'There's Something Very Monty Python' About Frozen Dead Guy Days
It may be the dead of winter and there’s more than a good chance of finding a frozen stiff, but that won’t deter festival-goers in Nederland, CO from celebrating life this weekend surrounded by corpses and coffins.
Thousands will visit this weekend's party for all things deceased, inspired by the bizarre tale of a grandad cryogenically frozen alone in a Colorado shed.
And what do they do when they get there? They revel in the joy of being alive by acknowledging death in playing strange games and major partying.
“It’s like a weird mix of Halloween and the Winter Olympics,” says organizer Amanda MacDonald.
“There is something very Monty Python about it isn’t there? Just the name – ‘The Frozen Dead Guy Days.’ It’s certainly unique."
Some activities are designed to test essential skills, like tossing frozen salmon, while others are all about showmanship – the fancy-dress dives into the icy plunge pool are a must-see.
In the hearse parade, contestants try to create the most imaginative decorations for these macabre vehicles. But the biggest draw is the coffin races, which involve teams carrying a passenger inside, well, a coffin.
VIDEO - Coffin Races At Frozen Dead Guy Days 2016
“The teams usually come up with unusual fancy-dress themes,” says Amanda, “depending on what’s going on at the time. This year we’re expecting to see Trump appear quite a lot, but we hope not. We thought about doing a ‘Dunk Trump’ dunk tank but that’s not really what the festival's about.
“It’s not about our differences, but what we have in common – and death’s gonna come to all of us, right? Death trumps everything.”
Since the first took place in 2001, the winter festival has become a world-class music event in its own right. Last year the town of 1,800 hosted its biggest bash, with 20,000 festival-goers.
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