Hanukkah 2024 Festival of Lights
Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah or the Festival of Lights, is one of the most popular and beautiful Jewish festivals around the world. Taking place annually towards the year-end…
Berlin Bauhaus Off-the-beaten-track
Coinciding with the hundredth anniversary of the highly influential movement, Mark Bibby Jackson sets off in pursuit of Berlin Bauhaus away from the norm. Bauhaus was possibly the most influential…
Venice International Film Festival 2024
The Venice International Film Festival, officially called Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica, is the world’s oldest film festival. Every year you can indulge here in the best…
5 Reasons Why You Should Still Go Backpacking
Backpacking, usually associated with those in their early 20s, offers adventure, one-off life experiences and some fantastic memories. Many of us over the age of 50 may not have had…
Things to Do in Sacramento California in 48 Hours
Whether visiting Sacramento as part of a California road trip, or taking a city break for a long weekend, this 48-hour guide to things to do in Sacramento will take…
Istanbul City Break: An Enigma in Time
On an Istanbul city break, Mark Bibby Jackson discovers a vibrant place on the cusp of Europe and Asia that is perpetually re-inventing itself. As a Liverpool fan, memories of…
Filling Your Boots on a Speyside Whisky Tour
Partial to the odd wee dram, Mark Bibby Jackson joins Rabbie’s Speyside whisky tour to discover how little he knew about a decent single malt. “There are only two types…
Things to Do in Harwich: Ships, Submarines & Seals
Taking a short break from their native Suffolk, Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise discover a plethora of things to do in Harwich, a surprisingly historic town with links to the…
Abbots Bromley Horn Dance 2025, UK
One of the longest surviving medieval rituals in England, the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance has been performed in a village in Staffordshire since 1226. Horn Dance Ritual The folk dance…
5 Thai Festivals You Need to See to Believe
Daisy MacQuoid sifts through the many Thai festivals held every year in the Asian kingdom and shortlists five of the most distinctive festivals you need to see to believe. Thailand…
Marching Against the Tide in Transnistria
On his trip to Moldova, Mark Bibby Jackson visits the Victory Day parade in Transnistria, meeting a hospitable people at odds with the rest of Europe, yet clinging on to…
Cheltenham Literature Festival, 2024
Could there be a more appropriate setting for The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival than the historic Regency spa town of Cheltenham ? Originally held in…
Stanley Kubrick The Exhibition
Robert Spellman visits Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition at the Design Museum London, an extensive retrospective on the work of one of the twentieth century’s greatest filmmakers. The phrase “he’s done…
Santa Eulària des Riu : the Other Side of Ibiza
Wishing to avoid Ibiza’s famed nightlife, James Clark heads to Santa Eulària des Riu to discover a rich culture, fantastic food and chilled vibe. Ibiza is known by us Brits…
Durga Puja Festival 2024, India
Durga Puja, one of the most important festivals for Hindu Bengalis, is the biggest yearly event in Kolkata and known as the Carnival of the East. Usually taking place in September or October…
Gentse Feesten 2024 (Ghent Festivities)
During the 10 days of Gentse Feesten (Ghent Festivities), the entire city of Ghent in Belgium turns into Europe’s largest cultural open air festival with over 3,300 international and local…
Moldova Wine, Communism and Underground Monks
Mark Bibby Jackson explores the former Soviet republic of Moldova, surprisingly discovering – and indulging in – a variety of Moldova wine. I never visited the Soviet Union, a family…
National Wine Day Moldova Wine Festival
The Wine Day Moldova will see hundreds of wines from some 90 producers on display over the two-day Moldova wine festival celebrating the country’s centuries-old winemaking…
Voyage to the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest
Taking an old paddlewheel steamer from Dhaka to the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh, Johan Smits finds poetry, a lost city and a vast water forest. “What beauty, what shades…
Strictly Come Dancing – 125 Years On
On 14 May, the world-famous Blackpool Tower celebrated its 125th anniversary, having opened for business way back in 1894. This celebration will in turn draw attention to one of the…
Hampshire: Cricket, Dockyards and the D-Day Story
Mark Bibby Jackson travels to Hampshire where he learns of cricketing tales of yore, seafaring adventures and discovers a most poignant reminder of man’s follies in the D-Day Story. Although…
A Night in London Across the Ages
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise spend a night in London taking in Covent Garden and the West End before dining at Simpson’s in the Strand. Despite living the life of…
Things to Do in Verona on Foot
Adam Jacot de Boinod visits northern Italy to discover the things to do in Verona on foot, unearthing a wonderful medieval city full of culture. I knew Verona was going…
Onam Festival 2025, Kerala, India
During the days of the Onam Festival, the biggest and most spectacular festival of Kerala, the entire Indian state goes on a spree of celebrations, music and dance performances, elaborate…
