March
Bali Spirit Festival, Indonesia
Yoga, Dance, Music, Bliss
Annually since 2008, the idyllic Indonesian island of Bali has played host to the Bali Spirit Festival combining dance, yoga, and music►. Ubud is a quiet, artsy town set back from the beach among picturesque rice paddies and ancient monkey forests.
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Calle Ocho, Miami (USA)
One Big Block Party
Calle Ocho is a block party of epic proportions held in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The Kiwanis Club of Little Havana has been pivotal to hosting and promoting the event since 1977, which the official website heralds as “the world’s largest street party”
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Cherry Blossom Festival, Japan
Ancient Cities Floating Upon Spring Blossoms
Around the end of March, beautiful cherry blossoms herald the coming of Spring in Japan. Witness ancient temples rising out of fields of pink and white flowers while having a picnic and breathing the fresh spring air. The flowers bloom on the sakura tree ►and can start appearing as early as January and sometimes last through May. In March, you are almost guaranteed to see the bloom.
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Fallas de Valencia, Spain
Fire in the Streets
Every March 15th-19th, the streets of Valencia, Spain erupt with fire as part of the Fallas celebration. The festival dates back to the Middle Ages when excess goods were burned in the equivalent to a Spring cleaning. Today’s rendition takes a more grandiose approach paying homage to Spain’s history and culture with spectacular displays of pyrotechnics.
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Frozen Dead Guy Days (USA)
Fun From Beyond – I’m Dead Serious
Each March, the town of Nederland, Colorado plays host to one of the most bizarre cultural festivals around- the Frozen Dead Guy Days!
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Holi Festival, India
The Most Colorful Party in the World
If you happen to find yourself in India, Sri Lanka or Nepal during the last lunar cycle of the winter called Phalguna (usually between February to March), you just might get caught in a rainbow battlefield. Every imaginable type of brightly colored dye and ink is thrown in an all-out war in the form of powder, dye or water balloons. Don’t wear any clothes you care about! It gets massively crowded and women are urged to use extra caution in the wild streets. It’s a very photogenic scene but be warned: I lost a camera to a paint-filled water balloon on the streets of Delhi.
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Hounen Matsuri, Japan
The Penis Fertility Festival
If you’re looking for a celebration circulating around the penis, you’re in luck! Every year on March 15, Honen Matsuri (Harvest Festival) takes place in Komaki, Japan.
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Iditarod, Alaska (USA)
The Last Great Race on Earth
This is arguably the greatest adventure race on the planet across some of Mother Nature’s most impressive landscapes. Dog sled teams of 12-16 and a “Musher” race over jagged mountain, across icy rivers, tundra, and the Bering Sea coast. This is all done in Alaskan winter weather, though warmer temperatures have threatened the race route that is dependant on snow.
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Mardi Gras, New Orleans (USA)
Fat Tuesday
New Orleans’ Mardi Gras has become an iconic celebration taking place during the weeks surrounding Fat Tuesday. Parades fill the city as this party overflows beyond Bourbon Street and the French Quarter►.
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Mendoza Grape Harvest, Argentina
Vino in the Shadow of Aconcagua
The Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia celebrates Argentina’s annual grape harvest and the country’s wine industry. Argentina’s wine industry has grown to be the 5th largest in the world and the Mendoza region where the festival takes place, home to the celebrated Malbec wine, is at the center. Join the lively festivities this March and enjoy this beautiful region of the world.
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Paraty Mud Carnival, Brazil
The “Bloco de Lama”, A Mudslinging Carnival
Get your mud on at the Paraty Mud Carnival in Brazil! Officially named Bloco de Lama, this is part of the annual Paraty Carnival. Partiers adorn themselves with thick mud and chant “Uga uga uga! Ra ra ahhh!” along Jabaquara Beach and march into the historic district of town, where the rest of the carnival takes place. It’s quite a sight to see hundreds of mud people rocking out in this colonial beach town.
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Semana Santa, Guatemala
Holy Week
Semana Santa (which translates precisely to “Holy Week”) is the annual celebration around the week of Easter. Anyone who has spent time in a traditional God-fearin’ Latin American nation knows how seriously they take their holy holidays and Guatemala’s is no exception. However, the parades that take place in the cosmopolitan city of Antigua, a beautiful city square located in the heart of a verdant valley, are such sumptuous and regal affairs, they’re not to be missed by the less pious spectator.
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St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland
The Luck of the Irish
Visit Dublin, Ireland for the 4 days of its St. Patrick’s Day celebration and enjoy a lively display of Irish culture, tradition and partying. This national holiday recognizes the life of Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, and has celebrated national pride for over 1000 years.
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Surfest, Australia
Surf’s Up Down Under
Grab your stubbies, sunnies, board and some wax and paddle out to the hip Australian town of Newcastle. Whether you surf or not there are good times to be had at the annual Surfest where champion surfers battle it out in top-notch waves.
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SXSW, Austin, Texas (USA)
Yeeha! South by South West
South By Southwest Music and Film Interactive (SXSW) brings countless musical performers, tons of films, compelling presentations, and networking opportunities to Austin, Texas for a music industry extravaganza.
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Ultra Music Festival, (USA)
The New Heavyweight of American Electronic Music Festivals
The lineup for the 2011 Ultra Music Festival was stellar. Headlining this urban, outdoor electronic music festival in downtown Miami were Deadmau5, Moby, the Chemical Brothers and Duran Duran. The roots in the UMF lie in the Winter Music Conference which attracts over 300,000 music professionals to the area.
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