The memorable Takayama Matsuri takes place twice a year – October 9-10 and April 14-15 in central Japan's ancient city Takayama. Considered among the country's three top and most beautiful festivals (the others being the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto and th
Read more…"Living history" - that is, the ways and events of the past brought back to life through recreations and re-enactments - have an enduring appeal for travellers, which is of course why many historic sites have actors in period dress, and there are ent
Brazil is famous the world over for throwing spectacular mass parties, and New Year’s Eve is near the top of the annual list. While the festivities on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach are justly reknowned, in many ways it’s Salvador, Bahia, that esp
Brazil is famous the world over for throwing spectacular mass parties, and New Year’s Eve is near the top of the annual list. While the festivities on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach are justly reknowned, in many ways it’s Salvador, Bahia, that esp
People go to Majorca in the summer in search of beautiful beaches and great weather, but if you are also looking for fiestas and local culture, summer is the perfect time to visit as there are all kinds of fiestas and events taking place on this bea
Hello and get ready to the world of Fantasy Fest which has sometimes been referred to as Mardi Gras on Steroids....without the side effects.
I think if you check the tips & links below you will be more informed before you go as either a FF veteran o
Read more…Three images are especially iconic when it comes to Turkey: the Blue Mosque of Istanbul, the library at Ephesus, and the whirling dervishes of Konya. But despite all the time I’ve spent in this country, until I visited the dervishes’ annual festival
Cuzco, Peru during the latter half of June is one of the world's top travel destinations not just because of its bright, sunny weather and its astonishing ancients sites both in town (such as the Temple if the Sun) and nearby (Sachsayhuaman and of co
One of Venice’s most popular festivals is now underway: the Festa del Redentore. Ermanno, one of our local guides in Venice, calls this his “favourite festival of the year” (as it is for many Venetians!) and he’s taking time today to share a bit of |
The 2013 Fiesta de San Fermín - better known to many as the Running of the Bulls - got underway today inPamplona, Spain. When I arrived here in the summer of 2010, I remember thinking it was hard to believe that the quaint little city of only 300,000
Hello all FantasyFesters! Less than 50 days to go! (Oct. 19-28, 2012). And the parade's main theme this year (Fantasy Fest #33) is "A-Conch-Alypse" alluding to the end of the world in Dec. based on the Mayan Calendar.
The TravelSlut® 's Top Tips for
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Pandemonium has been reigning over Munich for the last two weeks. Hordes of people wandered the cramped streets of the capital of Bavaria in hopes of finding a seat on a wooden bench under one of 14 tents. What kind of madness is this? Answer: The ki
Hello all FantasyFesters! Less than 35 days to go! (Oct. 21-Oct. 20, 2011). And the parade's main theme this year (Fantasy Fest #32) is "Aquatic Afrolic".
The TravelSlut® 's Top Tips for First Time Fantasy Fest attendees
You are in for a treat both fo
Mysterious figures mixing potions; skull rituals; and tales of witches on October 31st? All par for the course on Halloween night. But in Galicia, these creepy doings go back thousands of years, when back in the mists of time this
In Japan's Nikko and Kinugawa-onsen areas, two hours north of Tokyo along the Tobu Railway Nikko and Kinugawa lines, special moon-viewing festivities with light-ups are being held from September through November.
There is a Japanese expression, "a
During Japan's hot and sultry summer, everyone tries to cool off by the water. In historic Tochigi City, affectionately called Koedo or "Little Old Tokyo," just 70 minutes north of Tokyo's Asakusa Station on Tobu Railway's Tobu Nikko Line, the ann
