From impromptu dance parties in the middle of the road to stilt walkers with googly-eyes on their bums to pet balloon animals being walked on leashes, it felt as though almost every eye turn was met with delightful oddities. 

As the days went on, the festival would get weirder and weirder, donning Cheshire Cat grins among all. We have been committed to covering the strangest things things we’ve seen over the years down at the Salmo Valley Ranch during Shambhala in 2022 and 2023, and once again, here are some of the weirdest things we saw through the haze in 2024.

Gathering of the Chads

Look at this photograph… every time I do it makes me laugh… Nothing put a smile on our face quite like seeing this group of Nickelback superfans paying homage to lead singer Chad Kroeger. It was approximately 6 a.m. on Monday morning and this group of Chad’s reminded me of who I really am. 

So Many Rubber Chickens

There was a noticeable amount of honks and squeaks on the farm this year and now we know why. As we made our way out of the Village around 5:00AM Monday morning, this coop was caught wheeling out a giant garbage bag full of rubber chickens. Whether or not this was a collection of cocks they farmed during the festival, or were brought in to gift to attendees, we will never know. 

Vibey Taxidermy Doggo

Who says dogs can’t rave? When this man’s furry friend completed it’s circle of life, he decided to keep their memory alive by getting it taxidermied to forever be his rave companion. The pupper was rolled around the festival in a wheelbarrow,  decked out in cool sunglasses and other trippy attire making him the goodest, vibiest boi at Shambhala. 

Furry Squads

Furries can be considered one of the most misunderstood communities amongst normies. That’s part of the beauty of Shambhala, total freedom to be whoever or whatever you want. Your costume and character are taken at face value. Nuns will bless you, wizards will cast spells and this group of furry creatures certainly went beast mode every night. 

Molly Likes to Party

Though “Molly” might not seem like more than just a dummy at first glance, this dead-eyed floating head was quite the centre of attention on Friday night. Molly could be seen giving smooches to several floating head totems throughout the night, taking air-bumps of Ketamine from giant spoons and performing fellatio on a rainbow dildo suctioned to the head of a big, burly bald fellow. To top it all off, her blank stare genuinely spooked several unsuspecting Shambhala wanderers in the middle of the night. 

This is just a small taste of all the beautiful weirdness Shambhala had to offer this year. We’re yet to see another festival encourage its attendees to let their freak flags fly so high. What weird things did you see at Shambhala 2024? Let us know!