Tag: Festivals

View All Tags

/ / / / / / /

As the Clocks Go Back This Weekend, Miami Will Party for 13 Hours

November 1, 2011 at 11:20 AM | by | Comments (0)

Staying up all night in Miami is not novel, but this weekend's Sleepless Night Miami Beach means you can do more than just hit the clubs and eat dodgy pizza between midnight and 6 a.m.

The insomniac's dream cultural festival kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday November 5 and runs through the next morning, culminating in a beachfront sunrise breakfast from Whole Foods.

The event was held in 2007 and 2009 but this year Sleepless Night coincides with the weekend when we turn our clocks back—meaning you can party for one sneaky additional hour.

more ›

/ / / / / / /

London Restaurant Festival Rails Against the City's Middling Culinary Rep

September 29, 2011 at 3:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

The London Restaurant Festival's Gourmet Odyssey bus won't be stopping at any soggy fish 'n' chip joints

We vacillate between taking obvious, stereotype-driven jabs at London's cuisine—for good reason, oftentimes—and bringing you pleasantly surprised reports from the city's gastronomic field. The rise of chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Marcus Wareing and the opening of respectable restaurants in recent years notwithstanding, London still suffers from a middling culinary reputation. Yet, the city's gastronomes soldier on, endeavoring to ensure that soggy fish 'n' chips don't define its fare.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / /

The Manchester International Festival: Where Industry and Art (and Bjork) Collide

July 19, 2011 at 2:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

Manchester is a city of industry, art, and, if you ask certain diehard ManU fans, football. However, it's the juxtaposition between the first two that most vividly colors its landscape. This is the city that birthed both a significant textile boom and Joy Division, each playing a significant role in the development of its social fabric.

Last weekend marked the final days of the Manchester International Festival, a nearly month-long celebration of performing, visual, and pop culture arts set against the city's hardened urban environs. Jaunted took a train northward from London to take in the last of MIF's programming, the highlight being Icelandic songstress Bjork's much-lauded Biophilia show on Saturday evening.

more ›

/ / / /

Tripadvisor Picks Ten of the Summer's Craziest Festivals

June 22, 2011 at 10:30 AM | by | Comment (1)

Mashed potato wrestling at Minnesota's Barnesville Potato Days

There must be something about the hot air that brings out the crazies, because summer is when the weirdest festivals pop up all over the country. If you want some cray-cray in your life, TripAdvisor recently released its list of top wacky summer happenings, though some have passed so we added a couple of our own picks. Whether you want to do some mashed potato wrestling or eat bull balls, this calendar will keep you crazy through the warm-weather months.

See the top 10 wackiest summertime fests after the jump.

more ›

/ / / / / / /

More Than Mushy Peas: Taste of London Will Highlight the City's Best Bites Next Month

Where: Regents Park, London, United Kingdom
May 26, 2011 at 10:45 AM | by | Comments (0)



Mmm, mmm. Delicious eats from last year's Taste of London festival.

Once ridiculed for its food, London and the UK-at-large have experienced something of a culinary renaissance in recent years. Chefs such as Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall, Nigel Slater and Heston Blumenthal, not to mention their pop culture counterparts (e.g. Jamie Oliver, et. al.) have championed their national cuisine and proven that there's more to British cooking than soggy fish and chips and boiled vegetables.

Taste of London is a four-day celebration of London's finest food, bringing together some of the city's most respected restaurants, chefs and artisanal food purveyors. The event offers attendees the chance to sample dishes from several top chefs, attend masterclasses, demonstrations and, depending on what tier ticket you purchase, access to special tastings, roped-off access to VIP areas and other exclusives.

Taste of London will take place from June 16-19 in Regent's Park. The (Michelin) stars, they will be a-shinin'...

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Get Ready to Gorge at These Three Memorial Day Food Festivals

May 25, 2011 at 12:06 PM | by | Comments (0)

There's no better way to Memorial Day than by having a big feast. But go beyond the backyard barbecue this year and head out to one of the monster food festivals, where you'll be able to eat your weight in brats, ribs and more. Just be sure to bring your appetite; these places aren't for lightweights.

Eat your way through these top three holiday food fests:

more ›

/ / / / / / /

Drink Up at These Five Upcoming US Wine Festivals

May 12, 2011 at 4:06 PM | by | Comments (0)

Summer is the best time to kick back with a glass of wine—heck, even a bottle of wine. There's just something about pairing a great pour with the warm weather. Luckily, there's a slew of wine festivals that will give you the chance to get boozy alfresco with some of the best bottles in the world.

Prepare to get buzzed at these five upcoming wine festivals.

more ›

/ / / / / / / / /

Sadly It's Starbucks, Not Square Mile, That Ruled London's Coffee Festival

April 12, 2011 at 12:39 PM | by | Comment (1)

You had us at "Coffee Festival." When we heard that a three-day event dedicated to all things espresso, latte and so on was coming to London, we booked tickets immediately, anticipating an afternoon amongst the city's best artisanal purveyors and nerve-jittering samples galore.

What we didn't expect was to be met by a sea of high street stalls and a singer musically professing a deep-seated love for her morning cuppa (that's tea, not joe). In short, the London Coffee Festival, held at the Old Truman Brewery just off of Brick Lane from April 8-10, wasn't reflective of the cafe culture we know and love in the city. The imposing, though admittedly unavoidable, presence of Costa and Starbucks overshadowed the few independent purveyors we encountered. Beer and tea abound as well, as you might expect in a country often defined by pub culture and tea time. But what of the coffee we were promised?

more ›

/ / / / /

Shoppers, Get Ready to Charge: Chicago to Hold Dubai-Like Shopping Festival

March 15, 2011 at 1:57 PM | by | Comments (0)

Chicago wants to copy the famous month-long Dubai Shopping Festival like a knock-off Prada bag. The Windy City plans on trying to lure shoppers from all over for its own shopping extravaganza.

The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival won't be as grand as Dubai's; the world's most popular shopping fest draws more than 3 million shopaholics each year. Chicago's first-time event will be on a much smaller scale, only running for two weeks in the summer.

more ›

/ / / / / /

Vancouver Still Carries a Torch for the 2010 Olympics, Will Re-Light It This Weekend

February 11, 2011 at 2:49 PM | by | Comments (0)

Are you in Vancouver? Did you enjoy last year's Olympics? Does the idea of starting a huge, awesome fire appeal to you? Well, then tomorrow's your lucky day, as it's the one-year anniversary of the Vancouver Olympics Opening Day, and the slew of activities includes re-lighting the Olympic cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza.

Our Vancouver embed Tuija Seipell of The Cool Hunter was and still is on the scene in the city, reporting all through last year's events and now sharing that this weekend will be a huge party in town, with the cauldron lighting just one of the many events. Vancouver also happens to be celebrating the Lunar Fest, Arts and Winter Festivals as well, so despite the cold, right now is the time to head up to Van. But first, be sure to check out the full calendar of events here and relive the electric excitement of last year's Games with our excellent archive:

more ›

/ / / /

How Many Jalapenos Can You Eat in 15 Minutes? Texas Wants to Know.

February 10, 2011 at 5:02 PM | by | Comments (0)

The hottest festival ever heats up Laredo, Texas. The Jalapeno Festival sets mouths on fire each year with a bunch of events that center around the green chili pepper, and this year the 33rd annual festivities will take place February 18 and 19.

The most scorching event—and the fest's signature attraction—is the jalapeno-eating contest. Only the craziest contestants come out to endure shoving the hot-as-hell peppers down their throats. The champion record holder, Chicago professional eater Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, ate 266 jalapenos in 15 minutes.

more ›

/ / / / /

Three Busker Festivals that Feature Crazy-Talented Street Performers

February 8, 2011 at 2:57 PM | by | Comments (0)

When we walk down the street, we always stop to gape at the fire-eaters or crazy unicyclist doing stunts. It may seem like that street performers only get to show off their skill on the corner, but there are a number of festivals throughout the world that give props to buskers and their unique talents.

Check out list of top busker festivals after the jump.

more ›