Olney Pancake Race 2025, Bucks, UK
While people around the UK are celebrating the approach of Lent by tossing pancakes in the warmth of their own kitchen, the gentlefolk of one Buckinghamshire town take to the…
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While people around the UK are celebrating the approach of Lent by tossing pancakes in the warmth of their own kitchen, the gentlefolk of one Buckinghamshire town take to the…
Juxtapose one of the most beautiful cities in the world alongside one of the most colourful and exciting carnivals globally and it has to be a winning formula. Masked costumed…
St Kitts is an ideal year-round destination that ticks all the boxes. For those seeking sun, adventure, culture, wellness or a relaxing break, St Kitts will provide all of this…
New Orleans Mardi Gras or ‘Fat Tuesday’ is one of the biggest parties in the USA and very distinct from the Rio Carnival or the Trinidad Carnival, Port of Spain. Processions and floats pass by…
The Sitges Carnival (Carnaval Sitges) sees the Spanish coastal town brought to life with carnival fever as parties and parades take over the streets in the run-up to Lent. While…
They sure know how to throw a fiesta in Spain, and the annual Tenerife Carnival (Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife) is a shining example of a pumping party. As…
It’s never too old to fall in love, nor to show you love that special someone. So, to provide some romantic inspiration, Travel Begins at 40 has rounded up a few…
Vinterjazz is a national festival which takes place every February across the whole of Denmark. It will feature hundreds of concerts in different venues from Aalborg, Aarhus…
Set on the glamorous Cote d’Azure, the Nice Carnival (Carnaval de Nice) is one of the largest and most famous carnivals in the world. Many of the world’s top film…
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…
Referred to as the biggest food fight in Europe, the Battle of the Oranges takes over the town of Ivrea on the three days preceding Lent, from the Sunday to…
Situated on the Côte d’Azur in the Alpes Maritimes, the town of Menton could be forgiven for just becoming a playground for the rich, like neighbouring St Tropez and Monaco…
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…
The World’s greatest party might be in Rio de Janeiro, but the Trinidad Carnival is a mix of centuries of tradition and solid fun, and is probably the most vibrant carnival in the Caribbean…
If you want to see a horde of Vikings parading through the streets, before burning a galley boat and then making merry for 12 hours, Up Helly Aa is the festival for you…
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 …
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…
The Rio Carnival Brazil (Rio Carnaval) is the biggest and greatest celebration on Earth. While locals know where to go and what to do; however, as it’s a big Latin American city, the rules are…
5 February 2019 is the start of the Chinese Year of the Pig. Catch the tail end of the festivities in Hong Kong, which climax with the famous Spring Lantern Festival on 19 February as part of Ramblers…
With Pantone announcing its official colour of the year, ‘Living Coral’, what better place to admire the official shade of 2019 than in the famed ‘Pink City’ of Toulouse as…
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…
The Valetta International Baroque Festival will once more come to the Maltese capital in January. Founded in 1566, the Baroque city is the perfect venue for the musical festival, especially…
The Dashain Festival is the longest and most important celebration in Nepal before Tihar or Diwali. Spread over September or October, depending on the lunar calendar, Dashain sees Nepalese from all around the globe return…
Since its first edition in 2007 the Bruges Beer Festival (“Brugs Bierfestival” in Flemish) has earned itself a reputation as one of Belgium’s best beer festivals, and that is saying something for the country…
We love a good festival or two at Travel Begins at 40, which is why we have devoted a whole section to it – along with events.
In addition to giving a round-up of the most esoteric worldwide festivals for 2019, we have unique pages on many of the best – and most quirky – festivals from around he world. From spiritual and nature festivals such as India’s colourful Hindu festivals Diwali and Holi, and the Cherry Blossom Season Japan, to the messy but fun Boryeong Mud Festival in Korea and the outrageous Songkran new year celebrations in Thailand, we’ll have it covered. It’s a good idea to check up on what festivals there are in the place you are going on your holidays before setting off, although the delight of wandering unwittingly into a major cultural event can not be overstated.
We also have details of some of the biggest events – or our favourites – in the UK. So whether you are going to the Edinburgh Festival or the Notting Hill Carnival in August, or fancy a Watercress Festival in Hampshire, we have just the place for you.
Edinburgh is, of course, one of the highlights of the festival season in the UK, and we have pages devoted to both it and the Edinburgh Fringe.
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