Travel Topics
Thamesmead Festival returns to Southmere Park this August. With last year’s festival creatively parlayed into a series of markets, the return of this unique, community-minded festival is eagerly anticipated by…
Robert Spellman has rounded up 15 UK music festivals this summer that are due to go ahead covid-permitted for Travel Begins at 40. The idea of a summer music festival…
Inspired by interpretations of the utopian dream of paradise, the Kortrijk Triennial will take place from 26 June to 24 October, 2021 in the Belgium city. Organisers of the Paradise…
Following on from last year’s success, The Great Northern Food & Drink Festival, returns to the North – this time in Nottinghamshire – this August. Organisers say that the festival…
The Bruges Triennial (TRIBRU) is a contemporary art and architecture event held every three years in the city of Bruges, Belgium. This summer will see the fourth version of the…
Held in June each year, the RHS Blenheim Palace Flower Show is a wonderful horticultural show set in the surroundings of arguably England’s finest stately home. The show is expected to attract…
Lumiere Light Festival Durham is the largest light festival in the UK. Held every other year since 2009, the next Lumiere Festival is slated to occur in November 2023. Organisers…
2020 has been the most forgettable of years, so why not give it a proper send off? Here is our round-up of virtual New Year’s Eve 2020 celebrations. While we…
The 2024 Aké Festival will held between 20 and 22 November in Lagos Nigeria. The arts and books festival will include book chats, panel discussions, films poetry reading and music…
Each autumn the German capital becomes a city of illumination for the Berlin Festival of Lights. This year will see art works in locations spread all over the city. Many of the city’s famous…
The streets of Derby will resound with dance, music, comedy and contemporary circus this September, as Derby Festé hits the ground running for a thirteenth successive year…
To mark its 20th anniversary the Festival Verdi 2020 is taking to the streets of Parma and Busseto in Emilia Romagna, Italy. The festival celebrates the music of Giuseppe Verdi…
The spectacular Umbrian city of Spoleto will once more host the Spoleto Festival (Festival di Spoleto) this summer. The 68th Spoleto Festival Italy will take place from 27 June to…
Just like most festivals and events in the Uk this summer, the Waterperry Opera Festival has faced numerous challenges. However, the team has devised an innovative approach…
The following trip was taken before the Covid-19 situation took hold. But be rest assured that the beauty of Andalusia is still waiting for you to explore. As we now…
The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, is an international music festival running from 30 April to 11 May, 2024 in the Caribbean island. The 2024 festival starred Air Supply, Davido, Samara Joy, Machel Montano…
Bury St Edmunds’ food festival is returning to the medieval Suffolk market town in August. The Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival 2024 will be held over the August Bank Holiday weekend…
St Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is the day that all the Irish diaspora around the world celebrate the Patron Saint of Ireland. Expect plenty of green to be on display as well as gallons of Guinness…
Soul music on a tropical island with great beaches and water sports. Interested? Then the Soul Beach Music Festival held each year in May, could be the place for you. Jill Scott, The Roots, Deon Cole…
The vast majority of festivals around the world are thoroughly fun; however, some may give us pause to think. So, how do you avoid the questionable ones? Mike East opens…
Held in the village of Brockworth in Gloucestershire, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake is normally held on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday each year. What started off as…
The Jack in the Green Festival takes place in the Sussex coastal town of Hastings – 1066 and all that – traditionally over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend. A festival steeped in English folklore…
The World Bog Snorkelling Championship is part of a two-day World Bog Series taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales. The World Bog Snorkelling…
Few of the many festivals in the UK are steeped in a history as long as the Dunmow Flitch Trials. Held every leap year, in Great Dunmow Essex, the trials are valid for any married couple…
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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