Lonely Planet’s ‘A Year of Festivals’ Review and Giveaway.
Posted September 2nd, 2008 by lizHaving been sent a copy of Lonely Planet’s ‘A Year of Festivals‘ to review, I’ve spent most of this last weekend with my nose in the book, traveling the globe month by month, discovering what festivals are where and when.
And it got me thinking…
Wouldn’t it be great to just get on a plane and go from festival to festival? In other words, dedicate yourself to a year of festivals? Of course the logistics and the costs of such an endeavor would be almost impossible. But isn’t it fun to dream.
For me, that’s what books such as ‘A Year of Festivals’ are all about. Yes, for some, it might be a guidebook that helps them choose a festival or two to visit on their travels. But let’s face it, no one is going to get to all 192 festivals listed in this book. Mostly, readers will flick through the pages, gazing at the stunning photographs and say to themselves ‘one day I’ll get to this one or that one’.
And this is a book that is easy to flick through.
Laid out like a diary, it features month by month all the color, diversity, and downright wackiness of festivals around the world. Starting in January with the Junkanoo festival in the Bahamas and finishing at the end of December with Reveillion in Brazil, Lonely Planet’s A Year of Festivals really does cover it all.
Each festival highlighted has detailed information about it’s location, dates, description, and even the level of participation ranging from 1(spectator) to 5 (total immersion).
After all, you’d want to know before you arrive at the Camel Wrestling Festival that no one really expects you to wrestle a camel. You are there only to watch (although I have to question why you would want to!!!). On the other hand, the Noche De Brujas (Night of the Witches) festival has a level of participation score of 4 - if you want a spell or two, then this is the one for you.
Lonely Planet’s A Year of Festivals features many well known festivals - for example, the ‘running of the bulls’ (Fiesta de San Fermin) and Burning Man. But it’s the lesser known ones - the ‘hungry ghost festival’ (Chung Yuan) and the ‘tooth festival’ (Esala Peraheera) - that caught my eye and my imagination. That, plus amazing photographs that simply pulled you in and made you feel that, at least, for a second or two, you are there…
So, have I got your attention? Is this a book that sounds like something you’d like to see on your coffee table?
If so, leave a comment by Sunday 7th September. Tell us what festivals you’ve gone to or want to go to and you’ll be in the draw to win a copy of Lonely Planet’s ‘ A Year of Festivals’.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:50 am
I’ve always wanted to go to the Pushkar camel festival (in India) - it just sounds so exotic!
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
Hi, you might want to check out this festival book too!
http://www.bananor.com/2008/08/we-travel-for-festivals.html
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I’ve just started planning a RTW trip with my husband & kids. We’re planning to take the kids out of school starting June 2010 & travel for at least 15 months. (On advice from other folks who have taken extended trips I’m starting my planning early). I would love a copy of this book to help us really get the most out of our trip.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
That festival at Bahamas is better than Puskar -) Visit it next year!
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:28 am
The Venetian Masked Festival is a festival that both my boyfriend & I want to visit one day soon (or eventually) when we can afford it.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:32 am
The festival I’m most interested in attending is Kazantip, the month long rave festival on the black sea in Uzbekistan. Completely off the map, and from what I’ve heard, unlike anything else on earth.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:56 am
The Elephant Festival in Rajasthan! Every year I look at pictures of it and I can’t stand it that I haven’t yet been. Can. Not. Stand. It.
I used to think I wanted to go to Burning Man, but because you can’t really go for the day, I now think otherwise.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
The Zurich Street Parade is one of my faves. I came across it while passing thru Zurich by chance. Sort of a smaller version of the Berlin Love Parade. Funky costumes, scantily clad dancers (both genders, so a little something for everyone) and lots of music. To me, Zurich always seemed a little too stiff and mature, but the Street Parade lets the place let loose for a day.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I actually did “flick through” that book when I saw it in the shop :) I’m glad to see that I’m not doing too bad so far!
I’ve enjoyed the fallas and the Tomatina in Spain, the Carnival in Brazil (twice); I am glad to see the book doesn’t focus on the Rio one. The ones in the northeast are outstanding. I’ve just arrived from Burning Man, literally a couple of hours ago (all my stuff is still dusty), and being Irish I grew up with Saint Patrick’s Day.
But I’m glad to see some of my favourite ones aren’t in the book; I’d prefer for them to stay on the “road less travelled” for a while ;) I may just get through the majority of that book though; I actually am travelling the world for several years with a mission to get to know the coolest cities and parties! Check out my video blog to see some of the fun I’ve been having :) For example, I show this year’s Carnival experience in Recife in Brazil and will upload Burning Man soon enough; the BM crew even gave me official media permission to use the footage on my blog (in the style of a documentary!)
Good competition; thanks!
September 5th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I am not too festival travelled but I have hit the big US ones. Burning man and Mardi Grad in New Orleans a few times.
I would love to go to Tomatina or the water festival in Thailand. Something about a festival that’s so interactive is really appealing.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
This book looks awesome! Nonstop festivals? What could be more fun?
September 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
The Palio in Italy … and while it’s not recurring, the festival that surrounded India’s 50th anniversary of independence is the one I’ll never forget, mostly for the pageantry.
September 6th, 2008 at 7:03 am
The English music festival, Glastonbury was my final farewell to my homeland before I set off on a RTW jaunt in June ‘07. I’m still going, and it rivals some of the highest points of my trip so far.
My thirst for festivals has also taken me to the World Cup (not strictly a festival, but when you have that many people together for one thing, I think it counts!) and as a English football fan, this was the holy grail of festivals.
For the future, I’m quite happy with anything from a village fete in New Zealand to the King of Carnivals, Rio.
September 6th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I went to Carnival in Germany (both Bonn and Cologne) and that was fun — standing around for a few hours yelling “candy, candy” (in German of course) and trying to catch the candy that is thrown by people on the parade “floats”. If you are lucky, one of the walking paraders will give you a mini bottle of liquor.
I’d love to get the book and go to lots of different festivals!
September 6th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I’m a theatre person so my favourite festival is the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. As the world’s largest theatre festival it has everything from quirky new ideas (MacBeth in Legos) to well-known classics and shows that are on the edge of becoming a hit. I also love Mardi Gras in NOLA of course! And for the record, I would LOVE to wrestle a camel!
September 7th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Festivals… When I was in my 20’s I was a partner in a costume jewelry business that worked events, mostly gay pride festivals. I’ve been to those in San Diego, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Franscico, New York City, and a few places I’m sure to have forgotten. Now when gay pride comes to town, I go away. Though I would love to go to Sydney for their Mardi Gras. New Orleans for the same as well as Southern DecaDANCE.
I think camel wrestling sounds fun, to watch that is. Why the hell would someone want to wrestle with an animal known for spitting and attitude is beyond me but it sounds damn fun to watch!
Food, food festivals, anywhere, anytime, let’s go.
I need this book to plan some trips.
September 7th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I haven’t been to enough sadly, Hemingway Days Festival in KeyWest and Dia de los Muertos in Terlingua come to mind. I know Chaz needs it more than I do and I hope he wins and lets me borrow it some time.
September 7th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I´d like to go to “La Tomatina” (=tomate fight) in Buñol, Spain. It is celebrated only 50km from my parent´s house and I´ve never been there! I have been in many places of the world and this celebration is better know outside Spain rather than by the spaniards.
Maybe next year I will be there to discover one of the most famous festivals of my home country.
Paradoxical? Yes, it is. Sometimes it´s good to have a walk around our house ;)
September 8th, 2008 at 11:45 am
The idea of planning a RTW around festivals is cool! I’m late for the giveaway so i’ll have to buy this book :-)
anyway, one of the festivals I’d really love to go to is the festa de santo antonio in lisbon. The festival takes place between the 12th and the 13th of June every year, so maybe next year I’ll get a chance to go.
September 8th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I spent Holi in Varanasi (India) earlier this year and it was a colorful affair. Loved it. I have some pictures here from Varanasi.
I want to go the Pushkar camel festival, Ladakh festival and the Kumbhamela.
September 10th, 2008 at 3:48 am
I happened upon a rice festival in a native village in Vietnam. I don’t know what it was called but there was certainly plenty of rice wine to go around and the villagers were very friendly and welcoming.
September 14th, 2008 at 8:01 am
This is an interesting approach. Rather than put festivals part of the trip, make them the theme. However, some people go for festivals, while some go against it. I think it like peaking season of a destination, more fun, but more crowds as well. I enjoyed once the fire festival of minorities in south-west China.
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