It’s summertime in Seattle, Washington. Hit the water now that the rain subsided and the gray clouds turned into white cotton. Raise a glass of craft beer, cider, wine, or spirits. Check out the city’s varied outdoor festivals.
Pike Place Market Expands
This summer marks a major expansion for Pike Brewing Company. This Seattle landmark based in Pike Market led the way for the Seattle craft brewing scene. They will be opening Tankard & Tun, …
People from all over the world tend to seek out vacations where they can bask in the sun and enjoy a climate that’s much hotter than then they are used to on a daily basis. But how about you double your pleasure by visiting your chosen destination when they celebrate carnival? Carnival around the world is one of the biggest street parties at any given destination. People flood the city streets in colorful costumes that …
While one can find Portlanders coming together regardless of the weather, the city bursts to life once the gray clouds subside. The city’s summer season represents an overabundance of activities celebrating the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.
Cheers to Beer Festivals
According to Travelocity’s first Beer Tourism Index, Portland is the #1 large metro area for beer. Every year, over 80,000 pilgrims converge at the Thom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland for the …
There’s something about festive Christmas lights twinkling and blinking in the night that enhances entire cities at once. Thousands of decorations, led light displays, over-sized ornaments suspended high above busy shopping areas, and magical state-of-the-art lighting that transforms everyday streets into an extravaganza. Some destinations around the world are well known for their festive lighting displays that attract visitors from near and far to stand in awe of inspiring themes.
Close to home for American …
Five, four, three, two, one…HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cue the traditional song of Auld Lang Syne to usher in the dawning of another New Year. From Times Square in New York to Trafalgar Square in London, voices ring out, accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display on the stroke of midnight. So, where should be heading this year for the most dazzling New Years Eve experiences? Here are some of the best free world-class events around the …
Just as New Orleans celebrates its Mardi Gras on the day before Ash Wednesday, the streets in down town Port of Spain, Trinidad erupt into one of the largest street masquerade parties in the Caribbean. It takes place, not in one, but two whole days–known as Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday–before Ash Wednesday. It sees people frolic in the streets dressed in sequins, feathers and bright sunshine colored costumes. The dancing doesn’t stop as they …
As a major holiday, there are numerous activities and festivities to see and be part of, but none equals a spectacular Thanksgiving Day Parade. Nowadays, you can choose what location you want to the see the festive floats, giant character balloons and the marching bands, from New York City to Chicago to Philadelphia. It just one of those things that the TV cannot do justice to, the sights, the sound and the smell, so plan …
Halloween is another one of those wonderful times of the year when ghost and ghouls and spooks and scoots come out in the darkness of night to play. Every year people go out of their way to be scared, horror-struck and spooked travelling across the country to take part in the many Halloween festivals and activities that rise up for the occasion. Crazed visitors attend authentic haunted house, graveyards, creepy fairs and fun filled horror …
When you think of Christmas Markets the first place that comes to mind are the traditional ones located in Europe – specifically in Germany and Austria, where old cobbled streets decorated with stringed lights house wooden chalet stalls that sell everything festive.
Strasbourg, France
Located in the Rhine Valley, Strasbourg is a sprawling metropolitan city. It has a mix of French and German cultures because of its proximity to the German border. Here you will …
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Milwaukee plays host to the world’s largest festival. From late June to early July each year, Summerfest takes over a 75-acre festival park with over 700 entertainers on 11 stages over an 11 day period. Last year despite a record setting heat wave, Summerfest attracted over 800,000 people participating in one or more days of the festival.
Along with some regional musical acts, this festival also attracts …
Europe is known for having an extensive and impressive array of Christmas markets, but the seasonal merriment doesn’t have to stop there. In springtime, when flowers, trees and hibernating critters begin to come out of winter hiding, new markets also start to pop up across the continent. Some are devoted mainly to Easter, and all the fuzzy lambs, cheerful bunnies and religious traditions that come with it, while others are more widely in celebration of …
Valparaiso, for want of a better word, is a shanty town on the coast of Chile. Starting from its docks, sitting in that all too commonly found water, colored grayish brown by the offal of container ships, it extends up scattered hills away from the sea. The city grows up with them; it’s a bit all over the place – disjointed and beautiful. It makes up a sort of patchwork cloth of a city, with …
Though best known for their colorful Carnival, Aruba has all kinds of cool festivals, annual events, and visitor-inclusive celebrations happening all year round!
Though Carnival lasts for three months, it really doesn’t matter when you visit Aruba as there are all kinds of gala events going on all year-round. And you need never worry about the weather for outdoor festivals: Aruba is outside of the hurricane belt and boasts a balmy average of 85 degrees …
For decades, Sri Lanka was battling political unrest. A civil-war between Tamil insurgents and the Sinhalese government almost destroyed the tourism industry. Then, the tsunami of 2004 devastated certain coastal regions of the country. Luckily, the riots have ended and the coastlines have been restored, and this tear-drop shaped paradise off the Southern coast of India is waiting to be rediscovered by travelers worldwide.
It is easy to list generic enticements to visit Sri Lanka, …
