Taking off Travel blog

Each year, Canada’s third most populous city Vancouver – an urban hub surrounded by the natural beauty of the coast and ice-capped mountains– welcomes almost nine million tourists thanks to its many ski resorts, beaches and seaside promenades, pleasant (but rarely overwhelmingly hot) weather, cultural diversity and endless shops, restaurants and nightlife options.

Vancouver – no doubt one of the most scenic cities in North America – is also home to many different festivals throughout each year. Each of these festivals is a reason in itself to visit the city so why not book your Canada Holidays in 2012 to coincide with one of the following events? You’ll be glad you did!

Celebration of Light

When? End of July – early August.

Why should firework displays be reserved for November’s Guy Fawkes Night alone? Once known as Benson and Hedge’s Symphony of Fire, Vancouver’s Celebration of Light is An international fireworks competition and one of the city’s best known festivals with an annual attendance of around 1.4 million people (both tourists and locals) each year. The event is laid out across three nights where attendees will witness some of the very best fireworks displays in the world explode over the skyline of English Bay.

2011’s festival saw China, Spain and Canada go head to head to be announced as the world’s leading country in the art of fireworks (China won). The festival is free of charge unless you wish to reserve bleachers seating located close to the English Bay – getting to the location early to ensure a good viewing spot is recommended but not always possible!

MusicFest Vancouver

When? Early August.

Music Fest Vancouver is a ten day annual celebration of classical, jazz and world music. The festival was born out of the desires of world-renowned ophthalmologist and music-lover Dr Stephen Drance who approached the city’s various musical ensembles to gauge the interest in holding a classical music festival in Vancouver. That was back in the year 2000 and the event – which was positively received – has been held annually ever since.

Over the event’s duration many of the cities venues play host to more than forty different concerts and events (2011 included brass band, accordion, jazz keyboard, classical piano and violin acts). The focus of the event is on the high calibre of the performers as opposed to the party vibe that is often inextricably linked to other music festivals. As such, MusicFest Vancouver is perfect for anyone looking to absorb rich, dignified aural culture.

PuSh Festival

When? January 17 – February 4 (2012 dates)

Launched in 2003, Vancouver’s PuSh Festival is a three week event that is held each January to showcase the very best work in the industry of the performing arts. The event once provided a platform for modest theatre productions alone but has since grown and diversified to include those by established performance groups from around the world and several dance acts, as well as providing exposure for indie bands.

Just some of the acts which can be found on this year’s bill include the ‘Craigslist Cantata’ (a series of online personal ads set to music), ‘The Pixelated Revolution’ (a lecture-meets-performance about how mobile phone were used during the Syrian Revolution), ‘Dances for a Small Stage 25’ (a series of dances performed on a stage with dimensions of only 10 by 13 foot) and ‘After Trio A + Beginning’ (a homage to postmodern dance and the choreographer Yvonne Rainer). With performances this varied you are sure to find more than a couple of acts of interest during the PuSh Festival!

Vancouver International Writers Festival

When? 16 – 21 October (2012 dates)

Founded back in 1988, the Vancouver International Writers Festival is a premier, week-long literary event which attracts both keen established and wannabe wordsmiths of all ages from across the globe. Intimate and interactive poetry jams, panel sessions, readings and one-to-one interviews with significant names from the world of literacy sees more than 14,000 people attend the event each year.  One of the festival’s objectives is to inspire a love of reading in young children and as such its organisers work with schools (via the Spreading the Word program) during the event and provide young scholars with subsidised tickets.

Just some of the authors who have presented at the festival in the past include J K Rowling (Harry Potter book series), John Irving (The Cider House Rules and The 158-Pound Marriage) and Martin Amis (Money and Yellow Dog). This is definitely an event worth checking out if you like to curl up with a good book!

Vancouver International Film Festival

When? End of September – early October

The 2010 edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival welcomed more than 148,000 people and presented a total of 373 films from 80 different countries – this should give you some indication to the scale of this exciting yearly event! The festival not only attracts fans of the film medium but also filmmakers themselves who are looking to present their work and/or find inspiration for their future productions.

This culturally diverse film celebration screens the largest selection of films from East Asia outside of that region and also showcases a healthy selection of non-fiction films too (a genre often ignored at film festivals). If you enjoy films that are a little different to the Hollywood blockbusters which usually litter western cinemas then VIFF is definitely a festival you should check out. The majority of film screenings are followed by Q and A sessions with directors and/or cast members.

The author of this guest post – Miley Hutson – is a veteran of Vancouver holidays and would recommend the destination to anyone.

About a year ago we wrote about strange celebrations from around the world. Now it’s time to add to that list.

Camel Wrestling

I’ve always been fascinated by camels – they have a certain sort of lumpen elegance and the fact that they can survive in harsh conditions makes them worthy of respect. However, I certainly wouldn’t want to wrestle one. But that’s just what happens in the Aegean region of Turkey. It seems the camels spend a lot of time pushing and shoving before heading for the crowd, which is when it gets really exciting. I’d certainly pick up my heels to avoid a ton of overexcited camel, wouldn’t you?

Read more »

Travelers are inherently fascinated with the unusual. We willfully seek it out by opening ourselves to foreign cultures and customs, getting lost in exotic places, and chasing adventure wherever it runs. We ultimately learn that the superficially unfamiliar is actually familiar, that common values such as family and celebration are shared across all cultures in some form. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some wonderfully weird festivities held across the globe:

Holi Festival of Colors – India

Image courtesy of M. Raghu (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrprao/1499871399/)

The Holi Festival of Colors is a traditional Hindu holiday celebrated in several countries. Rooted in Hindu mythology, Holi is an exuberant celebration of the triumph of good over evil. The festivities take place over two days, generally in February or March based on the Hindu calendar. The first night kicks off with a towering bonfire of logs and dried brush, symbolizing the burning of the demoness Holika. On the second day, known as Dhuleti, the color free-for-all begins! People of all ages congregate in the streets in a playful melee of sprayed multicolored dyes, Bollywood singalongs, gift exchanges, and family get-togethers to celebrate the coming Spring and victory over evil. Read more »