Top Summer Festivals in Europe this August

28 July, 2008 23:38

It’s summer, it’s sizzling and it’s time to party. What better way than with some of the hippest, funkiest parties and festivals all over Europe this August.

Aste Nagusia (Semana Grande)
10^th – 17 August (dates to be confirmed)

This party offers visitors nine days and nights of non-stop entertainment. Semana Grande boasts of a week of varied events. From bull fights to fireworks competitions, music concerts to street entertainment, beauty pageants to theatre shows, sporting events to regatta, there’s something for everyone.
http://events.frommers.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=70330

Amsterdam Gay Pride
1^st -3^rd August

The gay pride in Amsterdam is wild! The streets along the canals are packed with revelers and the canals themselves become the venue for one of the world’s largest and most famous gay parades. Street parties abound and clubs are packed all weekend long. Blaring music, daring costumes and throngs of party people - an experience you’re not likely to forget.
http://www.amsterdamgaypride.nl/amsterdam/

Boom Festival, Portugal
11^th – 18^th August

The Boom Festival is set to take place on the shores of lake Idanha-a-Nova in Portugal. Best described as living entertainment, this festival merges different art forms with sustainable practices and performs to a hugely inter-cultural crowd.
http://www.boomfestival.org/boom2008/news.php

Cowes Week, Isle of Wight, England
28^th July – 9^th August

The highlight of the UK sailing calendar, the Cowes Week is the longest running regatta in the world. This is an enormous event featuring 1000 boats and another 200 spectator boats fighting for the best views. The party continues on land as well… live bands, barbeques, cocktail parties, yacht club balls and a spectacular fireworks finale are all on the cards.
http://www.flyingfishonline.com/courses_and_events/search_courses/193.asp?cid=3300&gclid=CPDw9pnq2pMCFQMOuwodWDuVig

Edinburgh International Festival, Scotland
8^th – 31^st August

Concerts, opera, theatre, ballet, dance, orchestra – the world-renown Edinburgh Festival has it all. Performances take place in six major concert halls and theatres and a number of smaller venues as well. The best occasion to savour the classics.
http://www.eif.co.uk/

The Great British Beer Festival
5^th- 9^th August, 2008

Here’s something for the beer lovers. For four continuous days of beer binging, head to the Great British Beer Festival at the Earl’s Court in London. A huge selection of over 450 different types of ales, fruit beers, ciders, stouts, bitters and international beers will spoil you for choice. And for those who’d like to learn more about what they drink, book early to join the tutored tasting session- designed to make a beer connoisseur out of you.
http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=gbbf

ImpulsTanz, Vienna, Austria
10^th July – 10^th August

ImpulsTanz is a major contemporary dance festival held in Vienna every year. Thousands of dancers, choreographers and teachers from around the world come together at ImpulsTanz making it an event you’re unlikely to forget. If modern, bold, unconventional and contemporary describe the kind of event you’re looking for, look no further.
http://www.impulstanz.com/news/headlines/en

La Tomatina, Bunol, Spain
27^th August

Now this is fun. This August, head to the world’s largest tomato fight. The action happens in Bunol, a little town in Spain about 30 miles from the Mediterranean. On the last Wednesday of August, the locals explode into a tomato flinging frenzy. For a full week leading to the epic ‘batalla’, the town is filled with parades, fireworks, food and street parties. Join in the battle frenzy.
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/fiestas/tomatina.asp

Notting Hill Carnival, England
Sunday and the following bank holiday in August

Street drums, singers, eye catching floats and costumed dancers moving to a pulsing beat are just some of the things you can expect to find at Europe’s largest street party. In fact, this carnival is often referred to as the second largest in the world after Rio. Definitely one to check out if you love some ‘Caribbeana’.
http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/collection/notting-hill-carnival

Inter-Celtic, Lorient, Brittany
1^stAugust – 31^st August (dates to be confirmed)

This is a treat for Celtic fans and offers Celtic music, theatre and dance performaces. The biggest Celtic festival, visitors can experience fiddle music, bagpipe lessons, Gaelic workshops and celidhs. Not to forget, an abundant supply of Celtic food, scotches and whiskeys.
http://www.worldeventsguide.com/event/419/Lorient-France/Interceltic-Festival-of-Lorient-Festival-Interceltique-de-Lorient.html

Please note that there may be changes to the dates, events and line-ups at the festivals. For detailed information, check the official websites.

Sidd Lobo
Freelance writer based out of Munich

Smoking bans- no butts about it

siddlobo

09 July, 2008 19:23

Smoking bans seem to be all the rage with governments these days. A rash of bans have sprouted especially in Europe in recent years. A number of countries have joined the non-smoking wagon and a number of others are scrambling for their turn to join in.

Different countries have implemented the ban to different degrees. Some countries like Albania, Ireland, Cyprus, England, Iceland, Estonia, Finland, Scotland and recently Netherlands and France have opted to go completely smoke-free and ban smoking in all work places and public buildings including restaurants and cafes. Some countries have chosen to tread a bit more lightly. Austria for example bans smoking in public buildings open to children and young people but does not include work places. Others like Germany agreed to ban smoking in restaurants and pubs but will allow exemptions for small bars and premises with separate smoking rooms. Spain, Slovakia and Slovenia have allowed smoking in separate zones in pubs and restaurants. Switzerland imposes partial restriction on indoor workplaces and Luxembourg imposes a total ban on advertising and sponsoring smoking and a partial ban on smoking in public places.

The list is not limited to Europe alone. In recent years, many countries around the world including Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and a number of states in the Untied States have banned smoking in public areas. From the above, it’s clear the world wants to go smoke-free. Below are some key effects of such a move.

Some key effects of the smoking ban

Great for health: Results actually show a huge drop in the number of heart attacks and lung-related diseases in many countries that have enacted the smoking ban. e..g. In the first eighteen months that Peublo, Colorado enacted the smoking ban, hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 27%. Scotland showed a 17% year-on-year drop in heart attack admissions since the ban.

Lower tobacco usage: Smoking bans make it generally easier for people to quit smoking. In UK, according to a survey, 22% of smokers quit after the ban was implemented in public areas. Cigarette sales have generally dropped in these countries and there is a lower chance of young people becoming habitual smokers.

Business blues: There’s a mixed opinion on the effects of the ban on businesses. Many restaurant and pub owners complain of lost business. Counter-arguments are that these smoke-free areas will now attract the non-smokers to their premises.

Some key criticisms

Needless to say, not everyone’s happy about the bans. Smokers and business owners are the most upset. Some key criticisms are:

Loss of personal freedom: Many smokers complain that the ban is an infringement on their personal freedom and choice. They believe that it is their right to choose whether to smoke or not. Many smokers in France for example feel like it is a change in their complete lifestyle. Their images of a cup of coffee and croissant best enjoyed with a cigarette have gone up in smoke…. literally.

Economic loss: Restaurant and bar owners have complained that many of them have reported losses and many smaller establishments have had to close down pending the losses caused by the bans.

Bans simply move smoking elsewhere: By moving smoking out of closed places and buildings, critics say that the ban has only moved smoking to the doorways. Some also claim that this has reduced productivity as smokers now have to make longer trips to the ground floor or office exit for a smoke.

Smoking ban paradoxes

This sudden rush to go healthy has resulted in some curious scenarios.

In the Netherlands for example, smoking marijuana in coffee shops is permitted but this cannot be mixed with tobacco. i.e. You can’t smoke tobacco but you can smoke marijuana!

In some countries, the rules merely require that smoking areas are clearly designated. How this actually makes air quality better or reduces second hand smoking is still an unknown.

One of the key reasons smoking bans have been enforced across so many countries is to reduce the rising healthcare costs. While many optimistic figures have been reported in a number of countries, critics argue that this will eventually increase the burden on healthcare as the new non-smokers and reduced smokers will be living much longer!

One way or another, more and more countries are getting stricter about smoking bans. It’s time we got used to it.

Sidd Lobo
Freelance writer based out of Munich