A few weeks ago, Charlotte was kind enough to chip in with a really entertaining piece about cocktails from around the world. In keeping with the theme of live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse – Charlotte’s put together this piece about some of the top parties around the world.
When this post hits the interweb, I’ll be roughing it out Yosemite way. Have you been to any of these iconic festivals?
Top Parties Around the World
Nobody needs an excuse to party, but sometimes the excuse is reason enough to abandon everyday life for a short time to really start living it. Provided below are ten of the best parties from around the world.
Burning Man
What could be better than a party that requires little or no cash to enjoy? Commencing eight days before Labor Day (first Monday in September) in the US State of Nevada (Blackrock Desert), the Burning Man festival welcomes tens of thousands of revellers every year.
Money is only needed to buy ice and water, as the entire festival is built on the concepts of sharing and bartering. Aside from sunscreen, eye protection, transport and warm clothing, revellers need only bring themselves and something for others.
What that something may be is up to the individual. Burning Man welcomes participants, not spectators, so contributing to the mayhem is essential. At the end of the festival, a 72ft wooden statue of a man is set ablaze.
Hogmanay
Scotland’s celebration of the last day of the year is as impressive and enjoyable as any other New Year’s Eve party. Fireworks, fireballs and street parties mark the passing of another year, while many a reveller will be heard singing Auld Lang Syne.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras celebrations occur throughout the world, but the festival is often associated with the carnival season in Brazil. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and the US also host the Mardi Gras, which is traditionally a festival of dance that marks the period of fasting before Lent.
La Tomatina
Every year, some 30,000 people travel to the small town of Buñol in the Spanish province of Valencia to take part in a festival that is unlike any other in the world.
Taking place on the last Wednesday in August, La Tomatina requires something extraordinary of participants: they must hurl tomatoes at each other. The festival was officially established in 1950 and there are some rules. Tomatoes must be squashed before they are thrown and t-shirts cannot be ripped off.
Apart from avoiding lorries and stopping when instructed, participants are free to hurl as many tomatoes as they can at fellow revellers. It may seem mad – and it probably is – but the festival provides immense fun and is a must see if holidaying in Spain when the festival is in progress.
Songkran
Whereas Hogmanay requires participants to drink beer, sing songs and marvel at the pretty firework displays, Thailand’s celebration of the New Year is an altogether more refreshing experience.
The spiritual party culminates in revellers becoming embroiled in what has been described as the biggest water fight on the planet. Taking place in the middle of April in cities such as Bangkok, Songkran should not be approached without an appetite for fun, a few replacement t-shirts and a couple of water guns. If you’re considering a vacation to Thailand, be sure to check for flights to Bangkok around this time of year to to add a little more party to your trip.
Bay to Breakers
Established to improve the mood of those who were affected by the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, Bay to Breakers is an annual 7.46-mile race that occurs on the penultimate Sunday of May.
One hundred thousand people have been known to enter the race, some wearing costumes, others dressed in sports gear and a handful wearing nothing at all.
Ibiza Closing Parties
What better way to end a season of dance and debauchery on one of Spain’s most notorious islands than a weekend of partying? Scheduled to take place on the first Saturday and Sunday of October, Ibiza’s Closing Parties are quite an experience.
Calgary Stampede
More than one million people flock to this ten-day rodeo festival in Canada. Taking place during the second week of July in Calgary, Alberta, the stampede is ideal for anyone who loves beer, cowboys and cowgirls.
Full Moon Party
Thailand’s Full Moon Party is a hedonist’s dream. Up to 30,000 revellers regularly attend the party, which takes place on the beaches of Ko Pha Ngan on the night after (sometimes before) a full moon.
St. Patrick’s Day
No list of world-famous parties would be complete without a reference to St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th March. Millions of revellers from around the world drink the day and night away in true Irish fashion on this most celebrated of saint’s days. Expect green beer, green hats and tall tales of Irish ancestry.
If any of these great parties have inspired you to travel to any of these countries then visit TravelSupermarket for all your holiday needs from cheap flights to bargain deals on car hire.
Your Say
Have you ever participated in any of these wild and wicked parties? I’d love to hear about your experiences?
Written about it? Share your link below and I’ll be sure it gets out to the masses.
Has Charlotte made any criminal omissions? Is there a party that should be on this list that didn’t? Educate us!
