Posted by Jackie Hewett on Tue 8th July 2008 at 01:42 AM, Filed in Europe, July
14th July is the closest thing the French have to an independence day. It is designated as a French national holiday and commemorates the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille when France did away with their Monarchy and made the first moves towards becoming a republic.
Whilst events take place all over France, Paris is the place to be. There is a huge military parade in the Champs Elysee led by army cadets and the fire service get the biggest cheers. The red arrows put on a display to accompany the parade between the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. Large firework displays are staged. A chosen few will attend a garden party at the Palais de l’Elysee held by the elected president.
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This annual event has just started (for 2008 runs from 4th to 13th July). It attracts some of the biggest rodeo stars as the event has the biggest one day prize in pro rodeo - $1m (Canadian) on ‘Showdown Sunday’ has gained a reputation as rodeo’s richest afternoon.
There are rodeos held on each of the 10 event days with $60,000 (Canadian) prize money daily ($10,000 per event – bareback, bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, steer wrestling and tie-down roping).
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From the 14th July 2008 the visually stunning 11th annual World Body Painting Festival will start in Seeboden, Austria, and run for a week.
One of the headline events is the 'BodyCircus' fantasy ball which will take place on 16th July at the medieval castle Sommeregg. Visitors wear fantasy costumes combined with amasing body paint and masks, but there are only 600 tickets available for visitors. Tickets are 22 euros on the door (if you can get in) or 15 euros if bought in advance. Thereafter the festival starts in earnest when artists display their creations from 11.00am onwards in the public park to be judged by a panel for the World Bodypainting Awards in different categories. Over 40 countries compete for awards.
The best thing is to let some of the photo's 'speak' for themselves.
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Thu 3rd July 2008 at 01:46 AM, Filed in Europe, July
This years Summer Tyne Festival held in Gateshead runs from 18th to 27th July 2008 and is certain to brighten up even the dampest of English summers, though here’s hoping the sun shines all week.
To whet your appetite here are some of the highlights of what it sure to be a fun filled event:
During the first weekend there is a free outdoor programme of family events including; and more freebies during the following week
- Workshops in Salsa, steel pans and capoeria
- film screenings
- live sets in the American Lounge
- a celebration of the building of Newcastle and Gateshead’s eighth bridge – constructed from bamboo during July by the Australian artists Babuco.
To celebrate the project on Friday 18th there will be an event featuring a new piece of music by the Irish flautist Brain Finnegan of ‘Flook’. The piece will use a large range of instruments with bamboo connections – including flutes from China, India and North America. You will be able to visit exhibitions explaining the construction of the bridge in more detail – not to be missed. This is a free event – you will even be able to take part in a bamboo instrument-making workshop.
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Mon 30th June 2008 at 01:24 AM, Filed in Europe, July
Gateshead (north east corner of England) is the place to be from 11th – 27th July 2008. Not one, but two amazing, diverse festivals are being held here. The first one is the (2nd) Vamos Latin Festival which starts the 16 days of fun and entertainment.
This is a bi-annual event taking place in Newcastle Gateshead and the environs. It’s a celebration of Latin and Lusophone (Portuguese and Spanish speaking) cultures. The ethos behind the festival is about embracing new cultures and experiences – and surprise!
The second festival (Gateshead Summer Tyne Festival ) kicks off on the 18th July and will be described in a separate article.
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