From reindeer racing, midsummer pagan rituals and camel beauty pageants to crazy street carnivals, leg rowing races and even Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fete, global celebrations offer travelers unique opportunities to experience a country’s culture, cuisine and spirit.
To help you discover some of the planet’s biggest parties, custom travel company Kensington Tours has crafted a collection of trips exclusively designed to get you behind-the-scenes of the world’s best festivals.
Leg-Rowing Festival, Inle Lake, Myanmar
by yeowatzup/flickr.com
Cruise the waters of time back to a celebration evocative of Southeast Asia centuries ago with a pilgrimage to Phaung Daw Oo – otherwise known as Myanmar’s Leg Rowing Festival. Held upon the shores of Inle Lake, a trip to this spiritual 18-day pageant is true cultural nirvana. Watch as a golden barge holding four Buddhas is towed by ornamented leg-rowers from private boat with expert guide. Take part in the eclectic festivities, from magic shows, dancing, leg rowing races and fireworks to fortune tellers, spiritual blessings and Burmese banquets. To amplify your experience, plan your visit to coincide with Thadingyut, the festival of lights.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
It’s official, summer is here with lots of summer events happening around the U.K. Enjoy activities from bog snorkelling to jazz festivals. You name it, it’s going on in somewhere in England, Scotland or Wales this summer, and to top it off, Britain’s on sale!
VisitBritain and Virgin Atlantic Airways have launched an exclusive partnership to offer trans-Atlantic travelers irresistible value packages for their summer vacation in Britain. Explore fabulous deals and more at their joint website www.getmorebritain.com, and take advantage of the strong dollar which makes Britain more affordable than a year ago. The ‘Get More Britain For Your Buck’ campaign extends now through Fall 2009.
Highlights of festivals and events happening around the UK, include:
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
With the warmer weather quickly approaching, The Fairmont Washington, D.C. is ushering in spring with its signature Cherry Blossom Package.
Available from March 25 through April 30, 2009, the Cherry Blossom Package offers overnight accommodations for two in a luxurious guestroom, complimentary valet parking and a box of assorted note cards featuring scenes of the capital’s monuments and Cherry Blossoms by celebrated Washington, D.C. photographer Jake McGuire.
A remarkable piece of D.C. history, the National Cherry Blossom Festival®, highlights the annual blooming of the thousands of cherry trees along the Tidal Basin and elsewhere in the Nation’s capital. The 2009 Festival will celebrate the 97th anniversary of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees presented by the Mayor of Tokyo to the City of Washington as a “memorial of national friendship between the United States and Japan.” This year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival® will be held Saturday, March 28 through Sunday, April 12, 2009.
Rates for the Cherry Blossom Package start at $189 per night based on double occupancy and availability. This package is not applicable to group bookings of ten or more, nor able to be combined with other promotions or special rates. Rates do not include tax or gratuities. For reservations, please call 202-429-2400 or toll free at 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.Fairmont.com/washington
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".