When you think about hotbeds of Japanese-American culture, St. Louis probably doesn't spring to mind. But it should, because the Gateway City is home to one of the largest Japanese gardens in America, the 14-acre expanse at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
And every Labor Day weekend for the last 32 years, the garden has hosted one of the premier Japanese festivals in the US.
The three-day Missouri Botanical Garden Japanese Festival, August 30-September 1, features a wide array of Japanese cultural activities, including martial arts demos, Zen enlightenment workshops and everybody's favorite, sumo wrestling. Ten bucks gets you admission to everything.
For the last 30 years, downtown Asheville, North Carolina has come alive with its street festival, Bele Chere. This year, the celebration of beautiful living takes place July 25-27. Downtown is transformed into a huge entertainment venue, with revelers roaming about--without having to worry about traffic.
The longest day of the year is due in the northern hemisphere this weekend, and all earth-lovers, hippies and miscellaneous interested parties are invited to the Summer Solstice bash on Friday night at Stonehenge in England.
If you think that this collection of rocks is the work of the world's first astronomers then you might find some kind of magical occurrence at sunrise. Or you might find a collection of samba bands, a bunch of druids with dreadlocks and a number of police making sure all of the rules--including "no camping"--are enforced.
Summer solstice at Stonehenge is a bit of a hat-tip to the 70s, but we wish we could be there. It's one of the few times you can actually touch the stones, and we love getting our hands dirty.
With the deluge of cherry blossoms and sake pretty much over in Japan, they're looking ahead to their collection of summer festivals (and sake drinking).
One of the most famous is the Gion Matsuri held every July in Kyoto. Although the festival itself officially runs all month, the day you want to be there is July 17 when a line of thirty or so floats head out from Yasaka shrine to parade around the city center.
It'll be a crowded day full of drums and dancing and all the bright colors of Japanese traditions, but you should still make time at the end of the day for a sake or three. The good news is the festival all started to please the gods who cause fire, floods and earthquakes, so you should be pretty safe during your stay.
Every year in the last weekend of August, London residents glue on their peacock feathers, snap on their sequined bra tops, and take to the streets for the annual Notting Hill Carnival. The event is a celebration of Caribbean culture in drizzly Britain. Black immigrants, particularly those from Trinidad, started the festival in 1964 as a celebratory respite from the racism and other obstacles they faced as newcomers.
Six musical and performance genres make up the festival, the website explains. These include "mas," or masquerade; steel band; calypso, a political, social and satirical commentary set to music; soca, the traditional music of carnival, a fusion of soul and calypso; static sound systems; and samba.
The Children's Day parade will take place on Sunday, August 26, followed by the main carnival parade on Monday the 27th.
Welcome to Where To Find, our growing guide to those little-known places that never seem to show up on the travel radar--until now. We're not saying they're undiscovered, but you may need to look 'em up on our WTF Map.
Ah, summer. Relaxing with a cold beer, sitting on plush, green grass, and listening to live music as it pours over lawn seating like Gatorade on a winning coach. Rather than experience the thrill of concerts in the great outdoors -- that only May through September allow -- why not head inside for a pre-recorded version of the same shows? One night only (tomorrow), residents of Boston, Nashville, Dallas, and Fort Worth can visit their local theater for the SXSW Concert Series, movie style.
The two-hour film highlights four bands' appearances at this year's famed Austin-based festival, with behind-the-scenes footage mixed in. Ticket prices range range from $8.75 to $10.25 depending on the market. The movie will be shown in the following theatres at 8pm on June 14th:
-- Boston - Showcase Cinemas Revere (National Amusements)
-- Nashville - Thoroughbred 20 (Carmike Theatres)
-- Dallas - Magnolia Theatre - West Village (Landmark Theatres)
-- Ft. Worth - Rave Ridgmar (Rave Theatres)
The Dallas event will be hosted by Robert Wilonsky, arts and entertainment Writer for the Dallas Observer.
Hmm, a newspaper's music critic hosting the party, this thing must be for people in the know. That now includes you.
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by BS
