Competitors flock to sixth Seagull Screeching Championship as Europe’s strangest contest returns

NewsWorldEuropeCompetitors flock to sixth Seagull Screeching Championship as Europe’s strangest contest returns70 contestants gathered in De Panne, Belgium, for the unusual competition, many of whom wore seagull-themed outfitsYiming Woo Monday 27 April 2026 11:23 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2965544","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/seagull-screeching-championship-de-panne-b2965544.html","title":"Flocks gather at Seagull Screeching Championship as Europe’s weirdest contest returns"}}CloseRelated video: 'Seagull boy' wins screeching championship with uncanny impressionOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_On_The_Ground_Newsletter","regTitle":"On The Ground","subscriptionGroup":"on_the_ground","subscriptionGroupId":"14806361-6435-4d19-b06e-05326605fb01","pathPrefix":["/news/world/europe","/news/world/middle-east","/news/world/australasia","/news/world/africa","/asia"],"associatedAuthors":["Bel Trew","Sam Kiley"],"title":"On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents","mobileTitle":"Get a weekly international news dispatch","lengthenedMobileTitle":"Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/onTheGround1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveOnTheGround","regSourceSection":"Europe","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"}}The Belgian coastal tow...