Festivals in Europe this March
siddlobo
26 February, 2009 15:36
It’s still a bit chilly but that’s never stopped anyone from having fun. Here’s a roundup of the top festivals happening across Europe this March.
Banlieues Blues, Paris, France
6th March – 10th April
Banlieues Bleues is one of the biggest and brightest jazz festivals in Paris. An annual festival, it has developed in seventeen towns in the county of Seine-Saint-Denis, on the edge of Paris. It takes place in spring, lasts for five weeks, and hosts some sixty groups from all round the world. It is open to jazz and to blues, contemporary and world music too.
http://www.banlieuesbleues.org/accueil.html
Find more information about expat life in France on Easy Expat.
Manchester Irish Festival, Manchester, England
6th March – 21st March
Music to parades, funfairs to Guinness, you’ll find it all at the Manchester Irish Festival. Don’t miss the St. Patricks’s parade on 15th March which is all set to break records for the number of people participating and floats set to appear.
http://www.manchesteririshfestival.com
Find more information about expat life in England on Easy Expat.
Las Fallas, Valencia, Spain
1st – 19th March
If loud, rowdy and fireworks sound like fun, Las Fallas is the festival for you. Las Fallas literally means "the fires" in Valencian. The focus of the fiesta is the creation and destruction of ninots--huge cardboard, wood and plaster statues--that are placed at over 350 key intersections and parks around the city. The ninots are extremely lifelike and usually depict bawdy, satirical scenes and current events (lampooning corrupt politicians and Spanish celebrities is particularly popular). Artists work year round to build these as fire fodder. Bound to bring out the pyromaniac in you.
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/fiestas/lasfallas.asp
Find more information about expat life in Spain on Easy Expat.
Cheltenham Festival, England
10th -13th March
Here’s one for horse lovers and gamblers. Place a bet at one of the year’s most entertaining horse racing events. The 2009 Cheltenham Festival betting markets will be some of the richest in the sport. Punters from all over the world cumulatively bet millions on the Cheltenham Festival, and tens of thousands make the pilgrimage to Cheltenham to watch riders compete in some of National Hunt racing’s most exciting horse races.
http://cheltenham-festival-betting.com
Find more information about expat life in England on Easy Expat.
The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, London, England
29th March
The idea for the boat race started when two friends, one from Cambridge and the other from Oxford University decided to challenge each other to a boat race. Thus, was born a tradition in 1829 where the loser challenges the opposition to a rematch. The modern Boat Race has become a major international sporting event that attracts millions of viewers from across the world. Join in on the action at the 155th Boat Race.
http://www.theboatrace.org
Find more information about expat life in England on Easy Expat.
Spring Festival, Budapest, Hungary
20th March – 5th April
With over 200 events across 50 – 60 venues across Budapest, it’s hardly surprising that this is one of Hungary’s biggest cultural events. Highlights include concerts, chamber evenings, opera, folk music and dance, exhibitions and an International Theatre Festival.
http://www.btf.hu/btf2009
Paris Film Festival, France
Date to be decided
Paris Film Festival is also known as Festival de Paris-Ile-de-France in France. It is one of the most visited festivals of Paris among the tourists. This film festival in Paris was originally dedicated to children in its initial years. Paris Film Festival first started in the year 1986. The present day competition in the film festival depends on films of every genre and focuses on new talents.
http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/france/paris/film-festival.html
Find more information about expat life in Paris on Easy Expat.
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
All those strings linking the world
easyexpat
17 February, 2009 13:25
You might have noticed the map on the home page of our directory of expat blogs. Each string represents the path of an expat, from his/her starting point to the destination, the country where the blog is now located.
As the directory is growing, you will see more links and more links.
It reminds us that the world is now more linked than ever. Albeit often at war with their close neighbours, the nations have tried to ease the communications with each others. As we've drawn strings between countries, they have put physical links: that's what you can visualise with the article called:
History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network.
(via
presse-citron)
Blog Expat, the blog portal for people living abroad and expatriates
easyexpat
10 February, 2009 20:21
Eventually the long waited new version of BlogExpat has come to life.
This free blog service has become a directory of expat blogs, open to any blog of people living abroad. This is an exciting new feature and it will complement perfectly the information on EasyExpat.
You can immediately add your expat blog in the BlogExpat directory and help us grow the expat community.
Now you can search all expat blogs around the globe or classified by categories in our directory.
We are certain that many of you will register in the coming weeks and will increase the growing expat network in the world.
If you don't have a blog yet, you should open one on our free blog platform. Because if you live abroad, are expat, back-packer, au pair or just on the road, you might want to share your experience and your comments with others, highlight the cultural differences, your political ideas...etc. The blog will allow you to easily display pictures of your life abroad and podcasts.
In addition, by creating your blog on BlogExpat, your latest posts will automatically show on our summary page amongst all the most recent news abroad.
How to create a blog on Blog Expat? Nothing is easier! It starts here. Choose a name and a layout. Start publishing your articles. It's simple and totally free! With Blog Expat's blogs, you can make your own templates and customize your blog to your taste and your colours.
Last but not least, you can add our logo with the appropriate colours to your blog (we've done this on the right hand side column of this blog) and show you're definitely part of the expat community 
Enjoy and spread the word.
Carnivals in Europe this February
siddlobo
06 February, 2009 17:06
It’s carnival season all across Europe. Here are some of the wildest and fun places to be this February.
Carnival, Binche, Belgium
22nd February – 24th February
This is Belgium's most famous carnival and attracts thousands of visitors annually. This colorful event has even made it to the UNESCO Heritage list. One to visit if you’re in the vicinity.
http://www.visitbelgium.com/
Find more information about expat life in Belgium on Easy Expat.
Carnival, Barcelona, Spain
19th – 25th February
Barcelonians celebrate their carnival with an emphasis on gluttony. On Jueves Lardero - Fatty Thursday, a tortilla competition takes place, judged on taste, filling and presentation. Carnival weekends are known for their competitions for the much acclaimed pimiento de oro - golden pepper. On Saturday afternoon the celebrations come to a climax with the Gran Rua de Carnaval, a colossal parade of adorned carriages and carnival groups and a snowfall of streaming confetti.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/
Find more information about expat life in Spain on Easy Expat.
Carnival, Bailleul-Monts des Cats, France
20th – 23rd February
Visit for four days of processions, chaired by the 'Gargantua Giant' - one of 50 floats that wind their way through town. Known for its local brass bands, processions, confetti and parties that go on until late in the town's cafés and bars. The carnival was originally set up by the Philanthropic Company of Bailleul and a staged search still goes on during the festivities to find the needy folk of the city.
http://www.istc.org/
Find more information about expat life in France on Easy Expat.
Carnival, Bremen, Germany
13th February -14th February
If parades, masked concerts and parties are your idea of fun, Bremen is the place to be! Each year the theme changes, but the infectious sound of pounding drums always accompanies colourful and flamboyant celebrations.
http://www.bremer-karneval.de/
Find more information about expat life in Germany (abroad in Frankfurt, expatriate in Munich) on Easy Expat.
Carnival, Foiano, Italy
8th February – 1st March; Sun only
Dating back to 1539, the Foiano Carnival in Arezzo is the oldest carnival in the country. Neighborhoods compete with each other to build the most impressive and creative floats, which parade through the town on four Sundays in February/March.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/
Find more information about expat life in Italy (living in Milan, abroad in Rome) on Easy Expat.
Carnival, Funchal, Portugal
21st – 24th February
Often referred to as one of the best street parties in Europe, the Madeira Carnival brings the streets of the capital Funchal to life with its colourful carnival and parades. The biggest parade takes place on the opening Saturday, which involves thousands of participants all dressed in outlandish costumes as they dance to the sounds of the samba bands that fill the streets. Partying goes on late into the night and events continue throughout the weekend before the final parade on Shrove Tuesday during which everybody dresses up - many as cheeky caricatures of famous people or local politicians.
http://www.worldeventsguide.com/
Carnival, Venice, Italy
13th February – 24th February
The Venice Carnival is the largest and most important Venetian festival that attracts thousands of people from around the world each year. To keep with the tradition that everyone is equal, people at the carnival wear world renown masks on their faces. A must visit for those who want to experience a heady mixture of processions, masks, theatre, food and music.
http://www.venicecarnival.com
Find more information about expat life in Italy on Easy Expat.
Carnival, Rijeka, Croatia
22nd February
This 100-year-old tradition attracts carnival groups, spectators and the media, as well as guests from around the country and abroad. Carnival customs include the making of "ugly masks", which scare away evil forces, calling the spring and celebrating the birth of new life. Concerts, exhibitions, parties, performances and other festivities fill the days that precede the major event - the International Carnival Parade. Hundreds of floats, thousands of masks and streets crowded with spectators are the result of a competitive spirit built on originality, inventiveness and wittiness.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/
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 copywriter based out of Munich
