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Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh is a busy place throughout the year – at some point in the history of Edinburgh, someone thought it would be a good idea to combat our fickle and sometimes torturous weather with a series of festivals. Now, I think the city is deserving of the title City of Festivals, because nearly every month you’ll run into a festival or two to spruce up your visit.

Here’s the low down on some of my favourite festivals; if you want to check out the full festival calendar, head on over to Edinburgh’s Inspiring Capital website.

Beltane Fire Festival, End of April – I love the Beltane Fire Festival because it’s a good excuse to wander up onto Calton Hill at night – the views are stunning. While yes, I would agree that the antics of the fire festival performances can be bizarre and downright rude, the fires blazing along the National Monument makes me feel like I’ve travelled back in time to some ancient ritual performed by the Greeks. And to feel the searing heat and squint into the bright flames of the bonfire at the end of the show is a treat not often experienced here in Edinburgh. (Note: This is not a family-friendly event.)

Edinburgh International Film Festival, mid-June – Edinburgh’s film fest is a real gem for me because it features so many good indie features from our various European neighbours. Other festivals tend to show off big blockbuster hits with many of America’s major stars, but here in Edinburgh the focus is more on cinematic quality and top notch cinematography. The venues that host the festival as well – particular the Cameo and the Filmhouse – are such cute and cosy movie houses, I’d recommend a stop there even if the festival isn’t on.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August – Any festival-related text would be remiss not to highlight The Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival. The city is literally transformed – sometimes I still don’t believe it myself – into a bustling metropolis twice the size of normal and every empty space all over town becomes a performance venue, which does add to the serendipity but sometimes these cramped, hot spaces aren’t always the ideal choice. The Fringe has so many acts it can be really overwhelming – don’t worry so much about it, just live in the moment and ask around for a recommendation. If you’re on a tight budget, go to the half price tent next to Princes Street and Waverley Station in the afternoon for discount seats.

Hogmanay, end of December – What would any self-respecting city do when the winters turn cold and daylight becomes sparse? Hold a party, of course. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay (an old Scots word for New Year’s) features fireworks, a German Christmas market, loads of amusement rides, and plenty of merry good cheer. Grab your warmest coat – but keep in mind it’s not that cold – and head here to celebrate Christmas in Edinburgh style.

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For more information on Edinburgh, be sure to check out the Edinburgh Guide – hopefully we’ll have it covered. If you still can’t find what you need, you can contact me, I’m happy to help.

Photo credit:  raymccrae @flickr

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

A great LA shopping experience, from both the shopping and the experience point of view, is the Rose Bowl Flea Market.  This is not some lightweight flea market, no sirree!  This is a monster event, with over 2,500 vendors attracting 15-20,000 buyers.  Operating the second Sunday of every month, you’ll find vintage jewelry, clothing, handmade crafts, antiques, plants, collectibles, and just about everything under the sun.  The flea market has been in operation for over 40 years, so you know it’s offering some good stuff.

The market features one-time vendors, setting up shop as an estate sale.  Others are brick and mortar businesses, who head to the market hoping to get their wares in front of a different customer base.  For others, it’s a small business allowing them to sell their handicraft, art, or some other hobby item.  A lot of the vendors are regulars, and you’ll see them week after week, year after year.

Just as there are lots of different kinds of sellers, the buyers are equally diverse.

Some people come to the market to root out great buys and hidden gems.  Others to look for vintage designer clothing and jewelry that would be otherwise unaffordable.  Others are looking for specific goods.  Friends swear that it’s the best place to find a deal on a great outfit that no one else will have.  And lots of people come for the experience, to see who else is there shopping, and secretly hoping for a celebrity sighting.  There have been lots of them, and many celebs make frequent visits to the flea market.

If you go once, you’ll want to go back again (and probably again).  It’s too much to absorb on just one visit.

The Rose Bowl Flea Market is located 1001 Rose Bowl Drive in Pasadena, California.  The flea market opens at 9 am, and it is not unusual to see a crowd lined up to be the first to find the good stuff.  Admission is $8/person, and children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.  And, since LA is all about being “special,” there are options for an early admission ($15 gets you admitted between 7-8 am), and a special VIP admission ($20 gets you in between 5-7 am).  The market closes at 4:30 pm.

You’ll find lots of FREE parking, but if you want to feel like a special VIP, preferred parking (close to the entrance) is available for $10.

Photo credit:  Courtesy of R.G. Canning Attractions

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Founded in 2001 by Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal, the festival was an attempt to revitalize a neighborhood that was laid low as a result of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.  The first festival was held in 2002, and even with only four months of planning, it was a critical, financial, and public success.  Since then it has grown in what it offers, attendance, and a variety of partnerships, and today it is one of the premiere film festivals.

Depending on your availability and interests, there are several ways to take in the festival:

• Consider buying a pass or ticket package.  These range in price from $225-400, and combine tickets to several films (10-20) and other admissions.
• Check the listing of films, show times, and theater locations of films that you’d like to see, and order tickets online, by phone at (866) 941-FEST (3378), or at ticket outlets.  Have several back up choices in case your first choices aren’t available.  Single tickets go on sale April 14th for American Express Card members only, on April 19th for downtown residents (proof required), and on April 20th for the general public.
• Get a discount ticket package.  On sale April 14th, these offer some great values for film lovers.  Priced $39-100.
• If you in the “biz” or are a film lover with some coin, there are also a number of VIP packages available.

Other festival events include:

• Sports Film Festival (in partnership with ESPN)
• Shorts Section
• World Narrative Competition
• World Documentary Competition
• Discovery Section (featuring new talent in cinema)
• Encounters (narrative features and documentaries)
• Showcase (10 international films)
• Spotlight (award winners and acclaimed filmmakers)
• Midnight (horror genre)
• Restored/Rediscovered (rarely screen or newly restored films)
• and lots of community events

What are you waiting for?  Download the 2009 Film Guide, and plan to be a participant at this year’s TriBeCa Film Festival!

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

For those of you too young to remember Easy Rider, it is one of the iconic movies of the 60’s. 

It debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1969, and was both a counterculture classic and a warning against the communal lifestyle and use of drugs popular in the era.  It starred Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper, and featured music from Steppenwolf, Jimi Hedrix, the Band, and the Byrds.

Dennis Hopper was living in Taos at the time Easy Rider was filmed, and some of the shots were filmed there.  Taos was home to a thriving artists colony along with several thriving communes.  Although the town is much different today, it is still appeals to those searching for a different, perhaps alternative, way of life.

Hopper remains a part-time resident of Taos, New Mexico, and the festival features two of his exhibits at The Harwood Museum of Art.  The summer is full of events, including art, film and music designed to let you flash back to a the era of the late 60’s. 

Taos Summer of Love runs May through September, and kicks off with a fundraising dinner with Dennis Hopper to benefit the Harwood Museum.  The full Summer of Love schedule is available, and you can also follow them on Twitter.

You may not have been Born to be Wild in 1969, but you can recreate the experience in Taos this summer.

Image credit:  Courtesy of Taos Vacation Guide

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This is the 103rd year for Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummers Parade, and this is one of those festivities that sound like so much fun.  I’m hoping that a few of my Philly readers chime in here and let me know if it’s as much fun as it sounds.  (Kelly?  Caroline?  Anyone?)

The history of the Mummers goes back to the Roman Festival of Saturnalia.  Latin laborers wore masks and marched around giving gifts.  There was also a Celtic version that was a little bit more like trick-or-treat, featuring costumes and little gifts.  Both events were filled with pageantry, enthusiasm, and more than a little bit of noise.

Philadelphia got into the act in 1901 with the first official Mummers Parade.  Unofficially large celebrations like this had been going on in Philadelphia for some time even though there were laws prohibiting it.  All that noise and merry-making was deemed too much of a nuisance.  No one was ever convicted of breaking this law, and the revelry eventually became sanctioned.

Since its inception, the Mummers Parade has evolved into a full fledged festival with thousand of capped, capped, and sequined participants strutting their stuff.  Mummers don’t walk, march, or even dance. They cakewalk — a strut that has become closely identified with the Mummers and the parade.

The festivities last for the entirity of New Year’s Day, and much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, is a competition between the Mummers club around the area.  Each club creates a theme, and then develops it with costumes, props, and pageantry that supports the theme.  This is BIG business, and thousands of dollars go into club competitions.  Although there is some money to be won, it’s really all about bragging rights for the entire year!

Parade entries are divided into four divisions: 

1. Comic Clubs focus on satire and ridicule, and poke fun at anyone and everyone.  From the mild to the ribald, anyone can be a target.
2. Fancy Clubs focus on beautiful colors, costumes, and elaborate, themed presentations.  This is pageantry at its finest. (top photo)
3. String Bands focus on a merger of music and costumery into a uniquie kind of band.  You’ll find a variety of strings, glockenspiels, saxophones, accordions and drums, and lots of accompanying dancers.
4. Fancy Brigades focus on performance.  They march in the parade, but are judged during on their intricate dance routines during a later outdoor performance.  (See video below.)

If you’ll miss New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, you can learn a little more about the Mummers at the Mummers Museum (1100 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia).  It looks like one of those quirky museums that never fails to grab my attention.

Image credits:  All from flickr, top Fancy group, costume, clown

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Post from: Fly Away Cafe

The Parade emphasizes diversity and family as it brings together the myriad economic, ethnic, social, sexual, and racial components of New York City.  Even the NYC Police Department has recognized the Parade for its contribution in making Halloween a safe event, bringing together the community in a creative and playful way.

The parade queues up at 6th Avenue, south of Spring and North of Canal, between 6:30-8 pm. The parade begins 7 pm and proceeds up 6th from Spring to 21st Street.  Thousands of costumed revelers will join in with puppets, bands, dancers and artists.  Anyone in costumed is invited to join in.

Don’t even think about driving to the Parade; take the subway.  The streets are most crowded between Bleeker and 14th Street; so if that’s the viewing spot you want, get there early.  There are lots of great viewing opportunities along the entire Parade route.

The parade is a favorite of residents and visitors, adults and families, and attracts approximately two million people.  Add in television viewers (NY 1 airing it, 8-9:30 pm), and this event will reach over four million people.  Now that’s a Halloween party!

Photo credit:  Flickr:  skeletons, costumed participants

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The Breeders’ Cup was started in 1982 as a year end event to honor the premiere horses in the sport.  Originally billed as the richest day in sports, Day 2 of the Breeders’ has now become the second richest day is sports (eclipsed by the Dubai World Cu[ Night) with a total of $25.5 million in purses being awarded over the two days.

I stopped by the sports book here at the Palazzo in Las Vegas and placed a little wager on the Classic, choosing Go Between in a $15 combination bet — $5 to win, $5 place, and $5 show.  Not a huge bet by horse racing standards, but a win at 8-1 could yield me a nice little chunk of change.

You can read lots more about the Breeders’ Cup, and the Sport of Kings, at Thoroughbred Fever.  And you can score a win, without ever placing a bet, by entering b5media’s version of the Breeder’s Cup, and a chance to win a $200 Amazon gift certificate.

Photo credits:  personal collection

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Halloween activities are scheduled October 25-26th, and are free with general admission to the aquarium.  (An additional charge applies for the Deep Sea 3D Movie.)

And of course, there’s lot of feeding going on.  Enjoy watching walrus, penguin, or sea otter feeding.  It’s high on the “aaaaaaahhhhh” factor!

The Octopus has to eat, too.  How do you like this Halloween dinner??

Admission is $13 for adults; $10 for seniors (65+); $9 for children ages 3-12, FREE for those under 3.  During this Halloween event, all children ages 3-12 who visit in costume receive a FREE admission when accompanied by a paying adult.  (Purchase aquarium tickets online.)

The Aquarium is located at Surf Avenue & West 8th Street in Brooklyn, and is open every day of the year at 10 am.  Closing times vary seasonally.

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Circus Circus presents Fright Dome, ranked as one of the top five scariest haunted attractions for two years running.

Full of haunted houses (five), live freak shows, rides, scare zones and a few more surprises, Fright Dome runs October 3rd through 31st, 7pm – midnight.  Tickets are $33.95/person, and you can purchase Fright Dome tickets online or by calling the box office at (702) 794-3939.  An extra $15 for a VIP Fast Pass gives you express entry (no waiting on line!) to all five haunted houses.

Check out this video from last year’s Fright Dome:

Fright Dome is not recommended for children 12 years and under.  You must be 42 inches tall to go in the mazes.

Circus Circus is located at 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South in Las Vegas.

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I’ve been to the Expo in previous years, and am excited that’s it’s come to my hometown of Seattle.  There lots of great stuff – trade show with great information booths, educational sessions, panels, and presentations.

I’m very pleased to be speaking on a panel myself with a great group of other travel blogging women.  The panel is Wandering Women…Planning Your Next Great Adventure! 

Panel Moderator is Beth Whitman from Wanderlust and Lipstick, and the panel includes  Pam Mandel from Nerd’s Eye View, Chris Mackay from Crooked Trails, and ME!  We’ll be talking about how to craft an adventure experience that just right for you.  The session is on Sunday, September 14th, 11 am – noon, in the Adventure Travel Theater.

The Expo will be held at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center, 800 Convention Place, in downtown Seattle.  The show runs Saturday (10”30 am – 5:30 pm) and Sunday (10 am – 4 pm).  The shows opens at 9 am on Saturday for members of the travel trade (credentials required).

Tickets are $12/day, and children under 12 are FREE.  All children must be accompanied by an adult.  Admission includes the expo floor and all conference sessions.

Flyaway Cafe readers can get FREE tickets to the Expo by signing up for Expo tickets using this link and entering promotion code SPK. 

Please leave a comment if you’ll be there – and make sure to come up and introduce yourself!

Hope to see you there!

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