Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017
1If you attended a festival but didn’t post enviable pics to your Insta, did you really attend the festival? These photogenic events around the world were made to be Instagrammed – and to make your friends jealous.
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
2Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque (USA) – Get ready for some neck-xercise, as more than 750 hot-air balloons take flight in the crisp blue skies of New Mexico, against a backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Get up before the rooster crows to witness the Dawn Patrol of hot-air balloons rising in the early morning sky, and stay for impressive Mass Ascensions, when the air is filled with nearly a thousand vibrant vessels. Then there’s the filmmaking contests, balloon riding services, AfterGlow fireworks and balloon races, making for an awe-inspiring festival that’s best seen lying down. balloonfiesta.com
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
3Holi, India – Observed in spring as a celebration of love and colour, this ancient Hindu festival may have taken the world by storm, but there’s nothing like experiencing it in its native India or Nepal. On top of the colour-flinging main attraction, the people of each distinct region observe their own unique traditions, such as the singing of spiritual songs in Uttarakhand or the playful ‘beating’ of townsmen by the townswomen in Barsana.
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
4Cherry Blossom Festival, Japan – Less of an organised event, more of a cultural and botanical phenomenon, the cherry blossom (sakura) season is perhaps the best time to visit Japan. Blossoms can be seen as early as January in subtropical Okinawa or as late as May in northern Hokkaido, with the main season in most cities taking place in April. Do as the locals do and observe hanami (flower-viewing), a deep-seated tradition in which people gather in parks to eat, drink, play music and take in the fleeting beauty of the sakura. jnto.go.jp
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
5Pushkar Camel Fair, Pushkar (India) – Come for the camels, stay for the country fair atmosphere – but India-style, with snake charmers, fortune tellers, dancers, musicians, magicians and holy men, all under the auspicious autumn full moon. Visit the market stalls, check out the camel trading tent, watch a Camel Beauty Contest or a camel race, have a curry or two, and while you’re at it, take a dip in Pushkar Lake at dawn; doing so is said to absolve one’s sins. [Photo: Pablo Pecora/Flickr]
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
6Festima, Dédougou (Burkina Faso) – Masked dances have been an integral aspect of important ceremonies, from weddings to funerals and everything in between, across West Africa since anyone can remember – so it’s safe to say that the practicing tribes have it down to an art. Once every two years, musicians and dancers come in droves to Burkina Faso from neighbouring countries to show off their traditions, bringing with them their astounding dance moves and unbelievable costumes, which they show off for village chiefs and villagers alike. In addition to the performances, there are storytelling nights, informative talks about the mask dancing traditions, and a 100-stall market selling handicrafts and, of course, wooden masks. festima.org
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
7Pingxi Lantern Festival, Pingxi (Taiwan) – Lantern festivals are growing in popularity around the world, but when it comes to sending blazing balloons off into the sky, Pingxi is the place to go. The 2,000-year-old tradition began as a way to signal to villagers, who were hiding in the mountains from marauders, that it was safe to return home; now, it’s observed as the official end of the Chinese New Year, a time for new beginnings. Buy a lantern, write your hopes and ambitions for the year on it, and watch as it mingles with the dreams of hundreds of thousands of others. Oh yes, and don’t forget to Instagram it. [Photo: 總統府/Flickr]
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
8Floating Lanterns Festival, Honolulu – Can’t get enough floating illuminations? Try Hawaii’s version, a quieter, more contemplative event held each year on the US Memorial Day holiday in May. A ceremony of music, spiritual chants and symbolic rituals of remembrance culminates in the launch of thousands of lanterns – covered in words of honour, commemoration and hope for loved ones past, present and future – into the sea at sunset. (Don’t worry, the lanterns are retrieved from the water after the ceremony, then refurbished for use the following year.) lanternfloatinghawaii.com [Photo: Anthony Quintano/Flickr]
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
9Venice Biennale, Venice – Every other year, one of the world’s most beautiful cities becomes one of its most expressive. Palaces, churches, galleries and museums join the Biennale’s two grand venues (the Giardini and Arsenale) in displaying contemporary art of all shapes, sizes and genres. Rather than tackling an overarching theme, this year’s edition, titled Viva Arte Viva and curated by Christine Macel, will focus on the individual artists and their unique visions. labiennale.org
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
10White Nights, St Petersburg – When the long, dark winter is over and a summer of seemingly eternal sunlight has begun, the city of St Petersburg pulls out all the stops. Attend special performances, from opera to ballet, film and musical acts, as well as street parties that go all night long. Whatever you do, don’t miss the Scarlet Sails, a floating extravaganza of tall ships and fireworks displays, taking place to the live tunes of the St. Petersburg Orchestra. wnfestival.com
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
11Nabana No Sato Winter Light Festival, Kuwana City (Japan) – Botanical gardens aren’t usually hotbeds of activity during the winter, but Kuwana City’s Nabana No Sato botanical park is a notable exception. Every winter, the park trades flower beds for fields of colourful solar-powered LED lights – millions of them. Highlights include enchanting light tunnels and an observation deck that gives visitors sweeping views over the light installations. nagashima-onsen.co.jp
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
12Trænafestivalen, Træna (Norway) – Trænafestivalen has something for everyone; everyone who doesn’t mind taking a 5-hour ferry to reach it, that is. Once there, they’ll find a diverse musical lineup, inventive venues (in caves, churches, the great outdoors) and a summer sun that never sets. The festival is never truly crowded, but should you seek solitude, there are plenty of quiet beaches to stroll and hills to roam here in Norway’s far north. trena.ne
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
13Electric Forest Music Festival, Rothbury (Michigan, USA) – Woodland whimsy? Check. Hallucinatory art installations? Check. EDM dance parties galore? You better believe it. Jam bands, big-name DJs and electro musical acts come from far and wide to make the enchanted Sherwood Forest pulse from morning ’til night. Expect light shows, mechanical blooming flowers, interactive art displays and surprise performances; just wander through the magical woodland and join whatever dance party, colouring book session, lake swim – even round of golf – that feels right at the moment. electricforestfestival.com
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
14Edmonton International Cat Festival, Edmonton (Canada) – There’s nothing social media loves more than cats, and Edmonton’s annual cat-tastic event has them in spades. There’s cat yoga, cat story time, show cats, adoptable cats, cat merchandise, human-kitten play areas, Kitten TV (“kind of like the fire log channel but with cats”) – everything a cat-lover (or a cat) could ever want, with proceeds going to various cat rescue organisations. Bad news: The event is cat-napping for 2017. Good news: They’ll return in 2018, rested and ready to roar. edmontoncatfest.com
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
15AgitÁgueda Art Festival, Águeda (Portugal) – For a small city in the middle of Portugal, Águeda has earned itself a sizeable slice of internet fame, most notably for its oh-so-Instagram-able Umbrella Sky Project that features hundreds of vivid umbrellas floating above the city streets. See – and share – it for yourself in July at the city’s annual arts festival, but don’t miss the other urban art installations and daily musical performances that also take place as part of the event. agitagueda.com
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
16Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun), Cuzco – When the winter solstice arrived, the Inca people would fervently worship the sun god, offering devotion and sacrifice so that the sun’s life-giving light would return. Today, modern Cuzqueños honour the ancient tradition by reenacting Incan rituals, with actors representing figures from Incan royalty and mythology. A grand procession marches through the streets up to the fortress overlooking the city, where the Sapa Inca (Sun King) delivers a speech and a white llama is (only symbolically) sacrificed to the Mother Earth goddess, before a dance ritual is held around a great bonfire. The tone of the day is celebratory but reverent, with the week prior to the ritual day marked by more lighthearted festivities, such as street fairs concerts.
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
17Floriade, Canberra – When spring spreads its green fingers across the continent, Australia’s largest flower festival reaches full bloom at the Canberra Commonwealth Park. Aside from millions of brilliant blossoms, visitors will take in art exhibitions, musical performances, fashion shows, horticulture talks and an array of craft activities and cultural celebrations. When the sun goes down, NightFest gears up with comedy acts, DJs, light shows and lots of food and drink. floriadeaustralia.com
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
18DaShuHua Molten Iron Throwing, Nuanquan (China) – Think you’ve seen all there is to see of Chinese New Year festivities? Not so fast – this town about four hours west of Beijing has a unique celebratory style worth making the drive for. Local farmers become daredevils for a day, spooning molten-hot metal out of vats and hurling it at a brick wall to produce awe-inspiring displays of metal rain – all with little more than googles, a sheepskin jacket and a straw hat as protection. Why, you ask? The tradition goes back 3 centuries to a time when blacksmiths and farmers couldn’t afford fireworks, so they came up with a creative way to make their own in celebration of the new year.
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
19Wave Rock Weekender, Wave Rock (Australia) – Wave Rock is one of those distinctive Australian landmarks that’s always ready for its close-up, but we recommend visiting during the eponymous 3-day camping festival in September. Participants come for all manner of endeavours for the body and mind, from yoga and “rock” aerobics to film screenings, bird-watching, painting and – you guessed it – photography. In addition, an eclectic line-up of carefully curated musical acts takes to several stages over the course of the festival, including one at Wave Rock. waverockweekender.com.au
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
20Tapata Rapa Nui, Easter Island – Remote and exotic though it may be, Easter Island isn’t just a museum of monuments – it’s home to a thriving community. Many of today’s islanders descend from the original inhabitants, the Rapa Nui, whose culture they celebrate each year with a variety of festivities, from a triathlon to dance competitions, horse racing and Haka Pei, which sees participants slide down the island’s steepest slope on banana trunks. easterislandspirit.com [Photo: Alvaro Valenzuela/Flickr]
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
21La Vendimia National Grape Harvest Festival, Mendoza – Bordeaux, watch your back. As Mendoza’s vinicultural prowess becomes common knowledge, wine lovers the world over add the region to their travel bucket list. But there’s no better time to go than during the annual harvest festival, when the city comes alive with street performances, parades, fireworks displays and the crowning of the Vendimia Queen. Oh yes, and lots of the grape stuff. welcomeargentina.com [Photo: Tanenhaus/Flickr]
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Events
The 20 Most Instagrammable Events Of 2017.
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