The world's greatest festivals – 12 spectacular reasons to travel - Telegraph.co.uk
The world's greatest festivals – 12 spectacular reasons to travel - Telegraph.co.uk |
| The world's greatest festivals – 12 spectacular reasons to travel - Telegraph.co.uk Posted: 03 Jan 2020 12:00 AM PST 
A little under three years ago, I stood in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento – the broad square that fans out at the heart of Valencia – on a Wednesday lunchtime, and worried that I'd misjudged the weather. It had seemed warm enough when I'd left my hotel, but the date on the diary page – March 15 – meant that the chance of a dip into winter temperatures was entirely possible, even midway down Spain's east coast. And so I had a hard choice to make: wedge my foolishly gloveless hands into my coat pockets, or hold them up by my head, where the late-season cold would bite them, but I could at least protect my ears. In the end, I went for the instinctive reaction of the latter. So did many of the 2,000 or so people who were packed into the space around me. Such is the din made by la mascletàa – the series of coordinated gunpowder blasts, set off every day at 2pm during the four core days (March 16-19) of the city's (literally) flamboyant Las Fallas festival – that keeping your fingers close to the sides of your face is a recommended course of action. It can go on for up to eight minutes, this pyromaniac's pyrotechnical fantasy – a string of percussive explosions, conducted as an almost musical concerto, where the crashes and bangs echo off the surrounding buildings, and so much powder is ignited that it falls from the sky like ashen rain, smudging the faces of those clustered outside the Thirties marble majesty of City Hall, or gathered by the similarly elegant facade of the central post office. Why, you might ask, would you put yourself in this position? A more pertinent question might be: why would you not? The global calendar is awash with fiestas and carnivals that combine a splash of culture with a dash of local tradition – and often a soupçcon of religious devotion – to create an event that is also most certainly a party. And while some of these happenings are slotted into the sunnier months, plenty of them – from Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro to Holi in India – slip on their costumes partly as a way to ward off the worst of the winter, or greet the arrival of spring.  In short, if, as you are reading this, you are glancing occasionally at the window, and wondering how the sparkle of Christmas has dissipated so quickly into the darkness of January, you've found the right article. The grand extravaganzas detailed right and continued overleaf are bright antidotes to the dank gloom that all of us in Britain will have to endure for the next 14 or so weeks. And if some of the suggestions, such as Las Fallas, come with a hint of madness, then, well, that's all part of the fun. That they are also blurs of colour, noise and energy, is exactly why you should consider seeking one of them out in the next 12 months. GasparillaWhere: Tampa, USA Some of the festivals in this feature are rooted in a deep spiritual significance. Gasparilla (gasparillapiratefest.com), it is fair to say, is not. Moreover, it may not even be rooted in any approximation of fact – celebrating, as it does, José Gaspar, a pirate who may have swashed his buckle in the seas around Florida in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. There is no evidence that any of his "life" – from leaving the Spanish navy to turning buccaneer in 1783, to dying in battle with the US Navy in 1821 – happened; the first written mention of him did not occur until 1900. Still, that doesn't prevent the biggest city on the state's Gulf coast from saluting him. The highlight of the merriment is the Parade of Pirates, on the last Saturday of January. This sees "krewes" (similar to those that organise Mardi Gras in New Orleans) invade the city by boat, then embark on a four-mile procession of costumed yo-ho-ho-ing. A week at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, flying from Gatwick on Jan 21, starts at £1,073pp a head, with British Airways Holidays (0344 493 0787; ba.com/holidays). CarnavalWhere: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio Carnaval (rio-carnival.net) is surely the most famous of the planet's great pre-Lent parties. It is certainly the most sequin-studded, shaking its tail-feather through Brazil's second biggest city for just short of a week every February – two million people per day taking to the streets, more than 200 samba schools writhing to the drumbeat that makes for a ceaseless soundtrack. The focal point, of course, is the Sambodromo, the 800yd concrete parade ground, crafted by Oscar Niemeyer, the Brazilian architect, where these dance troupes compete to be declared the best – cheered on by a 90,000-strong crowd in the grandstands. Rio is still picking green glitter out of its hair long after Ash Wednesday. Journey Latin America (020 3733 8024; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) sells a nine-day Rio Carnival Holiday, which includes Samboóodromo tickets, and excursions in the city, in Buzios. From £2,948pp, excluding flights.  Cape Verde CarnivalWhere: Saãao Vicente Carnival is, of course, not confined to Rio. It shakes and shimmers in the Caribbean – and it finds an exhilarating African incarnation across the Atlantic in Cape Verde. Indeed, a February dash to the sunshine archipelago, 350 miles off the western coast of Africa, is a chance to realise there is more to these 10 volcanic outcrops than beach hotels. The main thrust of the celebration plays out on Sao Vicente, where the tiny city of Mindelo practically vibrates with music, parades and costume. Cape Verde Experience (01489 866969; capeverde.co.uk) offers a four-night Saãao Vicente Carnival Package, which includes accommodation in Mindelo, intra-island flights and a day trip to Santo Antao (the outermost island) – from £799pp. A week-long stay at the four-star Oasis Salinas Sea hotel on Sal, flying from Birmingham on Feb 14, starts at £1,749pp. HoliWhere: Across India India is at its most unashamedly iridescent during the night and day when Hinduism salutes the coming of spring. Holi falls at a different moment every year – it is pinned to the March full moon – but it finds its mood swiftly, whatever the date. The evening before is a communal blaze of bonfires and family get-togethers; the morning after an uncontrollable rainbow riot. Barely a wall, building or person is left untouched by the "fights" that which erupt in the streets – revellers tossing handfuls of coloured powder, squirting paint from water-pistols, or launching balloons filled with similarly gaudy liquids. No target is off-limits, but the "combat" is always good-spirited, accompanied by music and laughter, and there is plenty of time for a shower before the feasting continues.  Las FallasWhere: Valencia, Spain Valencia's great contribution to the cultural calendar (visitvalencia.com/en/fallas-2020) is considerably more than the combustible din of la mascletà (see introduction). Las Fallas is, in essence, a tribute to St Joseph – the patron saint of both the city and the carpenters, whose labour once underpinned its economy. The medieval practice of clearing out workshops in time for spring morphed, over time, into an art-extravaganza that sees elaborate – and often enormous – papier-mâché sculptures of everything from pop stars and politicians to mythical figures stationed in squares and on street corners for much of March. That each of them is set alight during La Crema (The Burning), on the evening of March 19 (St Joseph's Day) – a deliberate act of playing with matches that keeps the city fire brigade busy into the smaller hours – is heartbreaking and thrilling in equal measure. You can rent a three-bedroom apartment (reference: 10508240) in the Eixample district for the week of March 14-21 for £2,982 in total, via HomeAway (0800 085 3815; homeaway.co.uk). British Airways serves Valencia from Heathrow from about £73 return. SongkranWhere: Across Thailand Unlike its movable Chinese counterpart, the traditional Thai New Year is firmly tethered to April 13. But Songkran is such a significant cultural event that the festivities stretch out on either side. Pious observance is one facet – mornings tend to involve visits to Buddhist temples to leave offerings. But there is a great deal of silliness too – entire streets can be closed off for the public water fights that, while there is an element of ritual purificationto their DNA, are mainly about having fun. Hayes & Jarvis's (01293 831 155; hayesandjarvis.co.uk) 21-day Contrasting Thailand trip covers the country in depth (including Bangkok, Khao Lak and Phuket) – and can be tailored to take place during Songkran. From £2,899pp (flights extra).  Hogueras de San JuanWhere: La Coruñna, Spain Midsummer has long held mankind in a fascinated grip, but La Coruña's way of marking the Northern Hemisphere's longest day has an air of the remarkable none the less. Key to the carousing is the Galician port's splendid shoreline, and the decadent arc of urban sand where Playa de Riazor and Playa del Orzán lock arms. A giant bonfire stack appears on the beachfront on June 20. It is joined during the next three days by a series of smaller woodpiles – shops and homes clearing out pallets and scraps in readiness for the night of June 24, when the arrival of the feast day of St John the Baptist sees each individual pyre set alight (at midnight). There are calmer events on June 23 – processions of women bearing flowers; suppers of grilled sardines – but the big party begins as the flames go up. A six-night stay at the beachside four-star Hotel Riazor, flying from Gatwick via Madrid on June 19, starts at £357 a head via Expedia (0330 123 1235; expedia.co.uk). La TomatinaWhere: Buñol, Spain There is no overseeing saint or pretence of piety to the messy event that famously paints the town of Buñol – 25 miles east of Valencia – red on the last Wednesday of August. La Tomatina (latomatina.info) started out as an impromptu food fight between local youngsters in 1945, and has scarcely broadened its scope in the interim – except that involvement has expanded to 20,000 ticketed participants, many of whom come from across the planet to throw tomatoes at each other in a single hour of fruit-splattered insanity. Stoke Travel (020 3769 7366; stoketravel.com) is selling a four-day La Tomatina package for the "young at heart" that includes "boutique" accommodation at a local campsite, meals and transfers. From €270 (£230) a head as a three-night stay (flights extra).  Golden Eagle FestivalWhere: Olgii, Mongolia You have to go all the way to the west edge of Mongolia – to where the aimag (province) of Bayan-Olgii meets Russia, China and (almost) Kazakhstan – to find an event that is as much a community coming-together as anything else in this article, only with added birds of prey. Held just outside the city of Olgii every first weekend of October, the Golden Eagle Festival sees burkitshi (hunters) unleash their winged predators to catch rabbits and hares – with the performances being assessed on skill, speed and agility. If this sounds a little deathly, there are also less bloodthirsty pursuits – costumed parades, horse races and archery contests – all of them conducted against the backdrop of the Altai Mountains. The Sept 18-Oct 6 edition of the 20-day Steppes, Deserts & Nomads group tour of Mongolia sold by Exodus (020 3553 5013; exodus.co.uk) is timed to coincide with the festival. From £4,449pp, international flights included. Dia de MuertosWhere: Across Mexico The planet's most feted remembrance of the deceased is so ingrained in Mexican society that it has been inscribed on Unesco's "Intangible Cultural Heritage" list since 2008 – as a cocktail that is part Christian worship, part public holiday, part throwback to the Aztec era (when Mictecacihuatl, the Queen of the Underworld, was the focus). Global opinion has inflated it into a Hallowe'en with extra bells, whistles and skeletons – or invented new versions of it (the parade through Mexico City seen at the start of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre did not exist at the time) – but Day of the Dead is, in fact, largely a family affair that revolves around feasting and conversation. Images of the dearly departed are displayed prominently in the home, food offerings are left out for their "benefit", and calaveras literarias (poetic epitaphs –often affectionately mocking in tone) are read in their honour. Rainbow Tours (020 8131 2002; rainbowtours.co.uk) has an 11-day Day of the Dead group tour – that will glimpse the festival in Mexico City and Oaxaca – slated for Oct 28. Price not yet confirmed; the 2019 fee was £2,795pp, with flights.  Sumpango Kite FestivalWhere: Sumpango, Guatemala Staged over the border from Mexico in Guatemala's southerly Sacatépequez department, the Giant Kite Festival is a close sibling of Díia de Muertos – with the sizeable distinction that the main "connections" to lost loved ones are the huge wind-powered designs flown in tribute. Invariably brilliant of hue, some of the kites are the product of months of work. But each of them is a conveyor of the same metaphor – life soaring victorious over death. Explore (01252 882 429; explore.co.uk) runs a 15-day "Guatemala – Land of the Maya" group odyssey, which wanders the country in detail. The Oct 24-Nov 7 edition will include the Kite Festival. From £2,635pp, with flights. DiwaliWhere: Across India India illuminates the November nights in fabulous fashion as Hinduism's most remarkable festival beams out its happy attitude over the course of five days. Diwali is another metaphorical triumph of light over darkness, but it is the minuiscule flickers – tiny diya oil -lamps, their wicks set ablaze in homes and on window ledges – that carry this message as much as the arty installations, flashing bulbs and major municipal displays that emit their gargantuan glows in the sprawling cities. Of course, spend the near-week in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Kolkata and you will not be disappointed – as fireworks, feasting, and colossal crowds in convivial spirits, underline the significance of the season. Responsible Travel (01273 823 700; responsibletravel.com) has a "Diwali Festival Holiday in India" scheduled to start in Delhi on Nov 10. This 11-day group trip will witness the festivities in the Indian capital, before going north-east to see them in the villages of Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan foothills. From £996pp, flights extra. Inspiration for your inboxSign up to Telegraph Travel's new weekly newsletter for the latest features, advice, competitions, exclusive deals and comment. |
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