World Chicken Festival

Festival Location: London, KY, USA

Festival State: Kentucky Festivals

Festival Type(s): Food Festivals, Food and Drink Festivals, Bizarre Festivals

By: © Nelson Taylor 2009

Even from the grave, the Colonel is stirring up an original recipe of kooky clucker contests at the World Chicken Festival. Colonel Harland Sanders, bless his finger-licking soul, opened up his first Kentucky Fried Chicken joint here in Laurel County in the 40s. Now hordes of his fast food followers (250,000 these days) come to downtown London, KY, every September to celebrate his legacy. And this baby is entirely free for spectators. If you want to eat some chicken, it'll cost you; that's unless you're entered in one of the chicken wing eating contests.

All of the chicken for the event is cooked in the World's Largest Skillet, which is 10'6" in diameter, 8 inches deep, with an 8-foot handle. The entire weight of the beast is just over 700 pounds. One chicken fry uses 300 gallons of oil to produce 600 extra crispy quarters. Other events include the Colonel Sanders look alike contest (1st prize is $300), plus rooster crowing, strutting and clucking competitions.