maintains a devoted cult following despite having gone off-air in 2001. The Xena Nation continues to celebrate the strong female lead, garnering a significant LGBTQ following for its fan theory that Xena and Gabrielle were lovers.

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ALCON -

The two-day Weird Al Yankovic Fan Convention pays tribute to the Grammy-winning, accordion-playing parodist. Held in the ballroom of the Elk Grove Village Holiday Inn, USA, the activities include a "Look-Al-Like" contest, lip-sync competition, trivia contest, gong show,  and has been known to feature an autograph signing session from the man himself.

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Steampunk World Fair -

The steampunk convention was held every year in New Jersey, USA. It mixes technology into a sci-fi re-imagination of the Victorian age. The last one was in 2018.

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ScareFest Horror and Paranormal Convention -

If you haven't gotten enough spook from Halloween, you can enjoy three horror-filled days in the end of October or beginning of November, usually at the Lexington Center in Kentucky, USA. 

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Wizard of Oz Festival -

Since 1975, Grand Rapids has been celebrating Judy Garland and the wonderful world of Oz with a festival full of authors and scholars discussing her life and career, screenings, costume contests, a look at the treasures of in the Judy Garland Museum, and a Dash for the Ruby Slippers.

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TattooFest -

TattooFest is held annually in Tampa Bay, USA, as well as in Krakow, Poland, and both conventions draw tattoo artists and ink enthusiasts from around the world for competitions, poking sessions, and more.

See also: The world's strangest museums

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