January 2009
Paris Grand Parade
FRANCE Jan 21-Feb 1
American marching bands, European
performers from Britain, Poland and Belgium.
February 2009
Viareggio Carnival
ITALY Feb 8, 15, 22, 24 and Mar 1
In 1873 some of the locals
organized a Sunday, which was quite different than the typical
Sunday, starting a procession of floats which travelled up and
down the main street of the city. On that occasion a masked protest
was also organized by a number of citizens, as they were forced to
pay too many taxes and as a result the chief tax collector was
certainly made fun of!! The parade was liked alot not only by the
patrons but also by the citizens and the idea of making floats that
interpreted humour and disatisfaction of the people came about in
that year.
Nice Carnival
FRANCE Feb 13 - Mar 1
The first international carnival celebration in France and is
the top winter event on the French Riviera.
Venice Carnival
ITALY
February 14-24
The Venice Carnival is the most internationally known festival
celebrated in Venice, Italy, as well as being one of the oldest. This
congregation of masked people, called Venice Carnival, began in the 15th
century, but the tradition can be traced back to the beginning of the
14th Century
Sitges Carnival
SPAIN
Feb 15-25
Spain's wildest party. Catalonians,
French, English, Italians and Germans all turn out for the Sitges
carnival, dressed up to the nines and ready to party
Cologne
Carnival
GERMANY Feb 19-25
Carnival has been celebrated in the City of Cologne since time
immemorial. However, after the French Revolutionary troops left Cologne
in 1814 and the Prussians took over, it was high time to "organise" the
street carnival which, the new authority felt, was getting out of hand.
Thus, in 1823 the "Festordnendes Komitee" was founded, the predecessor
of todays Festive Committee. On February 10, 1823 Cologne
celebrated the first Rose Monday ("Rosenmontag") with the motto "Inthronisation
of the Carnival Hero".
Dusseldorf Carnival
GERMANY Feb 21-25
Düsseldorf is one of the strongholds of
Rhenish Carnival. Between November 11th and Ash Wednesday, more than 300
carnival sessions and costume balls are celebrated in the state capital.
Ivrea Carnival
ITALY Feb 21-24
a Carnival of the seventeenth-eighteenth
centuries marked by archaic elements common to the various festivities
of that time. A nineteenth century Carnival in which the town of
Ivrea represents itself: the Carnival becomes an essential support for a
new urban identity
Binche Carnival
BELGIUM Feb 22-24
one of the country's wildest parties, a UNESCO Heitage evet, half an
hour south of Brussels. Sunday and Tuesday are best.
March 2009
St Patrick's Day Parade
IRELAND,
Dublin March 12-17
a wild, green
five days, including a huge parade. p.s. What's the difference between
an Irish wedding and a funeral? There's one less drunk person at the
funeral
Las Fallas
SPAIN
Mar 12-19
a wild and explosive [literally] carnival/fiesta combination that will
blow your socks off. Locals spend 5 days partying - parades, pageants
and moderate fireworks then on the last night, they turn off all the
city lights and set fire to hundreds of massive cardboard statues
stuffed with fireworks around the city. Kaboom.
Budapest Spring Music
Festival
HUNGARY
Mar 20-Apr 5
all sorts of arts, music, drama, dance,
exhibitions, poetry and kid's stuff, local and international, in a
pleasant city.
