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Happy Repeal Day

A few weeks back, we told you that the beer industry was pushing December 5, the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, as a natioal day of celebration, but we wondered why few people were partying.

Well now it seems a good few of you have gotten your acts together, and folks coast-to-coast are getting ready to celebrate like it's 1933. Here's our guide to the best Repeal Day parties going down this Friday:

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Tags: Beer / Beer Travel / Holidays / → All Tags

Beer-O-Days: Who’s Celebrating Cinco De Diciembre?

The beer industry already makes plenty of bank from ale-soaked holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo, but now they’d like us to add one more.

The neighborly folks at the National Beer Wholesalers Association are encouraging Americans to celebrate the anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, which is just around the corner on December 5. (Cinco de Diciembre, anyone?)

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the day FDR and Co. said it was legally OK to booze again, and the wholesaler’s group wants you to know:

This anniversary is a great time to recognize the success of the past 75 years of effective, state-based alcohol regulation since the ratification of the 21st Amendment.

In other words... drink up!

Unfortunately, a quick search of the web turns up only one event marking this momentous day, and it’s a policy forum at DC libertarian think tank the Cato Institute. Come on now, people, we can celebrate the rebirth of the nation in a little more style than that! Know of some parties we don't?

Related Stories:
· Celebrate the Repeal of Prohibition on December 5, 2008 [Marketwire]
· Free to Booze: The 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition [Cato Institute]
· Beer coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: coopgas1]

Tags: Restaurants / Holidays / Bastille Day / New Philadelphia Restaurants / → All Tags

New Philly Restaurant: Parc

If you're in Philly and craving steak frites or escargot, you're in luck, because a brand new French bistro opens today, just in time to celebrate Bastille Day.

Parc is the latest endeavor from Philadelphia restaurant mogul Stephen Starr, the man behind hotspots like Buddakan, Moriomto and El Vez. If you're familiar with any of those places, you can probably guess that the ambiance at Parc is less Left Bank, more Champs-Élysées.

Philadelphia City Paper has a walk-through of the elegant new space, which includes details like a 50-foot hand-crafted solid zinc bar, vintage fans and intricate tile work. No word yet on whether the food will be as exciting as the décor, so if anyone stops by today, be sure to let us know.

Related Stories:
· Parc [Official Site]
· Stephen Starr Gives us the Grand Tour [City Paper]
· Francophile Travel: Bastille Day in New York [Jaunted]

[Photo: Philadelphia City Paper]

Tags: Bastille Day / Restaurants / Festivals / Holidays / Summer Travel / → All Tags

Francophile Travel: Bastille Day in New York

France's biggest holiday is coming up this Monday, July 14, but don't fret if you can't make it to Paris; Bastille Day is slowly but surely catching on in New York.

Of course, like most holidays celebrated in America, Bastille Day here is less of a cultural celebration, and more of an excuse to start partying early in the day (cf. St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo).

The festivities get going early, with the annual Liberty Festival and the famous waiters' race at Les Halles on Saturday. On Sunday there's an all-day block party and petanque tournament on Brooklyn's Smith Street, sponsored by Bar Tabaq.

The biggest bash is the French Institute's fete on Monday afternoon, which closes down 60th Street from Fifth Avenue to Lexington for an impressive array of French street food. There's also a special wine and cheese tasting inside the Institute's gallery for just $12.

Related Stories:
· Les Halles [Official Site]
· Bar Tabac [Official Site]
· Bastille Day at the French Institute [Official Site]
· New York Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: celesteh]

Tags: Holidays / Canada Day / Canada Travel / Culture Travel / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: It's Canada Day

We've been so focused on July 2 and July 4, we almost forgot that today's Canada Day. Happy 141st birthday!

To mark the day, Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a speech at Peace Tower in Ottawa, and a formal flag-raising ceremony was also held on Parliament Hill.

There are some big things coming up for Canada this year: Quebec City will celebrate the 400th anniversary of its founding (two days from now!), British Columbia will turn 150 and Nova Scotia will celebrate 250 years of representative government. Parties: Always a good excuse for a visit!

Related Stories:
· Canada Day [Official Site]
· National Canada Day Celebrations Begin [CP, via Google]
· Parliament Hill Live Webcam [Official Site]
· Plan Your Canada Day [Ottawa Citizen]
· Canada Day [Wikipedia]

[Photo: etherflyer]

Tags: Travel Media / Blogs / April Fool's Day / Pranks / Holidays / → All Tags

Travel Media: A Sneak Preview of Tomorrow's Foolishness

Got all your pranks ready for tomorrow? April Fool's Day promises to be a lackluster attempt at humor throughout the travel media. If last year is any indication, Gadling will be leading the charge with a full day of fabricated travel news.

Hopefully they can come up with something a little more funny than Airbus puns. Humph. We'll see. Also possible are some Chris Elliott yuks about airlines actually helping out consumers instead of infuriating them.

As for us, we'll be keeping up our always-straight-faced coverage of travel stories featuring the Pussycat Dolls and Heidi and Lauren.

Related Stories:
· Travel Media coverage [Jaunted]
· Holidays coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hans s]

Tags: St. Patrick's Day / Bars / Irish Pubs / Holidays / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: There's Some Kinda Holiday Today

Hey, did you hear it's St. Patrick's Day? It is! If you're still looking for some fun, might we suggest our favorite Irish pubs in Manhattan?

Alternatively, you could check out the Chicago River, dyed green for the day. Boston is partying all night long, too.

And there's always plenty happening in Dublin. It might be a little late to fly there now, but if you're already there, enjoy. Don't forget to send us drunken pictures!

Related Stories:
· St. Patrick's Festival, Dublin [Official Site]
· In Boston It's Also Evacuation Day [Boston Globe]
· Best Irish Pubs in NYC Map [Jaunted]
· The Chemical Breakdown of the Chicago River Greenness [Jaunted]

[Photo: Flipped Out]

Tags: Holidays / Culture / → All Tags

Why the Japan Office Isn't Returning Your Calls This Week

Saturday caps the final day of Golden Week in Japan. Imagine President's Day, Earth Day, the 4th of July, your birthday, and your brother's birthday rolled into one.

The Japanese knock out five holidays in one seven-day period. April 29 is Showa Day (Showa no hi). It honors the birthday of former Emperor Showa, whose reign from 1926 to 1989 makes both Elizabeths look like slackers.

A few days later, on May 3, the Japanese celebrate Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi) as well as The Girls Festival (Hina matsuri). They remember that on this day, in 1947, the post-war constitution went into effect. In a coinciding yet completely different celebration, families wish their daughters a happy life. Little girls receive dolls from their elders. Doll displays, adorned with peach blossoms, go up in homes and public buildings throughout the country.

Without stopping to regroup, the Japanese launch into holiday four. May 4 is Greenery Day (Midori no hi). Not to be confused with the soft-core punk band, the holiday is a nod to Emperor Showa's affinity for nature.

The celebrations taper off with Children's Day (Kodomo no hi) on May 5. Technically, it only refers to boys because the girls already got their homage earlier in the week. Boys, not to be outdone, receive samurai dolls and families hang streamers in their honor.

Tags: Holidays / Parties / Purim / → All Tags

To Do This Weekend: Purim!

Though it supposedly has holy roots, the Jewish holiday of Purim has also been expertly distilled into the perfect excuse to party. Purim party tradition includes dressing up Halloween-style, gorging on hamantaschen, and getting crazy drunk. The religious component comes in when you pray to keep the hamantaschen down and not wake up with a brutal hangover.

So where should you celebrate over the weekend? Chabad of San Francisco's annual Purimpalooza ($20) takes place this Sunday, March 4, at 12 Galaxies. Chabad of Bucktown/Wicker Park in Chicago beckons "Hassids and hipsters" to Wicker Purim this Saturday at AllRise Art Gallery ($12 if you wear a costume), while in New York City, Heeb sponsors a karaoke party at Lit ($5). Unfortunately for Londoners, it doesn't seem that the infamous PunkPurim (pictured above) by Jewdas will be returning this year.

[Photo: DG Jones]

Tags: Holidays / History / → All Tags

A Taste of MLK Day Listings

Happy MLK Day! Or, unhappy MLK Day, whichever way you care to look at it. Today's the day we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr., but also have to deal with the fact that he's gone. If the loss of MLK makes you sad, just think of it this way: today's a federal holiday. Is there anything more glorious than a 3-day weekend?

Events are taking place all over the country. Here's a taste of your options.

New York: MLK Day via Gothamist - You still have time to head over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a tribute and/or free tour "highlighting the plants of Africa."

San Francisco and the Bay Area: MLK Day via the San Francisco Chronicle - jazz performances in Piedmont and more.

Atlanta: MLK Day via Metroblogging Atlanta - tributes galore in MLK's hometown of Atlanta. Metroblogger james recommends the opening of the "I Have A Dream" exhibit at the Atlanta History Center.

Detroit: MLK Day via The Detroit News - act quick and you, too, can participate in the excellently-named Get Yo' Black Facts On game show at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (1 p.m.).

[Photo: Jess'ca]

Tags: Holidays / Holiday Travel / Travel Hell / → All Tags

Celebrate Festivus the Jaunted Way

For the serious Seinfeld fans among you, tomorrow is Festivus day. Some celebrate it earlier, but the 23rd of December is the official date. You know the deal: it's a secular holiday "for the rest of us." For a truly orthodox Festivus celebration, one must not only erect a Festivus pole, but also participate in an airing of grievances and wrestling match. Though it's probably too late for you to pay for a proper pole, that's nothing that can't be remedied by rummaging through your neighbor's garbage or a quick visit to the hardware store. Also, if you live near a particularly nasty bodega that never refreshes its inventory, you may be able to find a six-year old pint of discontinued Ben & Jerry's Festivus ice cream.

Background information on Festivus can be found on Wikipedia, and some extras over here. There's even sheet music for an original Festivus song called "Gather 'Round the Pole."

Whether or not your friends have agreed to celebrate with you tomorrow, we'd like you to join us in an airing of the grievances. What travel news, experiences, and miscellany totally pissed you off this year? The comments are open and ready for your wrath. Here, we'll start: news of Emirates' impending policy to allow cell phone use aboard its planes reappeared on CNN this morning, though buzz over the decision broke earlier this year. To whoever thinks this is a good idea: YOU SUCK!

[Photo: btezra]

Related Stories:
· Yes, Virginia, there is a Festivus [Boston Globe]
· Festivus Poles [Official Site]
· International airline to allow cell phone chatter on planes [CNN]

Tags: Holidays / → All Tags

Indian Holidays: Ugadi

Being a clueless-but-learning foreigner in India means being surprised by things that the locals wouldn't think to mention. I knew that tomorrow was going to be a holiday named Ugadi, but what was going to happen?

Turns out Ugadi is New Year's, which begins during a springtime new moon. This isn't an India-wide holiday -- it's the people in the south India states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andra Pradesh that will be celebrating.

I'm not expecting any Holi-like antics, though. It's a time to get right spiritually, doing things like planning for the year ahead and checking out traditional dance and music. It's also traditional to eat both jaggery (palm sugar) and the bitter flowers of the neem tree -- the coming year, after all, is likely to be a little sweet, and also a little bitter. -- John Rambow