Watch the Mother of All Bonfires

In Norway, most celebrations have one essential component—a bonfire. And in the port town of Norway’s Ålesund, the Midsummer celebration on June 23rd each year is celebrated differently than in all of Europe. They light the tallest bonfire to mark the end of the cold, dark days and welcome warmer weather.

There was a time when Ålesund had hundreds of bonfires around town, but the mighty Slinningsbålet took it to the extreme. Local businesses donate wooden pallets, which are all piled up. In 2016, the town set a Guinness World Record by lighting a bonfire that measured 155 feet and 5.9 inches! It’s a must-see attraction.