Following a typo and a subsequent misprint on the majority of its promotional material, Bazar International organizers have found themselves in a rush to make the “Bizarre” International a weird event.
The misprint was discovered earlier this week when the European Society for the Strange and Eccentric (ESSE) announced that its 500 members were delighted to have found a new event catering to weirdness.
“It was then that we discovered that a sleepy volunteer had misspelled ‘bazar’ in an email, hence the mess,” says spokesperson Isadora Faros.
“The words ‘bazar’ and ‘bizarre’ sound the same,” the volunteer later explained.
Fearing repercussions if they failed to deliver a strange event, organizers decided to go with the new theme and instructed participants to do their part to make the “Bizarre” International truly odd.
“When visitors enter, they’ll be greeted by tall gentlemen in cloaks made from quilted underwear who will ask them if they want to hear a joke,” Faros said. “If they say no, they’ll get a piece of paper that says ‘visit stand number 93 for a free drink,’ and if they say yes, they’ll be given three plastic salmon that they’ll have to juggle for 15 seconds before they may enter.”
“There is no stand number 93,” she added.
Technicians will loosen light bulbs to make them flicker, and directional signs will be posted upside down. Meanwhile, undercover volunteers will wander around and say, “my darling, I’ve missed you” to strangers before giving them a hug and a tin of green peas and baby carrots.
“The only music that will be playing will be a 17th-century Transylvanian circus tune mixed with the sound of whales mating and the looping voice of a worker from Contrôle Technique asking a driver to turn on their fog lights,” Faros said.
Individual stands are also getting in the spirit, Faros says. The Swiss stand will only acknowledge visitors if they whisper. The Philippines stand is hosting free karaoke, but no matter which song a visitor requests, they will end up having to sing a Tagalog version of “Barbie Girl.” Volunteers at the Korean stand will ask visitors to join them behind the stand for a photo – only to quickly disappear for the remainder of the day and let the visitors fend for themselves.
***
To submit a complaint about this or any Wurst piece, please visit this page.
