Archive for the 'Festivals and Events' Category
8 Best Parties and Festivals in the World
Yesterday’s post on Finding Festivals and Cultural Events around the World got me in the partying mood and motivated me to put together a list of the Go Budget Travel “8 Best Parties and Festivals in the World”. This list is a compilation of my favorites, as well as recommendations from many of my traveling friends. They are all pretty big festivals, but size wasn’t a requirement. The two main requirements for making it on this list were uniqueness and fun. What is your favorite party or festival? Can be big, small, popular, or unpopular, leave your comments below!
Oktoberfest - (Munich, Germany)
Oktoberfest is a legendary event that takes place from late September until early October every year in Munich, Germany. It is an event where Germans from across the country gather in one of 14 tents, and spend all day drinking beer and consuming popular German dishes such as sauerkraut and sausages. It is a fantastic drunken celebration, where people from all around the world get drunk and have fun together.This year’s dates (2007): Sept 22 - Oct 7
Costs: Estimated cost for a liter of beer this year is 8 Euros.
More info: www.oktoberfest.de/en/
Photo: www.oktoberfest.de/en/10/galerie.php?date=060929_hofmann01&img=9
Fiesta of San Fermin - (Pamplona, Spain)
The Fiesta of San Fermin is a truly unique Spanish event unlike any other in the world. For 9 days the city of Pamplona puts on an incredible party, enjoying a street carnival during the day, liter after liter of sangria at night, and of course a daily run with the bulls every morning at 8am.Event dates (every year): July 6 - July 14
Costs: Free
More info: www.sanfermin.com
Calgary Stampede - (Calgary, Canada)
The Calgary Stampede, the world’s largest rodeo, how can you even think about missing that!? Let’s face it, it’s fun to dress up like a cowboy and drink beer all day long while screaming “Yee-Haw” at a rodeo or country music concert. Other events include horse racing, casino games, a poker tournament, a street fair, and chuck wagon racing.Event dates (every year): July 6 - July 15
Costs: Events such as the rodeo, chuck wagon races, and evening shows all require tickets which range from $23-$30 per person, and up.
More info: www.calgarystampede.com
Carnival in Salvador da Bahia - (Salvador, Brazil)
It’s no surprise to have the biggest party in the world on this list, Carnival. However, you may be surprised by the location, no the best Carnival is NOT in Rio de Janeiro, it’s in Salvador. The Rio celebration has become extremely touristy over the past 15 years. A much more genuine celebration where Brazilians and foreigners alike come to share in the non-stop high energy atmosphere and party until the sun comes up is in Salvador da Bahia!Event dates (2008): February 2 - February 5
Costs: The event itself is free to attend (though everything else can get quite expensive as prices rise for the season).
More info: www.carnaval.salvador.ba.gov.br
Ati-Atihan - (Philippines)
Ati-Atihan is the Filipino celebration of the Santo Niño or the Christ Child. It features an amazing Carnival-style street parade, as well as full days of drinking and nights of partying to the beat of Filipino drums. A true party, South Pacific style.Event dates (every year): The culmination of the festival is the 3rd Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of January.
Costs: Free
More info: www.ati-atihan.net
Photo: www.ati-atihan.net/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=116
Holi - (India)
Perhaps the most colorful festival in the world, Holi is a Hindu celebration celebrated mainly in the North of India. Every year, in early Spring, Indians spend Holi dowsing one another with colored powders, dyes, water, or just plain old mud. Nobody is safe, and everyone has fun and gets involved. Many even indulge in a little Bhang (chewy balls made from cannibis leaves) during the festival. Most experts claim that Mathura features the biggest Holi party, though every community has its own unique version.Event dates (every year): February or March (exact dates depend on the Hindu calendar)
Costs: Free
More info: holifestival.org
Las Fallas - (Valencia, Spain)
Las Fallas is a 7 day festival held in Valencia, Spain to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day. At night, hundreds of thousands of people gather in the streets to watch amazing pyro-technic displays, as huge, fire-cracker filled, monuments go up in flames in front of everyone’s eyes. Absolutely amazing to see 300 ft. tall Michael Jackson burst into flames right in front of you! Then, of course, we couldn’t call it a Spanish party if it wasn’t followed by a night of sangria and dancing until dawn!Event dates (every year): March 12 - March 19
Costs: Free
More info:
Photo: Flickr.com/photos/azugaldia
8 commentsDaytona 500 - (Daytona Beach, USA)
Say what you will about NASCAR and its fans, but they sure as hell get excited about watching those cars go around in circles, and put on one hell of a party because of it. NASCAR is all about pounding back Budweisers, tailgating, and hooting and hollering for your favorite drivers, and the Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of NASCAR events. It’s a crowd unlike any you will find anywhere else on the globe, and it’s an ‘elluva good time!*This entry was inspired by Maxim’s Top 10 Best Parties in the World.
Event date (2008): February 17 (this will be the 50th running of the Daytona 500)
Costs: Race tickets start at $99.
More info: DaytonaSpeedway.com
Finding Festivals and Cultural Events around the World
I don’t know of a single culture on our planet that doesn’t appreciate a good party every now and then. For budget travelers, festivals and other cultural events can be a great way to get an inside look at native customs and just have fun. There are all different types of events around the world, and you can usually just pick and choose according to your interests. The options are extremely varied and include: genuine cultural ceremonies, music festivals, street parades, religious events, culinary celebrations, and giant parties that are often just a reason to get stoned and/or drunk! The options are endless, and the best news for users of Go Budget Travel, the events are often FREE (or offered at very low cost).
So, how do you find out which festivals will be taking place across the world during the times you will be traveling. Luckily, there are a number of websites out there that list festivals across the world, making it quite easy to find an event to attend somewhere nearby. Below are some very helpful options to aid you in adding a few festivals to your travel itinerary:
What’s on When: The What’s on When guide contains an extensive database of world events, that includes big international festivals as well as events on a much smaller and more local level. A very good place to start your search.
ISIC: The International Student Identification Card (ISIC) website maintains another solid database of world events. You can search by country and/or theme of the event.
Travel Channel: The Travel Channel also offers an extensive database of world events that is searchable by continent, country, city, and event theme. Like the What’s on When and ISIC databases, most events are more cultural in flavor.
World Party Rough Guides: This is the place to go if you are looking to party. While they also list the low-key cultural events that the other sites do, World Party Rough Guides also aids travelers in finding the big and not-so-big world parties out there! You can search for events themed by drinking, drugs, nudity, fancy dress, music, religion, folklore, and more!
Even more listings:
While the websites listed above maintain very extensive listings of world events, there are surely thousands more out there that are not listed. If you don’t find what you are looking for in the databases above, especially if you are looking for information on smaller, more local cultural events, like concerts, art exhibitions, plays, or just local parties, I recommend checking the local newspaper listings of the cities and towns you plan to visit. Most newspapers maintain some kind of “Culture” section that lists local events every week. To search for the online version of a local newspaper in your travel destination(s), check out onlinenewspapers.com.
Further Reading:
If you aren’t currently traveling, but are still interested in hearing about all the upcoming festivals and events around the world, I recommend keeping an eye on Backpackers.com. They list a number of interesting events such as The Running of the Nudes every week (mainly in Europe).
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