Viareggio Carnival 2025 (Carnevale di Viareggio) Italy
Along with the Venice Carnival, the Viareggio Carnival or Carnevale di Viareggio is one of the largest carnivals in Italy. Held in the Tuscan…
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Along with the Venice Carnival, the Viareggio Carnival or Carnevale di Viareggio is one of the largest carnivals in Italy. Held in the Tuscan…
Cambodia’s art scene has picked up pace in the last few years, with new galleries sprouting up to complement stalwarts on the scene. Here’s a handful of art galleries in…
Tết, or Tết Nguyên Đán is the most important festival in Vietnam. It marks the advent of Vietnamese New Year, and the arrival of spring. Very much like Chinese New…
Thinking of things to do in Essex this weekend? Mark Bibby Jackson takes the short trip to Essex to land in a bit of a pickle as he is charged…
The Guyana Mashramani Carnival is an annual festival celebrated on the 23 February to mark the country becoming a republic on that date in 1970. Often shortened to ‘Mash’ the…
The Day of the Balearic Islands is a public holiday celebrated across Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. It commemorates the Statute of Autonomy, signed on 1 March 1983, which declared…
The Alasitas Festival, or Feria de Alasitas, is a major cultural festival in Bolivia that celebrates abundance, and the god Ekeko. The month-long activities start on 24 January…
The 56th Festival Vallenato or Festival de la Leyanda Vallenata will be held in Valledupar, a regional capital in the north east of Colombia from 30 April to 4 May 2024. Vallenato is country music…
Robert Spellman reviews Executions, an exhibition looking at public executions held at the Museum of Docklands London. Hanging. Burning. Beheading. Drawing, hanging and quartering. During London’s 700-year history of public…
Robert Spellman reviews Executions, an exhibition looking at public executions held at the Museum of Docklands London. Hanging. Burning. Beheading. Drawing, hanging and quartering. During London’s 700-year history of public…
The 18th edition of Angkor Photo Festival 2023 is gearing up to take over Siem Reap from January 6 to 15. Here are the highlights. The Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops started…
From the US/Mexican border to Tierra del Fuego, Easter or Semana Santa is a key festival for Latin Americans. Elements of the celebrations vary from country to country, though the…
The PALP Festival celebrates the music, culture and gastronomy of the Swiss canton of Valais in a series of events held across the summer from April to September. PALP is a wonderful Alpine…
Frieze Art Fair London is one of the most influential contemporary art fairs in the world. It is held in October in The Regent’s Park. It only focuses on living artists and contemporary art…
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise travel to Dublin and Cork inspired by James Joyce and other literary giants of Ireland. It’s one o’clock on day two of our stay in…
The Barbados Crop Over Festival, or Barbados Carnival, is an annual event held each summer in the Caribbean island. The festival is spread over three months, concluding with the Grand…
Gothenburg’s 400 anniversary will be celebrated with a programme of events across the Swedish city throughout the summer of 2023. The programme will commence with…
The symbolic power of light has always played a powerful role in the world’s many cultural and religious traditions. But apart from their traditional significance, festivals of lights are also…
Maria Boyle enjoys a first-time long weekend in Berlin to learn about its rich history and discovers it really is Europe’s coolest city. “It’s one of THE best cities I…
In the second of two photo essays from Varanasi India we discover the cremation rituals at the burning ghats on the banks of the Ganges river. Read the first article…
The first of two photo essays from Varanasi India exploring life and death in the holy city along the banks of the Ganges river. Varanasi is also known by its…
London’s Southbank winter festival returns to the UK capital on 3 November, running through to the New Year. The Southbank Centre Winter Festival is a highlight…
Mark Bibby Jackson has visited every province in Cambodia. In the first of his series of travels through the Kingdom, he guides you through the loop from Phnom Penh to…
London’s Southbank winter festival returns to the UK capital on 1 November, running through to the New Year. The Southbank Centre Winter Festival is a highlight of the winter season…
For many an appreciation of the culture of the country or community that you visit on your holidays is a major part of the travelling experience, especially for the more mature traveller.
Whether you are taking a short city break to Amsterdam or Paris, or going on a longer trip to a distant and exciting land, your experience is enriched by an appreciation of the local culture.
Ideally, time your trip to coincide with a major festival. At Travel Begins at 40 we have a whole section devoted to some of the most colourful and spectacular festivals from around the world. So whether it is the whirling dervishes of Konya, Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival, the Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia or Benin’s Voodoo Festival that tickles your cultural fancy, let us guide your way.
Visiting an unfamiliar country can lead to a bit of a cultural shock, but don’t let this put you off making that special journey. Often it is when we leave our comfort zone that we reap most rewards.
Not that we always have to travel that far to have a rich and rewarding cultural experience. Hull is the current city of culture in the UK, and a trip there can be a surprisingly rewarding experience. Enjoy it.