Every year the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah puts on the biggest Holi celebration in the Western Hemisphere. In 2011 the Spanish Fork Police department estimated that over 40,000 people attended in the first day alone of the two-day festival. Organizers carefully rationed their stash of approximately 120,000 bags of colored powder.

Attendees come from all over the country (and some from abroad), but the majority of attendees are students from Brigham Young, Utah Valley, and Utah universities.

When it comes to beer everyone and their mother refers to Oktoberfest as the place to be. Granted there’s no question that Oktoberfest is probably the single coolest drinking festival in the world, that doesn’t mean we don’t have our own parties here in the USA.

You’d be surprised at how much this country celebrates beer other than at fraternity parties and tailgating events. We have a strong affinity and respect for beer and some regions like to show it proudly.

Check out these 6 awesome beer festivals….

1. The World Beer Festival

If you happen to be in the Raleigh, North Carolina area you might want to check out the World Beer Festival. Oddly enough it’s a charity event (for which charity I have no idea) that showcases over 300 Southeast specialty beers from 150 national and international breweries. Get your drink on.

2. Belgium Comes to Cooperstown

You had me at Cooperstown. First of all, any excuse to get to Cooperstown is cool enough. Second of all, held on a Saturday in July, the Belgium comes to Cooperstown features over 200 Belgian style beers that visitors can sample. Plus you can dance around a bonfire!

The rest of the drunken festivals continues below
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College is a wonderful time, heavy on debauchery and light on real responsibility and during those four years (or five, or six, or…) you can get away with pretty much anything. Want to wear a tutu to class in lieu of pants? Hey, why not? Want to get blitzed and streak bare ass naked through campus on a random Tuesday afternoon? Screw it, you’re young and people expect you to be wild. But then college ends, and pretty soon you find out that all those quirky things that you got away with in college aren’t looked upon quite so well in the real world. I’m not judging here –- hell, I am guilty of several of the following myself -– but here are nine things that you did in college that you can’t do in the real world without people thinking you’re pathetic.

9 Sleeping until noon every day

With some creative scheduling you can pull this off in college. People will just think you’re a party animal and will mark you as a fun guy. After all, who functions before noon? But in the real world, people will just think you’re a lazy bum, an irresponsible man child incapable of straightening up and flying right. They won’t care that you are a night owl or that you didn’t get to bed until six in the morning because you were up until dawn drunkenly riding laundry carts down a hill on campus with your friends. They’ll just shake their heads and wonder when Johnny will get himself a nice job and a cubicle to call home every morning. Look, I don’t make the rules. Maybe you shouldn’t have insisted on taking that extra class so you could graduate on time. Sucker.

The list goes on below
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The Super Bowl is more than a championship football game – it’s an All-American celebration that wouldn’t be complete without a good party. Just like you can count on a “sexy cop” to show up at a Halloween party, you can count on this dirty dozen annoying and obnoxious individuals to be at your next Super Bowl bash.

1. The Degenerate Gambler
It’s easy to mistake this guy’s intense enthusiasm as a sign of how of big this game is, but really it’s because this fascinating specimen has two large riding on just the coin toss. In between sweating over keeping up with his three different betting squares, he’ll be worried if his inside tip on the NFC’s Gatorade color preference comes through. Can later be seen on his phone with his bookie in an attempt to set up a triple parlay on the over/under on the number of beer commercials in the third, and which punter will have the higher punt yardage average.

2. Mr. “Have You Tried My Special Dip?
Can often be seen hounding anyone foolish enough to reach for the chips. This bon vivant was up at the crack of dawn chopping Applewood bacon while figuring out which form of cheddar will go into his 5-cheese blend. And he wants you to know it. To him, he created a godly gooey elixir worthy of praise; to you, he created cheese dip with a hint of sour cream.

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So Christmas might be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still drink your face off with some holiday spirit cocktails. If you’re looking for a unique cocktail to help spread a little holiday cheer, I’ve got a baker’s dozen worth of truly different drinks from Maker’s Mark, Tabasco, Nightclub and Bar Magazine, and 1800 Tequila. All guaranteed to deck your halls and jingle your… stockings.

MAKER’S MARK

Naughty Nog

Created by Chef Blythe Beck Executive Chef, Central 214 at the Hotel Palomar in Dallas

1 quart egg nog

1 cup cream

2 cups Maker’s Mark

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Ground nutmeg for dusting
Combine all liquid ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour in glass and dust with nutmeg.

A Ton more of holiday cocktails below
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You might recall a news story last week about a dozen Central Washington University students passing out and becoming ill at a party. Ramapo College in NJ had a similar incident and recently banned the problem this month as well. The CWU story made national headlines because police thought it was a case of someone maliciously spiking the punch. Upon further investigation the police released their findings this week which places the blame on a 12% malt alc/energy drink called Four Loko.  Nicknamed “blackout in a can” and “liquid cocaine” Four Loko sales have risen 400% in the past year. Four Loko got its name because it sends the person who consumed it into FOUR STAGES OF CRAZY: Stage 1: Tipsy (loud, might stumble, laugh) Stage 2: Drunk (embarassing, stumbling, slight slur) Stage 3: Wasted (heavy slur, falling, hitting on mutants) Stage 4: Black Out (no ability to speak, vomiting, waking up next to a mutant, memory loss). But for real the name is derived from its four main ingredients, caffeine, taurine, guarana, and alcohol. Maybe I’m outa the loop on the college party seen but this sounds likes it’s worth a try, just got put into the hands of some amateurs at Central Washington U. Schools will ban it but it will surely be in great demand after this latest story.

As you know we have covered a bunch of ridiculous and awesome festivals during our time here at zoot. From the Day of the Goose festival (my favorite) to the 6 parties/festivals you need to visit before you die. Here is another collection of some intense bizarre festivals that would be a great time for anyone.

1. The Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy

Every year at the end of February, the small northern Italian town of Ivrea comes under fruit attack during the Battle of the Oranges. Thousands come from far and wide to take part in the annual Carnevale di Ivrea, and it’s safe to say that no one leaves untouched by pulp. Participants are divided into teams in carriages, who ride through the town and represent the emperor’s men, and teams on foot, which stay on the ground and represent the commoners. All, of course, are in full costume and armed with arance.

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What I would ever need to carry 12 beers strapped to my chest like Rambo is beyond me, but I don’t think that far ahead, I want this thing. There are 12 insulated holsters and each one holds a single 12-ounce can. I guess next time you’re tailgating, camping or attending a BYOB party you can avoid those long, thirsty walks back to the cooler or the fridge by keeping a plethora of your favorite canned beers right on your chest. Warning: Wearing this holster may result in your friends using you as a human pack mule that exclusively carries beer. You can buy it here for $29.95

Specs:
* Capacity: (12) 12 oz cans
* Adjustable waist belt fits waist (or belly) 28” to 42”

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