Genesys Casual

It's vacation time for a lot of folks, which means new places, experiences, and fun! While I was creating the new "Outdoor Festivals" Trivia Tower contest, I read about a lot of strange outdoor events that I just had to put on my bucket list. That got me thinking:

If YOU could invent an odd outdoor festival, what would it be? Tell us the name, strange traditions, and why we should buy a ticket! 

Answer this question and play in the trivia, and you'll receive THREE (3) extra points on your total score! And trust me, those three points always dictate the winner. So have a little fun, learn something new about global outdoor festivals, and let your imagination run wild with this bonus question! 

Best of luck.

#Events/Contests

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------

Stitchwitch: The Enchanted Yarn Revival

Location: A mossy glen in the Pacific Northwest, where it always smells like rain, pine needles, and impending magic.

Festival Theme: A mystical-meets-cozy celebration of all things yarn, fiber arts, and witchy whimsy. Think: knitting meets folklore meets cottagecore chaos.

---

The Traditional Summoning of the Skeins

At twilight, participants gather in a giant spiral pattern made entirely of colorful yarn trails. As a collective, they chant the "Sacred Frogging Rhyme" while unraveling one regrettable project to release its energy back into the universe. Then, with great ceremony, they re-cast the yarn into something new-literally and metaphorically.

A random attendee is then crowned The Stitchwitch, donning the Cloak of UFOs (unfinished objects), and is tasked with blessing all new projects begun at the festival.

---

Other Wild Highlights:

• Yarn Bomb Hunt: Entire forest paths are secretly yarn bombed overnight-your challenge is to find the hidden crocheted familiars (tiny foxes, cryptids, or frogs in sweaters) for prizes.

• The Speed Hex-a-ghan: Teams compete in crafting the weirdest magical granny square blanket before midnight. Bonus points for glow-in-the-dark yarn.

• Fiber Séance: Sit in a circle with a psychic spinner who claims to channel the spirit of Elizabeth Zimmerman through a drop spindle.

• The Cozy Catwalk: Strut your finest handmade garments while a panel of dramatic grandmas and goth knitters judge your work and throw glittery stitch markers in approval.

---

Why Should You Go?

Because you deserve a weekend where frogs wear scarves, shawls have mystical power, and the act of casting on a new project feels like casting a spell. Also, where else can you chant in a fiber circle and feel both ridiculous and holy?

Plus: hot mulled cider served in hand-knit cup cozies, yarn that smells like lavender and ambition, and a nighttime screening of Practical Magic under a quilted sky.

------------------------------
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service
City of Clearwater
------------------------------

I love your brain so much, Amy! "Summoning of the Skeins..." LOL

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2025 12:21
From: Amy Sessions
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Stitchwitch: The Enchanted Yarn Revival

Location: A mossy glen in the Pacific Northwest, where it always smells like rain, pine needles, and impending magic.

Festival Theme: A mystical-meets-cozy celebration of all things yarn, fiber arts, and witchy whimsy. Think: knitting meets folklore meets cottagecore chaos.

---

The Traditional Summoning of the Skeins

At twilight, participants gather in a giant spiral pattern made entirely of colorful yarn trails. As a collective, they chant the "Sacred Frogging Rhyme" while unraveling one regrettable project to release its energy back into the universe. Then, with great ceremony, they re-cast the yarn into something new-literally and metaphorically.

A random attendee is then crowned The Stitchwitch, donning the Cloak of UFOs (unfinished objects), and is tasked with blessing all new projects begun at the festival.

---

Other Wild Highlights:

• Yarn Bomb Hunt: Entire forest paths are secretly yarn bombed overnight-your challenge is to find the hidden crocheted familiars (tiny foxes, cryptids, or frogs in sweaters) for prizes.

• The Speed Hex-a-ghan: Teams compete in crafting the weirdest magical granny square blanket before midnight. Bonus points for glow-in-the-dark yarn.

• Fiber Séance: Sit in a circle with a psychic spinner who claims to channel the spirit of Elizabeth Zimmerman through a drop spindle.

• The Cozy Catwalk: Strut your finest handmade garments while a panel of dramatic grandmas and goth knitters judge your work and throw glittery stitch markers in approval.

---

Why Should You Go?

Because you deserve a weekend where frogs wear scarves, shawls have mystical power, and the act of casting on a new project feels like casting a spell. Also, where else can you chant in a fiber circle and feel both ridiculous and holy?

Plus: hot mulled cider served in hand-knit cup cozies, yarn that smells like lavender and ambition, and a nighttime screening of Practical Magic under a quilted sky.

------------------------------
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service
City of Clearwater
------------------------------

It is a weird and wild place, that's for sure... lol.

------------------------------
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service
City of Clearwater
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2025 12:44
From: Nicole Milliken
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

I love your brain so much, Amy! "Summoning of the Skeins..." LOL

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2025 12:21
From: Amy Sessions
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Stitchwitch: The Enchanted Yarn Revival

Location: A mossy glen in the Pacific Northwest, where it always smells like rain, pine needles, and impending magic.

Festival Theme: A mystical-meets-cozy celebration of all things yarn, fiber arts, and witchy whimsy. Think: knitting meets folklore meets cottagecore chaos.

---

The Traditional Summoning of the Skeins

At twilight, participants gather in a giant spiral pattern made entirely of colorful yarn trails. As a collective, they chant the "Sacred Frogging Rhyme" while unraveling one regrettable project to release its energy back into the universe. Then, with great ceremony, they re-cast the yarn into something new-literally and metaphorically.

A random attendee is then crowned The Stitchwitch, donning the Cloak of UFOs (unfinished objects), and is tasked with blessing all new projects begun at the festival.

---

Other Wild Highlights:

• Yarn Bomb Hunt: Entire forest paths are secretly yarn bombed overnight-your challenge is to find the hidden crocheted familiars (tiny foxes, cryptids, or frogs in sweaters) for prizes.

• The Speed Hex-a-ghan: Teams compete in crafting the weirdest magical granny square blanket before midnight. Bonus points for glow-in-the-dark yarn.

• Fiber Séance: Sit in a circle with a psychic spinner who claims to channel the spirit of Elizabeth Zimmerman through a drop spindle.

• The Cozy Catwalk: Strut your finest handmade garments while a panel of dramatic grandmas and goth knitters judge your work and throw glittery stitch markers in approval.

---

Why Should You Go?

Because you deserve a weekend where frogs wear scarves, shawls have mystical power, and the act of casting on a new project feels like casting a spell. Also, where else can you chant in a fiber circle and feel both ridiculous and holy?

Plus: hot mulled cider served in hand-knit cup cozies, yarn that smells like lavender and ambition, and a nighttime screening of Practical Magic under a quilted sky.

------------------------------
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service
City of Clearwater

This is so cool! I would go out of my way just to see a frog in a scarf, but the rest sounds so fun!

------------------------------
Matt Lawson
Genesys - Employees
Online Community Manager
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2025 12:21
From: Amy Sessions
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Stitchwitch: The Enchanted Yarn Revival

Location: A mossy glen in the Pacific Northwest, where it always smells like rain, pine needles, and impending magic.

Festival Theme: A mystical-meets-cozy celebration of all things yarn, fiber arts, and witchy whimsy. Think: knitting meets folklore meets cottagecore chaos.

---

The Traditional Summoning of the Skeins

At twilight, participants gather in a giant spiral pattern made entirely of colorful yarn trails. As a collective, they chant the "Sacred Frogging Rhyme" while unraveling one regrettable project to release its energy back into the universe. Then, with great ceremony, they re-cast the yarn into something new-literally and metaphorically.

A random attendee is then crowned The Stitchwitch, donning the Cloak of UFOs (unfinished objects), and is tasked with blessing all new projects begun at the festival.

---

Other Wild Highlights:

• Yarn Bomb Hunt: Entire forest paths are secretly yarn bombed overnight-your challenge is to find the hidden crocheted familiars (tiny foxes, cryptids, or frogs in sweaters) for prizes.

• The Speed Hex-a-ghan: Teams compete in crafting the weirdest magical granny square blanket before midnight. Bonus points for glow-in-the-dark yarn.

• Fiber Séance: Sit in a circle with a psychic spinner who claims to channel the spirit of Elizabeth Zimmerman through a drop spindle.

• The Cozy Catwalk: Strut your finest handmade garments while a panel of dramatic grandmas and goth knitters judge your work and throw glittery stitch markers in approval.

---

Why Should You Go?

Because you deserve a weekend where frogs wear scarves, shawls have mystical power, and the act of casting on a new project feels like casting a spell. Also, where else can you chant in a fiber circle and feel both ridiculous and holy?

Plus: hot mulled cider served in hand-knit cup cozies, yarn that smells like lavender and ambition, and a nighttime screening of Practical Magic under a quilted sky.

------------------------------
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service
City of Clearwater
------------------------------

Festival Name: The Great Reverse Day

Opposite Costume Ball: Everyone dresses as their complete opposite - introverts as over-the-top performers, extroverts as monks, cats as dogs (yes, pets are encouraged). and we should buy ticket because for one glorious day, the world gets weird in the best way, celebrating creativity, absurdity, and the joy of not taking life too seriously.

------------------------------
Gaurav Kumar
------------------------------

I'm into it!! 

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-26-2025 00:33
From: Gaurav Kumar
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Festival Name: The Great Reverse Day

Opposite Costume Ball: Everyone dresses as their complete opposite - introverts as over-the-top performers, extroverts as monks, cats as dogs (yes, pets are encouraged). and we should buy ticket because for one glorious day, the world gets weird in the best way, celebrating creativity, absurdity, and the joy of not taking life too seriously.

------------------------------
Gaurav Kumar
------------------------------

Amy, that's amazing! Sign me up.

Here's mine:

Office De-Stress Fest

Work got you down? Feeling overwhelmed by the daily grind? So busy you can't remember your own name some days? Come on down and let it all out.

Activities would include:

• PC, printer, and other electronic equipment smashing a la Office Space - bring your own, or purchase a used one on the cheap
• Roasts of the most-hated programs as voted on by the public (I'm looking at you, MS Teams)
• Plenty of voids for screaming
• Carnival style games - wack-a-mole, darts, archery, water balloons, etc, - all stylized to fit the theme
• Hype booths - stop in and highly-skilled cheerful types will remind you just how great you are
• Treat Yourself - plenty of local vendors with both hilarious snarky swag and genuine de-stress goods
• Quiet Place - just need dead silence to let your brain rest? Come on over to this zone! Indoor and outdoor options available.
• Bonfire - at twilight, participants can write their gripes down and toss them into the fire for a nice cleansing experience. After, s-mores all around.
• This Meeting Should Have Been an Email - a great big chart will add up all of the estimated wasted hours as submitted by attendees. As different thresholds are reached, prizes for everyone! 

------------------------------
Emily Kammerer
Manager - Telephony Systems
------------------------------

We can combine these two and just make a week of it! Start off decompressing at yours and then get rebalanced at mine... rofl.

------------------------------
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service
City of Clearwater
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-26-2025 07:56
From: Emily Kammerer
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Amy, that's amazing! Sign me up.

Here's mine:

Office De-Stress Fest

Work got you down? Feeling overwhelmed by the daily grind? So busy you can't remember your own name some days? Come on down and let it all out.

Activities would include:

• PC, printer, and other electronic equipment smashing a la Office Space - bring your own, or purchase a used one on the cheap
• Roasts of the most-hated programs as voted on by the public (I'm looking at you, MS Teams)
• Plenty of voids for screaming
• Carnival style games - wack-a-mole, darts, archery, water balloons, etc, - all stylized to fit the theme
• Hype booths - stop in and highly-skilled cheerful types will remind you just how great you are
• Treat Yourself - plenty of local vendors with both hilarious snarky swag and genuine de-stress goods
• Quiet Place - just need dead silence to let your brain rest? Come on over to this zone! Indoor and outdoor options available.
• Bonfire - at twilight, participants can write their gripes down and toss them into the fire for a nice cleansing experience. After, s-mores all around.
• This Meeting Should Have Been an Email - a great big chart will add up all of the estimated wasted hours as submitted by attendees. As different thresholds are reached, prizes for everyone! 

------------------------------
Emily Kammerer
Manager - Telephony Systems
------------------------------

Hahaa! You gals crack me up! Love ittttt. Never stop being you. 

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-26-2025 07:56
From: Emily Kammerer
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Amy, that's amazing! Sign me up.

Here's mine:

Office De-Stress Fest

Work got you down? Feeling overwhelmed by the daily grind? So busy you can't remember your own name some days? Come on down and let it all out.

Activities would include:

• PC, printer, and other electronic equipment smashing a la Office Space - bring your own, or purchase a used one on the cheap
• Roasts of the most-hated programs as voted on by the public (I'm looking at you, MS Teams)
• Plenty of voids for screaming
• Carnival style games - wack-a-mole, darts, archery, water balloons, etc, - all stylized to fit the theme
• Hype booths - stop in and highly-skilled cheerful types will remind you just how great you are
• Treat Yourself - plenty of local vendors with both hilarious snarky swag and genuine de-stress goods
• Quiet Place - just need dead silence to let your brain rest? Come on over to this zone! Indoor and outdoor options available.
• Bonfire - at twilight, participants can write their gripes down and toss them into the fire for a nice cleansing experience. After, s-mores all around.
• This Meeting Should Have Been an Email - a great big chart will add up all of the estimated wasted hours as submitted by attendees. As different thresholds are reached, prizes for everyone! 

------------------------------
Emily Kammerer
Manager - Telephony Systems
------------------------------

I can't even come up with a better festival. Emily wins.

------------------------------
Seean Weaver
MAPFRE USA - Telecom Analyst
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-26-2025 07:56
From: Emily Kammerer
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

Amy, that's amazing! Sign me up.

Here's mine:

Office De-Stress Fest

Work got you down? Feeling overwhelmed by the daily grind? So busy you can't remember your own name some days? Come on down and let it all out.

Activities would include:

• PC, printer, and other electronic equipment smashing a la Office Space - bring your own, or purchase a used one on the cheap
• Roasts of the most-hated programs as voted on by the public (I'm looking at you, MS Teams)
• Plenty of voids for screaming
• Carnival style games - wack-a-mole, darts, archery, water balloons, etc, - all stylized to fit the theme
• Hype booths - stop in and highly-skilled cheerful types will remind you just how great you are
• Treat Yourself - plenty of local vendors with both hilarious snarky swag and genuine de-stress goods
• Quiet Place - just need dead silence to let your brain rest? Come on over to this zone! Indoor and outdoor options available.
• Bonfire - at twilight, participants can write their gripes down and toss them into the fire for a nice cleansing experience. After, s-mores all around.
• This Meeting Should Have Been an Email - a great big chart will add up all of the estimated wasted hours as submitted by attendees. As different thresholds are reached, prizes for everyone! 

------------------------------
Emily Kammerer
Manager - Telephony Systems
------------------------------

The Annual Sign Me Up Festival

Participants spend 3 days signing up for as many clubs and interest groups they can find and then the next year trying to get off their SPAM lists.

------------------------------
Robert Wakefield-Carl
ttec Digital
Sr. Director - Innovation Architects
Robert.WC@ttecdigital.com
https://www.ttecDigital.com
https://RobertWC.Blogspot.com
------------------------------

Hahah! Robert, so funny you say that. I was just going thru all my emails trying to get off of stuff I know I subscribed to, but also ones I have no idea how I got on the list!

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-26-2025 14:13
From: Robert Wakefield-Carl
Subject: What outdoor festival would you create?

The Annual Sign Me Up Festival

Participants spend 3 days signing up for as many clubs and interest groups they can find and then the next year trying to get off their SPAM lists.

------------------------------
Robert Wakefield-Carl
ttec Digital
Sr. Director - Innovation Architects
Robert.WC@ttecdigital.com
https://www.ttecDigital.com
https://RobertWC.Blogspot.com
------------------------------

The Cobweb Cornucopia Festival: Where butter hits the web and all the fun gets spun.
Location: Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin...for the corn fields.
Traditions: 
The kernel web launch - People dress as golden spiders, complete with glittering corn-cob legs, and launch buttered corn cobs from trebuchets (I think that word/device was used in the Lost TV show) into giant spider-web nets suspended between towering corn stalks.  Accuracy/precision and some creativity allow you to win and become the Buttery Arachnid King or Queen (royalty....I mean, why not, right?).  
Cobstacle Web Course - An obstacle course weaving (web...weaving....so fun) through cornfields and giant people sized spider webs made up of ropes and corn husks.  Dodge the popcorn launched at you at every turn.

Web parade - lit-up corn floats and spider webs across the festival grounds.  

Why go?

Corn dishes! Maybe some friendly neighborhood spider snacks?

Join in on the contests involving corn or a spider theme (not actual spiders) or both.  

Sound corny? It is! Need a hand? How about eight legs? We got you!

------------------------------
Tony Whitley
Operations Manager
------------------------------

Welcome to Bananarama – the world's most a-peeling festival!

Held annually in a secret orchard-turned-banana-blitz zone, Bananarama is a wild outdoor celebration of all things yellow, squishy, and potassium-packed. But this isn't your average fruit fest – it's a full-blown banana bonanza with traditions as bizarre as they are hilarious.

🍌 Strange Traditions Include:

• Banana Jousting: Contestants ride inflatable bananas and duel with foam fruit sabers.
• Slip 'n' Peel Derby: A high-speed banana peel obstacle course where only the slipperiest survive.
• The Great Banana Whisper-Off: Participants whisper their deepest secrets to a banana and bury it in the "Field of Feels" for good luck.
• Banana Séance: A late-night ritual where festivalgoers attempt to summon the spirit of the "Original Banana" using only peels and interpretive dance.

👕 Dress Code:

Banana costumes are mandatory. Whether you're a ripe Cavendish, a bruised plantain, or a peeled rebel, your outfit is your ticket to the inner circle of fruity fun.

🎟️ Why You Should Buy Tickets:

• Because where else can you dance under a disco ball made of bananas?
• Because life is short and you deserve to say, "I once competed in a banana catapult contest."
• Because potassium is important, but laughter is essential.

So grab your peel, embrace the absurd, and get ready to slip into something unforgettable. 🍌

------------------------------
Luke Phillips
Contact Centre Optimisation And Reporting Lead
------------------------------

I would say a food festival called fat-land!

For me, it would be a one-day festival where you could eat anything. Who doesn't like food? Why not a delicious sweet or dessert? How about a main course from India, or maybe an Argentinian steak? Or, why not, some popcorn with something crazy like the plum sauce they use for turkey in the United States? In short, it's a day to say, "Today I give in to temptation!"

why we should buy a ticket?

You should buy the ticket because it would be the most delicious festival you could attend. You can eat whatever you want, yummy!

------------------------------
Cesar Padilla
INDRA COLOMBIA
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Mensaje original:
Enviado: 06-25-2025 09:50
De: Nicole Milliken
Sujeto: What outdoor festival would you create?

It's vacation time for a lot of folks, which means new places, experiences, and fun! While I was creating the new "Outdoor Festivals" Trivia Tower contest, I read about a lot of strange outdoor events that I just had to put on my bucket list. That got me thinking:

If YOU could invent an odd outdoor festival, what would it be? Tell us the name, strange traditions, and why we should buy a ticket! 

Answer this question and play in the trivia, and you'll receive THREE (3) extra points on your total score! And trust me, those three points always dictate the winner. So have a little fun, learn something new about global outdoor festivals, and let your imagination run wild with this bonus question! 

Best of luck.

#Events/Contests

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------

Hi,

Great Question !
I'd probably go with something like Memory Mosaic of Cultures: A Global Childhood Fair

An international inter-cultural celebration about - Sharing stories/traditions that shaped one's life or is the best childhood memory.
Can be a Game, Rituals, a Seasonal festival, or even Stories etc. And every booth becomes a portal to someone's formative years.

Booths named - Memory Lanes, Nostalgic Taste/Music, 

Why Attend:
I believe, people everywhere are kinda same in a way. They behave in a certain way in certain situations, and those are pretty common/standard everywhere.

The things that make us different are religion, region & geo-politics (all man made.)
Skip that in this Memory Mosaic of Cultures and you'll find your calling, you'll find what shaped you, your joy, curiosity and will have a sense of belonging.

------------------------------
Ashiesh Sharma
GCX- GCP, ARC, SCR, QM
BT plc
------------------------------

Festival Idea: The Great Gourd Gala

Concept:

A quirky, offbeat celebration of all things gourd-related-pumpkins, squashes, courgettes /zucchinis, and more! This festival transforms a humble vegetable into the star of a wildly imaginative outdoor event. Think of it as a mix between a harvest fair, a surreal art installation, and a carnival of eccentric traditions.

Wild Traditions:

1. Gourd Gladiator Battles
   Participants don armor made of hollowed-out gourds and engage in hilariously clumsy, padded "combat" in a giant hay-filled arena. The winner is crowned the "Gourdian Champion" and receives a golden squash trophy.

2. The Great Gourd Roll
   A chaotic race where contestants roll massive pumpkins down a hill, dodging obstacles like hay bales and water balloons. Spectators cheer wildly, and the fastest pumpkin wins eternal glory (and a pie).

3. Squash Symphony
   Musicians perform using instruments crafted entirely from gourds-flutes, drums, and even stringed instruments. The result is a whimsical, earthy soundtrack that fills the air with quirky melodies.

4. Pumpkin Catapult Contest
   Teams build elaborate trebuchets to launch pumpkins into the sky, aiming for targets like giant scarecrows or floating rings. Bonus points for creative designs and dramatic pumpkin splatter.

5. The Lantern Parade
   As night falls, attendees carry intricately carved, glowing gourds in a magical procession through the festival grounds. The parade ends with a dazzling light show projected onto a towering pumpkin-shaped sculpture.

Why People Should Go:

• Unmatched Whimsy: It's a one-of-a-kind experience that blends humor, creativity, and community spirit. Where else can you see a pumpkin fly or hear a courgette /zucchini flute?
• Family-Friendly Fun: From kids painting mini-gourds to adults competing in absurd challenges, there's something for everyone.
• Local Flavor: The festival highlights local farmers, artists, and chefs, offering delicious gourd-based dishes, unique crafts, and a chance to support the community.
• Unforgettable Memories: Whether you're laughing at a pumpkin rolling downhill or marveling at the glowing lantern parade, it's a festival you'll talk about for years.

The Great Gourd Gala is a celebration of creativity, silliness, and the joy of coming together for something delightfully weird. Who wouldn't want to say they've been crowned the Gourdian Champion?

------------------------------
George Holdstock
na
------------------------------

Wow, just WOW! I am LOVING these festivals! So creative, so fun - please get me a ticket to every. single. one. 

------------------------------
Nicole Milliken
Senior Online Community Video Specialist
------------------------------