City Break Festivals

City Break - Festivals

Sightseeing is all well and good, but there is nothing like a festival to make a city come alive. Visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Munich for the beer festival, or to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year and you will guarantee sights and sounds that are as authentic as they are unforgettable.

Here are a few of the world’s best festivals that are perfect to build a city break around.

Venice Carnival – 06-16 February 2010

Venice is an atmospheric city at any time of the year, but there is nothing more likely to induce a delicious thrill down the spine of any visitor than the sight of an ornately-costumed figure, their face obscured by a mask, disappearing over one of the city’s curved bridges.

The Venice Carnival became a massive draw in the 17th century, but it was banned when the Venetian Republic fell in 1797. Revived in the 1980s, it has once again become a spectacular sight for visitors.

The streets are filled with parades of costumed characters wearing the famous Venetian masks and in the evening there are masked balls to attend. There is a programme of free events in St Mark’s Square and the surrounding area. Visitors are welcome to dress up, or they can simply spectate.

Chinese New Year, Hong Kong – 14 February 2010

Though many cities such as San Francisco, Vancouver and London hold vigorous celebrations ringing in the Lunar New Year, there is nothing like being in Hong Kong.

Visitors can see the famous lion dances, where drums, gongs and cymbals accompany acrobats as they leap around in the large, brightly coloured costumes.

Locals pick up sprays of peach blossom, narcissi and peonies (symbolising good luck and prosperity) at the huge flower market in Victoria Park and crowds gather to watch the massive fireworks display from the east Tsim Shat sui waterfront and on The Peak.

In 2010, the Lunar New Year falls on Valentine’s Day.

New Orleans Mardi Gras – 16 February 2010

Fat Tuesday is the time for The Big Easy’s biggest party. New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebrations are famed the world over, with colourful parades and hedonistic late night partying. The last five days running up to Fat Tuesday is when the celebrations hit a climax.

The parades are organised by carnival krewes, who ride on the floats in incredible costumes throwing gifts into the crowd. Many tourists head for the famous French Quarter and Bourbon Street, but remember none of the parades pass through this area any more due to the narrow streets. Major parades pass along St Charles Avenue and Canal Street.

St Patrick’s Day in Dublin – 17 March 2010

The home of the craic is the place to be for St Patrick’s Day and for the five days preceding it, when Dublin comes alive with events that are all part of the festival.

Many visitors are more than happy to spend most of their time quaffing Guinness in Temple Bar, or celeb spotting in The Clarence, the hotel owned by Bono. But this is just a fraction of what’s on offer. There is a parade, comedy, dance and drama performances and a huge funfair.

Calgary Stampede – 9-18 July 2010

Any budding John Waynes should go to Alberta’s largest city for the most famous rodeo on earth. The Calgary Stampede is a 10-day celebration of traditional cowboy skills, with a rodeo and wagon races, plus fairground stalls, shows, concerts and First Nation exhibitions.

The rodeo consists of six major events: bareback, bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, steer wrestling and tie-down roping. Most tourists who attend get in the mood by dressing up, like the local attendees, in full western attire. What better excuse for anyone who has ever wanted to don a 10 gallon hat and boots with spurs?

La Tomatina, Bunyol, Spain – 25 August 2010

This is a food festival with a difference; well, more of a food fight than a gourmet experience. For most of the year, Bunyol is just a small, industrial town 25 miles outside Valencia, but on the last Wednesday in August it is literally painted red – with tomatoes.

Nearly 140 tons of tomatoes are trucked into the centre of town at the Plaza del Pueblo, and vast crowds of Spaniards and tourists gather to hurl tomatoes at one another in the streets.

In the days surrounding the tomato throwing, there are parades, music, dancing and fireworks.

Visitors should stay in Valencia – there are regular trains to Bunyol, so it easy to take a day trip to La Tomatina while enjoying a city break in Valencia.

Munich Oktoberfest – 19 September to 04 October

A sure-fire winner with any hop-loving person is a trip to the beautiful baroque city of Munich during the annual beer festival, known locally as Wiesn.

The tents serve beer in litre glasses, accompanies by traditional Bavarian food and traditional oom-pah brass band music. The German costumes of Dirndl for ladies and Lederhosen for gents are widely worn and are sold in many shops. There are also rides, roundabouts and sweet stands. Most clubs and bars open late and run after Wiesn parties.

Christmas at Tivoli, Copenhagen – 20 November to 30 December

For Christmas nostalgia you can’t beat the Danish capital and its old-world pleasure gardens. Tivoli Gardens is full of fairground rides, from old-fashioned carousels and dragon boats on the lake, to heart-stopping roller coasters and drop towers. There is also a pantomime theatre and concert hall.

In the festive season, the whole park comes alive with trees full of fairy lights, skating on the lake and a miniature village with market stalls.

While in Copenhagen check out the fairytale like castle Rosenborg Slot and take a harbour tour so you can see the best of the city by boat.

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