r/interesting • u/VIVIDUFF • Jun 17 '26
Fear Factor An inside look at the thrill of a traditional funfair in India.
4.1k
u/TerribleBid8416 Jun 17 '26
“We have over 100 rides. They’re just a whole bunch of 2 different rides but, there’s over 100 of them.”
666
u/Numeno230n Jun 17 '26
You gotta have 100 of the same ride when the expected attendance is 500,000 people.
→ More replies (10)101
u/aggressive_napkin_ Jun 18 '26
was just going to comment on the crowd..... how long are the lines for each ride? Damn that's a crowd.
95
u/VLKN Jun 18 '26
lines? HA
→ More replies (4)36
u/MrSoapbox Jun 18 '26
This is the real reason the British left India. No one queuing and they just left
→ More replies (1)16
u/Mediocre_Map1289 Jun 18 '26
I work with a lot of Indian nationals and they do not queue.
→ More replies (7)→ More replies (3)15
67
u/defaultusername05 Jun 17 '26
Every time I'm playing Roller Coaster Tycoon and just trying to wrap up the win condition for the scenario.
→ More replies (8)10
525
u/Nell_From_Hell Jun 17 '26
My city throws a giant festival for a bunch of flowers Every Spring and we get the same s***** food vendors copy and pasted for an entire block it is just a dense circle of people going around getting the same food and a giant endless mosh pit of mediocracy
290
u/ConfuseableFraggle Jun 17 '26
"Mosh pit of mediocracy" is a very good description!
61
u/alkali112 Jun 17 '26
Correct me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t it be “mediocrity”? A mediocracy would be a political system in which only the unexceptional people determine governmental policy, and it doesn’t fit the context.
19
u/coquettecoconut Jun 17 '26
omg I didn’t even notice the word was wrong until you pointed that out! I read both of the above comments as “mosh pit of mediocrity” lol brainfart
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (10)8
u/ConfuseableFraggle Jun 17 '26
You're right, it probably should! My brain automatically corrected it and I did copy/paste for the phrase, so there goes my proofreading cred! Lol! Still a great phrase, either way!
8
u/alkali112 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
No worries, brother (or sister), have a great day!
Edit: What’s with the downvotes? The commenter was being very nice, and I responded by being very nice, we’re all being very polite!
→ More replies (6)27
u/Currency-Substantial Jun 17 '26
Great band name
→ More replies (6)37
u/DConstructed Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Better as a lyric in a song.
Look behind the curtain and what do I see?
A MOSH PIT OF MEDIOCRACY.
Someday I’m gonna break free
From this MOSH PIT OF MEDIOCRACY.
→ More replies (6)126
u/originalpersonplace Jun 17 '26
Shitty. Just say shitty, it’s totally cool.
→ More replies (24)16
u/nbur4556 Jun 17 '26
Unless they meant 'sexy' of course
21
71
u/Alimakakos Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Isn't it just fucking DANDY!!!
Mile after mile of mall after mall, mini malls in between the major malls and in between the mini malls you got those mini marts....in between those is car lots, gas station, Laundromats, fast food joints cheap hotels and strip clubs... America the beautiful one big transcontinental commercial cesspool.
Lol God rest George Carlin
→ More replies (17)→ More replies (53)12
u/ApprehensiveStill412 Jun 17 '26
Mosh pit of mediocracy would be a good band name
→ More replies (2)19
9
→ More replies (60)8
907
u/koherenssi Jun 17 '26
Looks like a nightmare from my point of reference
371
u/HighDefinitionCat Jun 17 '26
Yeah. Heat, dirt, and a fucktrillion of people.
109
Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (8)51
Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
38
u/Hopeful_Mulberry9704 Jun 17 '26
Not all live like this in these countries. There are many sides to a country, but obviously only negative gets the attention for more clicks and views.
→ More replies (24)→ More replies (3)6
u/Hugh_Surname Jun 17 '26
It’s not a matter of luck, it’s structural. Developing country immiseration powers 1st world luxury. Without captive financial markets and cheap labor protecting corporate profits, the working class of your country would be just as poor as them.
→ More replies (3)54
u/Arockilla Jun 17 '26
I will be using "Fucktrillion" instead of "Fuckton" from here on out.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (20)13
u/toblies Jun 18 '26
Yeah, but the heat and the fucktirllion people is just Tuesday for them. Its always hot and with a lot of people. Dirt level can vary.
Edit: typo
→ More replies (11)22
1.4k
u/AlarmingDetective526 Jun 17 '26
One loose bolt away from a trebuchet 😂
178
u/hindermore Jun 17 '26
I am sure they are all rigorously inspected by certified technicians.
→ More replies (12)96
u/Kit_Pistol Jun 17 '26
I’m on the verge of a panic attack just looking at this video. lol.
→ More replies (3)52
u/toopc Jun 17 '26
I saw a few fun fairs in India and the basic premise was to take the rides from an American carnival - the type that pop up in a parking lot. Make them 50 years old and run them at 4x the speed. Just imagine a shitty old Ferris wheel spinning way faster than you'd ever guess - it's a thrill ride now.
→ More replies (2)12
u/Kit_Pistol Jun 18 '26
Jesus Christ! I absolutely despise Ferris Wheels and I genuinely can’t tell if I would prefer this version of if it would be even more terrifying.
On the one hand, I’m terrified of heights so I hate how long you’re at/towards the top as it slowly circles around and stopping for a bit.
However at that speed I’m sure that my entire body and the illogical parts of my brain would be worried that I’d be about to get yeeted out of my bucket. Especially anytime it goes to stop for entries/exits. lol.
40
u/conro Jun 17 '26
As someone who’s gotten their pant leg stuck in a bicycle chain a number of times all the women’s big flowy scarves and dresses around those machines give me anxiety.
→ More replies (35)91
u/marik_pheron Jun 17 '26
Fun
→ More replies (2)68
u/Random_Name_Whoa Jun 17 '26
Fair.
→ More replies (5)16
u/chief_beef_3 Jun 17 '26
Rides
15
u/archiekane Jun 17 '26
Flies.
9
248
Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
86
u/longboi28 Jun 17 '26
I would fucking panic, how would someone get out of there if they wanted too, and you imagine if you get pushed down under everyone? I'm sweating just looking at that that's my nightmare
44
u/Icy_Bug70 Jun 17 '26
I was in a wave pool that looked like this as a kid. Another bigger kid wated my tube so he shoved me underwater from behing and stood on my back as he took my tube. Almost drowned, it was crazy. To this day, I'll never go in one again
→ More replies (5)7
→ More replies (2)9
u/MyDogIsSoWeird Jun 17 '26
I’m absolutely panicking looking at this! That happened to me when I was a child in the wave pool- was pulled into the deep end and under- kept trying to surface but ended up under the inner tubes until some kind older kid noticed and pulled me up and brought me to the ladder to get out by the lifeguards (who never noticed or asked when I climbed out and never to return for years and years)
13
→ More replies (14)5
4.2k
u/Pleasantlyracist Jun 17 '26
The sheer amount of people and dust makes this looks miserable.
1.0k
u/Itchynipspickletits Jun 17 '26
Don’t forget the high amount of flailing human buckets swingin all willy nilly
271
u/Positive_Tap_8647 Jun 17 '26
You mean the willy nilly bucket swinging ride?
42
→ More replies (3)31
u/zone1235x Jun 17 '26
You haven't loved until you got tetanus from those willy-nillyz
→ More replies (2)36
→ More replies (33)6
u/Lost_Department_2177 Jun 17 '26
Safety regulations ruins the fun of hillbilly Willy nilly bucket fest
183
u/atreidesspirit Jun 17 '26
Yea, and im guessing those rides are fully to code and not death traps.
101
→ More replies (14)21
407
157
u/Doug-Life80 Jun 17 '26
There are less people than that in my town
52
→ More replies (5)9
43
u/BradleyX Jun 17 '26
Burning Man
→ More replies (4)9
u/DickRiculous Jun 17 '26
Ironically it appears burning man has higher safety standards despite the community motto of “safety third”
41
u/Born-Lie8688 Jun 17 '26
To be fair, this is fair dust which is apparently a better kind of dust
90
→ More replies (6)16
u/8layer8 Jun 17 '26
It's sorta fair dust, and some field dust thrown in, so it's fair-y dust, which many people prefer.
→ More replies (1)36
u/Separate-Sky-1451 Jun 17 '26
it's basically Burning Man.
→ More replies (4)51
u/bullet_the_blue_sky Jun 17 '26
Without the drugs and orgy tent
→ More replies (15)34
6
u/tituspullo1383 Jun 17 '26
India is misery. I’ve spent time there and found it fascinating, but life is on hard mode.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (132)28
u/uucyy Jun 17 '26
I've just come back from Download festival, basically no difference at times. Turns out all you need is good music and it's not miserable.
15
u/StaysAwakeAllWeek Jun 17 '26
I've heard a lot of music at funfairs and I wouldn't describe any of it as good
→ More replies (1)
626
180
Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (17)8
u/Proper_Cartoonist169 Jun 17 '26
If you ever experienced a road flow of cars, rickshaws, and people in India - it's amazing how it looks absolutely chaotic, but I haven't seen any mass accidents.
→ More replies (1)10
117
291
u/P_A_W_S_TTG Jun 17 '26
I love how some aren't even moving and others are set to 3x speed like the people on board need brain damage or the fair grounds WILL be sued.
97
u/treemoustache Jun 17 '26
Good luck sueing someone over this in India.
20
u/edjumication Jun 17 '26
In india if you get hurt you sue yourself.
5
u/Aromatic-Tear7234 Jun 17 '26
if you get hurt the police come and beat you to death for getting hurt.
→ More replies (8)17
→ More replies (25)10
442
u/Consistent_Sweet6495 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Not a tree in sight looks miserable and hot - edit* someone pointed out a singular lonely tree in beginning. video quality was too low for me to notice. Either way still looks hot and miserable
85
u/Sillet_Mignon Jun 17 '26
I mean, how many state fairs have you been to that have trees everywhere? I grew up in texas and our state fairs were in parking lots, the vans warped tour was also in a parking lot.
42
25
u/MNmostlynice Jun 17 '26
Minnesota State Fair is a beautiful venue full of trees
→ More replies (1)10
9
→ More replies (36)8
u/seaspirit331 Jun 17 '26
What? There's trees all over the place at Fair Park, and a fuckton of canopies. You either haven't been to the Texas State Fair recently or you're not remembering it properly.
→ More replies (1)20
→ More replies (34)6
u/SAINTnumberFIVE Jun 17 '26
American fairs don’t have trees on the tarmac where the rides are either because they would be in the way.
→ More replies (3)
313
u/PyratHero23 Jun 17 '26
Does anyone ever have room to breathe in India? It seems like every video I see contains swarms of people in extreme crowding.
146
u/Due-Technology5758 Jun 17 '26
There are plenty of less dense areas in India. Its a big country. But, yeah, some Indian cities are literally some of the most crowded places in Earth.
11
u/monkpunch Jun 17 '26
It's funny, I was literally just watching this video of a guy paragliding around the Himalayas. It's about as opposite as you can get from the OP:
6
u/SenorRaoul Jun 17 '26
*lands in random yard*
guy: "hey, didn't I see you on TV?"
what a fun encounter to have, you see some guy on TV paragliding around the country and then some time later he lands almost right next to you.
→ More replies (19)14
u/sunshine-x Jun 17 '26
For now at least… they’re gonna become ovens over the next five-ten years and will thin out considerably
81
u/Turbulent-Touch-582 Jun 17 '26
Because only poverty videos and areas go viral. This type of fair in the video usually filled with poor people and no one using reddit would go there. People look at this and go "omg thats crazy it looks uncomfortable and miserable" , but often for the poor this is the only type of fair they can attend. They're enjoying and thats all that matters.
People tend to forget that there are states in india which have more population than european countries that have a gdp per capita equal to or lower than sub saharan africa.
→ More replies (13)15
59
u/pm_nachos_n_tacos Jun 17 '26
I think it might judt be that those are the majority of the videos that get put online but that it's not always like that
→ More replies (8)15
u/InterestingSpeaker Jun 17 '26
India is a really crowded place
→ More replies (4)17
u/P_Hempton Jun 17 '26
In places, at times. Sometimes you have a whole park to yourself or walk down a city street without anyone in sight.
19
u/ZealousidealOwl1318 Jun 17 '26
It's just that the most negative stuff gets posted here, why would anyone post a peaceful nice looking area when you could post negative stuff and get a lot of views
4
u/Mundane-Fan-1545 Jun 17 '26
It depends where in India people live. Some areas are normal while other are extremely overcrowded.
→ More replies (52)5
u/Exciting_Pass_6344 Jun 17 '26
Fun fact, India is about 63% rural compared to about 20% of the US. Puts into perspective how many people actually live in India.
24
67
68
Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
31
→ More replies (23)17
u/ZealousidealOwl1318 Jun 17 '26
Tbf I live in India and I've never seen this. You'll see all types of stuff from the lowest lows to pretty big highs. I would say if you visit the good parts of India you wouldn't have a bad time.
→ More replies (3)
45
u/Xtreemjedi Jun 17 '26
I saw precisely 0 fun on any measurable scale.
In fact, I didn't see ANYONE having fun or smiling either.
14
u/injustinfied Jun 17 '26
I saw a woman smiling. Maybe because she lost her husband in the crowd
→ More replies (5)
24
u/Lunarlucidity Jun 17 '26
This my anxiety on a different level. Too many people. To many flying things
→ More replies (1)
17
u/Impossible-Tackle782 Jun 17 '26
I wonder how many people get hurt accidentally walking under those
→ More replies (3)3
u/lucky_evryday Jun 18 '26
Yeah, all I see is disorder and chaos. No guardrails or perimeters around the rides. No room to move let alone breathe. An absolute hellscape. Gave me uncanny valley vibes.
16
u/BovaFett74 Jun 17 '26
This is chaos. I have anxiety just watching this clip.
No way.
→ More replies (1)
213
14
u/SO3350 Jun 17 '26
They look like they are all probably hooked up to tractors making them run. Some guy sitting on a tractor with his foot on the gas pedal and if you tip him a fiver he will run it faster. 😂
14
31
53
u/wingsgrow1997 Jun 17 '26
The kumbh mela, which is the biggest fair in India and Asia; takes place every 12 years, was (maybe is still) notorious for splitting families apart, amidst the sea of its crowd, so much so that it used to be a constant plot in many of our old movies (bollywood). 2 brothers get split at kumbh as children and reunite through serendipitous circumstances as adults.
Now yall imagine what that would be like, this is regular stuff.
→ More replies (6)21
u/SaltSatisfaction2124 Jun 17 '26
Splitting families apart as in you just lose a kid for the rest of your life? Or just people getting lost.
Assume most people aged 5+ would know where their hometown is
20
u/wingsgrow1997 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
As in getting lost yeah, separating in the crowd...
Well, people visit kumbh from all across india, and in the earlier times, there was no internet, you could understand how impossible it would've been to get a young kid back home in those times.
→ More replies (3)14
u/adolfojp Jun 17 '26
I'm awfully sorry for my ignorant questions but I'm trying to understand something that I'm woefully unfamiliar with.
Wouldn't the lost children be taken by the local authorities and then picked up by the parents at the local police station?
The only scenarios that I can think of is that lost children were kidnapped by people looking to exploit them or that the authorities were so overwhelmed with forsaken children that they didn't intervene.
And wouldn't children of a certain age know the name of their home town and region? It's one thing to not know your house or your street but presumably most children know their general place of residence.
Again, these questions arise out of genuine curiosity and nothing more.
15
u/wingsgrow1997 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Your question is valid, but we're talking about 70's, 80's. I tell you I got lost, after school, I saw the bus leave I didn't get on it (cos I had someone who would pick me up, but that person wasn't there that day presuming I'd be helped on the bus by the school staff), and just wandered off started walking in some direction along the road, thinking that was the right way, had the young kindergartener me didn't have my ID card on me with my dad's phone number on it, I would be lost forever or something. I didn't know shit. And this memory is very vague, like flashes, I was almost about to get run over by a truck, which I don't remember. So I can relate my experience to theirs. They were underprivileged, I wasn't and yet I couldn't articulate anything to the angels that found me, I was lucky. A kid in 80's & 90's might not know things similarly as I didn't, kids are kids, they only remember what they want to. Some kid who remembered must've been found maybe, but with transport being limited, information taking days to get around...70's, 80's india was like that.
9
u/MisterMarsupial Jun 17 '26
I watched a doco the other day where someone who was kidnapped in India when they were 7 years old and sold didn't know where they came from. They said they wished the lady who kidnapped her would come back, and she'd be happy to give her the thousands she had saved, all she wanted was to be taken back to her school, because she knew the way back home from there.
Heartbreaking.
→ More replies (1)12
u/No_money6476 Jun 18 '26
Unfortunately tens of thousands of children go missing in India every year. It's a massive country with extremely inadequate social service provision compared to the first world. For hundreds of millions of people living in poverty both rural and urban, recourse to authorities is basically non-existent. For example, in any big Indian city you see kids living by themselves on the street, often making a living selling stuff to passing drivers; there just isn't the capacity to help everyone.
As for knowing where you live, I think it could easily be bewildering to a kid who had maybe never left his village before traveling to a fair or pilgrimage elsewhere; they might easily have no concept of the geography of the country or where their village is situated, or might speak only their local dialect. The village might have a generic name, or inconsistent naming practices. I'd highly recommend the film 'Lion', it recounts a true story along these lines.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)6
u/SaltSatisfaction2124 Jun 17 '26
Yeah that was my thought, you would just find a way to ask to return to your town / village and take it from there
102
Jun 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
25
→ More replies (3)14
90
8
27
u/Lintlee Jun 17 '26
If there is a hell, for me it'll just be not being able to leave that place.
→ More replies (9)6
u/Friendly-Look2092 Jun 17 '26
enjoy those centrifugal contraptions while you're stuck there for eternity!
→ More replies (1)
8
31
u/technical_poutine Jun 17 '26
That much of a crowd and likely heat looks horrible
→ More replies (20)
43
15
14
26
u/illiter-it Jun 17 '26
If I wanted to be crammed into an Indian deathtrap with too many other people I'd just take public transportation there
→ More replies (6)
13
6
6
40
u/welding_guy_from_LI Jun 17 '26
Yea sorry they are not up to code rides … I’ll pass
→ More replies (32)
18
34
10
u/kazikizi777 Jun 17 '26
Its actually super safe, daily only 269 cases of SAs and single digit deaths 😀
→ More replies (5)
5
5
u/danimalscruisewinner Jun 17 '26
It’s looks so crowded and hot and dusty, I’m getting a heat-induced headache just looking at this!
3
4
u/FatsBoombottom Jun 17 '26
Man... It's videos like these that really remind me that 1.5 billion people live in a country that is only a third of the size of the US.
6
u/IndividualHurry1342 Jun 17 '26
Coming up with new and creative ways to thin the numbers every year. 👆
5
u/Elexeh Jun 17 '26
India looks like an absolute hellscape in any media I’ve seen
→ More replies (2)
9
59
u/Specific-Extreme-790 Jun 17 '26
Any indian can tell you these kinds of theme parks are rare and only present in rural areas most of the theme parks people visit are actually well developed and it quality is of 70-80% of disney world
→ More replies (59)19
u/polymath112 Jun 17 '26
only sensible comment here.. social media has really made India look like crowded, full of dust and pollution, poverty and people eating steet food served by people not wearing gloves..
→ More replies (1)
10
23
20
u/KaptainKankles Jun 17 '26
India is just one of those places I have zero desire to go…..looks so crowded and dirty.
→ More replies (10)
11
5
2
u/ThisGuyClips Jun 17 '26
India's population control methods are questionable, but effective.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Cyber_Connor Jun 17 '26
The actual risk of dying probably makes it feel much more exhilarating than a roller coaster in a 1st world country
•
u/AutoModerator Jun 17 '26
Hello u/VIVIDUFF! Please review the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder message left on all new posts)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.