5 summer festivals around the world

Since summer is only a few weeks away I`ve thought of making a list of a few festivals that occur during summertime and which are really worth taking part at. The best thing about festivals is that they bring people together, because as it is said many hands make light work and the fun doubles when we start sharing with other people. By taking part in a festival we broaden our horizons and perhaps get an insight into another culture. So be prepared for a bumpy ride across different cultures as we will see five interesting festivals held during the summer in different countries. You`ve just got to love summer!

We will start off with the Glastonbury Festival, which is the largest open air music and arts festival in the world, and most importantly it is the beacon of English culture. It takes place each year in the last weekend of June, in Pilton Somerset in England. Millions of tents are set up, as those who participate in this festival camp for a few days in their own tents. The head artists for the 2013 Glastonbury Festival is the Rolling Stones.

The Food & Wine Classic, known as The Classic is gourmands` best bet. This annual event is presented by the Food & Wine magazine and takes place each year in June at the base of the Aspen Mountain, the wonderful town in Colorado. You can taste here wine, see the cooking demonstrations of some talented chefs or even take part in a cooking competition. You will meet here accomplished winemakers, celebrity chefs and other well-known faces of the culinary world. However, the only drawback of this festival is that no one under the age of 21 is allowed to participate, lucky for those who are at least 21 as they can enjoy a pleasure-packed weekend at The Classic.

If you are fond of arts, especially theater then you shouldn`t miss the Pflasterspektakel (Pavement Spectacle) which is a street art festival in Linz. This festival can turn into a unique experience because during three days in July you will see musical acts, juggling, acrobatics, improvisational theater, painting and even samba parades. The artists of different nationalities are performing at around 40 locations of the town and in the case of rain all the performances are moved to indoor locations.


La Tomatina is a festival held on the last Wednesday of August in Bunol, situated in the province of Valencia. In my mind this festival somehow confirms what Robin Williams said: ``You`ve only given a little spark of madness. You mustn`t lose it!`` It seems that those who take part each year in La Tomatina don`t have to worry about losing their spark of madness. The main objects of this festival are tomatoes, as people throw into each other with tomatoes purely for fun. It`s like fighting with snowballs, only instead of snowballs they use tomatoes. Yes, it might sound completely insane to waste so many tomatoes only for throwing them into each other, but isn`t it good sometimes breaking the rules and doing something totally insane?

The last festival of this list is the Obon Festival or the Festival of Souls, which takes place in August in Japan, being one of the most important Japanese traditions. Japanese believe that during Obon the spirits of their ancestors come back to their homes to be reunited with the rest of the family. During this time visitors can observe the tradition of floating lanterns. People lit a candle inside a lantern and they put these lanterns on a river so that they would send down their ancestors spirits to the ocean. The sight of the floating lanterns on the river will totally spellbind you and makes a very nice picture for those passionate about photography. You will also see traditional dances during the Obon days, which will bring you a step closer to Japanese culture.

All in all, summer is short and it will pass! Don`t you waste your time sitting and waiting for the winter when this season has so much to offer. Take advantage of the many festivals it has on offer!Less