Backpacker Travel: Best of the Fests!
One of the things I most envy my London-based friends is their proximity to European music festivals. ‘I just got back from Glastonbury,’ they tell me, offhand. ‘Yeah, the Kings of Leon rocked. And Kate Moss and I have the same gumboots.’ I used to comfort myself with the thought that, no matter where it takes place, a festival is a festival. You’ve got your mud, your port-a-loos, your mind blowing bands / art / films / street-parties, and your tasty but over-priced food. Since indulging in some overseas festival action, however, I’ve realised that the devil really is in the details. Take, for example, Fluff Festival. Fluff Fest is a three day hardcore punk gig that’s held annually in the forest outside the Czech town of Pilsen. Alongside the sweat, mullets and metal-angst guitar solos you might expect at such an event, I was delighted to discover other, more surprising treats.
Fresh mint tea, served in Slavic-grandma floral pots! Home-made absinthe! An irate farmer sweet-talked by genuine Italian anarchists! And to top it all, a conga-line of heavily tattooed men getting their groove on at the Eurotrash disco! Ah, the memories.
Maybe floating in a lake, drinking Pilsner and watching Black Metal isn’t your cup of chai. But the coolest thing about the worldwide festival circuit is that pretty much anything you can imagine is on it. So why not plan your backpacker holiday to coincide with the best of the fests?
Here’s a few that we reckon are worth checking out… MUSIC Glastonbury
Glastonbury is iconic and has a consistently stellar lineup. You have to pre-register to buy tickets, and with previous festivals selling out within 90 minutes it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it deal. Glastonbury is held in June, but if you want to party with the Brit-pack you’ll need to book well ahead of time All Tomorrow’s Parties
All Tomorrow’s Parties takes place in the US and the UK (dates vary, so check their website), and has huge music scene cred. Each year the organisers select a guest programmer who gets to handpick the line-up. Previous ‘curators’ have included Portishead, Matt Groening and Australia’s own The Dirty Three. And they put on a damn fine jamboree! Montreal Jazz Festival
Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is sexy and eclectic and happens every year at the end of June. There are heaps of free events, so this is a good one if you’ve got a hankering for some music to mooch by.
SPECTACLE
Carnival
Carnival comprises four days of pleasure immediately preceeding the abstinence of Lent. During this period there are parties all over Brazil, but the biggest bang for your buck is in Rio, where even the most prim travelers are lured into rampant street-samba-ing. If you’re in Brazil towards the end of February and you miss Carnival, you should probably check your pulse. Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is actually two days – 1st and 2nd November – on which Mexicans commemorate their dearly departed. This is a time of mourning and celebration: candlelight vigils in the cemetery culminate in tequila shots and fireworks. It’s gorgeously garish. Diwali
Thought India couldn’t get any more colourful? Known as the Festival of Light, Diwali brightens things up with fireworks, bejewelled paper lanterns, and myriad candles, feasts and religious ceremonies. India is renowned for its plethora of festivals, but this is one of the most widely celebrated, and well worth a look. Diwali falls in October or November. CULTURE Ann Arbor Film Festival
Sure it’s not as well known as Sundance or Cannes, but ask yourself what Gus Van Sant, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Brian de Palma and George Lucas have in common and you might just hit upon the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Specialising in experimental and independent film, this is the festival for trend-spotters in cinema. If you’re anywhere near Michigan next March check it out, check it out, check it out! Venice Biennale
The mother of all art festivals is the Venice Biennale, which was first staged in 1895. Often controversial, always influential, it is held every odd year and is truly international in scope. Typically there are thousands of artists and hundreds of thousands of visitors. It runs for months, in the latter half of the year. Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest open arts festival in the world and during August the whole town is a stage. From street acrobats to Ricky Gervaise, everything you see will knock your socks off, guaranteed. Remember: this is a far from comprehensive list. The world is your festival! So do your online research, compare options (some of the most interesting festivals are cheap, or even free) and don’t forget to ask your gloating Glastonbury friends what they’d recommend. They’ve got to be good for something!
|
