Organized Farting Competitions Worldwide
It sounds like a joke, but it is reality: in several countries, farting competitions are actually held in which participants are judged on volume, duration, creativity, or simply audience reaction. Such events have a surprisingly long history — from medieval fairground entertainment to modern internet events. They reflect how different cultures understand the fart as spectacle and social phenomenon.
Japan: Nara Toneri-kyo and the Farting Festivals
Japan has perhaps the richest documented culture of farting competitions. The Nara Toneri-kyo (a historical fairground festival) allegedly included contests in 'He-kurai' ('farting competition') as far back as the medieval period, in which men were judged on volume and duration. Japan's 'He-gassen' scroll paintings from the 13th century (now world-famous through viral spread) depict men and women in competitive farting, confirming the cultural embeddedness of this practice. Modern Japanese television shows have sporadically taken up the theme: in 2007, a breakfast show introduced a 'farting talent competition' segment that was discontinued after three weeks following an online backlash — which in turn became a viral moment.
USA and UK: Formal Competitions and Internet Contests
In the USA, there are several documented local 'Farting Competitions', mostly in the context of county fairs and roadhouses in the Midwest. The best-known formalized farting competition in the US is the 'Great Flatulence Championship', an annual event informally held in Missouri that is judged by referees based on volume (decibel measurement), duration (seconds), and 'creativity points'. In the UK, a 'World Farting Championship' was held in Sheffield in 2017, organized as a charity event. The winner, a 52-year-old construction worker, sustained a fart for 18.1 seconds at 103 decibels — both unofficially declared as 'personal records', not officially confirmed.
Judging Systems: How to Evaluate Farting
Farting competitions have developed various judging systems over the decades. The most common categories: volume (decibel measurement with a sound level meter placed near the exit area), duration (stopwatch), odor intensity (panel assessment by 3–5 judges with blind scoring), melodic ability (can a recognizable sequence of notes be produced?), and audience reaction (spontaneous applause measurement). In professional variants — modeled on Le Pétomane style — melody production becomes the primary category. Some competitions require participants to perform without preparation to test 'natural potential'; others allow a preparatory meal at the participant's own discretion.
Cultural Significance: Why People Compete in Farting
Farting competitions are sociologically interesting because they lift taboos within a controlled context. The collective laughter at something socially frowned upon creates community — a phenomenon anthropologists describe as 'Taboo Reversal Humor'. In cultures with strong body-shame norms (Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom), farting competitions have an especially strong cathartic effect. In more relaxed cultures (Netherlands, some Scandinavian countries), they are simply entertainment without therapeutic depth. Online platforms have increased global interest since 2010: YouTube farting competition videos consistently accumulate millions of views, regardless of the language and origin of the audience.
Did you know?
- Japanese 'He-gassen' scroll paintings from the 13th century depict competitive farting as a cultural practice.
- A documented farting competition in Missouri judges on decibels, duration, and creativity points.
- A British participant sustained a fart for 18.1 seconds at 103 decibels in 2017.
- Anthropologists describe farting competitions as 'Taboo Reversal Humor' — collective laughter at the forbidden creates community.
Fun Fact
At the self-proclaimed 'European Farting Championship' in Amsterdam (2019) — an undeniably very informal event in a backyard pub — a Finnish participant was disqualified after it emerged that he had consumed 3 liters of soda before the competition to increase his volume. The jury decided this constituted 'performance-enhancing beverages' and violated the spirit of the competition. The Finn disputed this and argued that diet was part of the sport. According to reports, the discussion lasted longer than the entire competition.
Sources
- Screech, T. (1999). Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan. Reaktion Books.
- Ziv, A. (1988). Humor as a Social Phenomenon. In: Goldstein, J.H. & McGhee, P.E. (Eds.): Humor Research.
- Kotthoff, H. (2007). Pragmatics of performance and the analysis of conversational humor. De Gruyter.