The annual Bun Bang Fai Festival is celebrated in northeastern Thailand and in Laos in the run up to the rainy season. Its roots go back to earlier traditional festivals held to pray for abundant rain for the crops. The festival has all the usual stuff: parades, food, concerts, and political speeches, but the big draw centers around a competition of amateur rocketry. In the city of Ubon Ratchathan, the rocketry competition is hosted by professional rocket builder Niyom Butprom and his daughter Tarn. The rocket launches are judged by how high they fly, how long they stay up, and technical issues like a smooth launch and a soft landing. These rocket festivals are held at different dates in different towns, so you could travel to attend more than one every year. Great Big Story went to Ubon Ratchathan to see what this festival is all about. And as you might guess, a good time was had by all. -via Geeks Are Sexy