Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival Thailand 2025
The immensely popular Phi Ta Khon Festival – also known as the Ghost Festival – is the best reason to visit Loei, a Thai province rarely frequented by international tourists. This three-day event…
Discovering the Eastend through a London Food Tour
A walking food tour is a great way to explore a new area. Find a local guide with a good reputation who knows their home turf well and enjoys sharing…
Setouchi Triennale 2025, Japan
Every three years the Setouchi Triennale, one of Japan’s biggest festivals of modern art, takes place in the south-west of the country. This exceptional celebration of creativity, inspiration and beauty…
Winter Golden Eagle Festival 2022, Mongolia
At Mongolia’s Golden Eagle Festival in winter, ethnic Kazakhs show off the breathtaking skills of their trained hunting eagles, alongside cultural displays of Kazakh…
Camel Festival Mongolia 2022 (Temeenii Bayar)
During the Camel Festival, held in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, nomadic herders show off their skills during the biggest camel race in the world, alongside cultural activities……
Overwhelming Hospitality in Tbilisi Georgia
Mike Pickup travels to Tbilisi Georgia to discover a place rich in history with the world’s oldest viniculture and a ridiculous amount of food. “I’m off to Georgia” I told…
Monkey Buffet Festival Lopburi Thailand 2025
Lopburi, in central Thailand, is already famous for its Khmer temple crowded with monkeys, but every year in November the whole town goes ape when visitors from Thailand…
Kanamara Matsuri, Japan Penis Festival 2025
The Japan Penis Festival is arguably the country’s most amusing event when tens of thousands of revellers roam the streets of Kawasaki in April to pay tribute to fertility in an age-old ritual…
Macao Holidays: Where Portugal Meets China
On his Macao Holidays, Mike Pickup discovers a place that fuses its Portuguese and Chinese heritage in three quite distinct ways. It’s little wonder that at times Macao seems more…
Walking in Lanzarote, Land of Volcanoes
Read Mark Bibby Jackson’s adventures walking in Lanzarote, from Orzola in the north to Papagayo in the south, climbing several volcanoes along the way. The idea of walking the length…
Vibrant Hong Kong Arts Festival 2024
International top artists giving world class performances ranging from the classical to the avant-garde, and the familiar to the surprising – the Hong Kong Arts Festival is this vibrant city’s…
Cherry Blossom Season Japan 2025
The Cherry Blossom Season Japan or sakura is one of the country’s top highlights every year when locals and visitors gather to admire the stunning, blooming cherry trees in parks…
Thaipusam Festival Malaysia 2025
Every year the impressive Thaipusam Festival celebrations take place inside the Batu caves near Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. Thaipusam is a Hindu event dedicated to Lord Murugan …
Valentine’s Day 2025 Around the World
It’s that time of the year again that love birds look forward to, many singles dread, and some brave souls try to ignore. The least that could be said about…
Merida Venezuela: Highest Cable Car in the World
Mark Heath took some time out to visit Merida Venezuela, the city considered by many to have the highest quality of life in the South American country. Nestled in the…
Chinese New Year 2026, Global
Chinese New Year is undoubtedly China’s pre-eminent and most intense festive period characterised by sumptuous family meals, the colour red, paper lanterns and lots…
Divided Streets of San Francisco
At the end of his week’s trip through California, Mark Bibby Jackson follows some of his favourite movies through the streets of San Francisco and finds amid all the amazing…
Chingay Parade Singapore, 2025
There is no event that encapsulates the multi-cultural nature of Singapore than the Chingay Parade, held each year during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Literally meaning…
Singapore Bicentennial Celebrations for 2019
Singapore commemorates the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles landing in Singapore, which was one of the key turning points in Singapore’s 700 year history…
Luang Prabang: Laos Past or Future?
Searching for peace, quiet and beauty, Johan Smits finds in Luang Prabang a stunning little town at a crossroads. One tropical evening we find ourselves sitting in the nearly empty…
Fine Tuning in Tri-Valley California
Continuing his journey from Tuolumne County to San Francisco, Mark Bibby Jackson pops in on Tri-Valley California and discovers a thing or two about fine wines. “I can detect tobacco…
Sheep Shearing Festival, Khot Armenia
If sheep shearing is your thing then the village of Khot in Syunik, Armenia is the place to head for in June. There the Sheep Shearing Festival sees the local people of Vayoc, Dzor and Syunik keeping alive…
Nowruz or Persian New Year 2025
Experience the opulence of Nowruz – or Persian New Year – in March with an abundance of food, music and hospitality in one of many Persian-heritage countries. Nowruz Meaning Nowruz…
Binche Carnival 2025, Belgium
Eerie, identical wax masks, colossal ostrich plume hats, confetti in churches and orange throwing: the medieval Carnaval de Binche (or Binche Carnival) is like no other in the world. In…
