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Festivals

“CHRISTMAS MARKETS OF POLAND, PRAGUE & GERMANY”

9 days, 8 nights. Departures November-December 2017. Highlights: In Kraków, Poland, Market Square’s Cloth Hall, Christmas stalls, Ghetto Square/Wrocław/in Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC, Sedlec Ossuary, Prague Castle/in Dresden, Germany, 335-foot-long “Procession of the Dukes” mosaic, Baroque Zwinger Palace/in Berlin, Brandenburg Gate, Christmas markets. $1,596-$1,750 per person, double occupancy (ppdo). Insight Vacations (79 York Rd., London, England, SE1 7NJ, U.K.; in US, 888/680-1241, www.insightvacations.com).

“HORNBILL FESTIVAL & WILDLIFE SAFARIS OF INDIA”

16 days, 15 nights, Nov. 26-Dec. 11, 2017. Group limit, 4-10. Highlights: In New Delhi, Qutub Minar, 16th-century Humayun’s Tomb/game safaris in Kaziranga National Park, home to one-horned rhinos/in Sivasagar, former royal sports pavilion Rang Ghar/former headhunters in Lungwa village/in Nagaland, two days at Hornbill Festival/fly to Kolkata/Sundarbans National Park, home to tigers, monitor lizards. $6,395-$7,450 ppdo (per group size). Single supp., $2,325. Journeys International (Ann Arbor, MI; 800/255-8735, www.journeysinternational.com).

Prague light festival

Created by lighting artists from around the world, interactive art installations using lights can be viewed evenings at popular locations and landmarks in Prague, Czechia (aka Czech Republic), during the fifth annual Signal Festival (www.signalfestival.com), Oct. 12-15, 2017. Some locations may charge entry fees. 

70th Edinburgh Int’l Festival

Celebrating its 70th year, Aug. 4-28, 2017, the 3-week Edinburgh International Festival draws, from around the world, top-class performers and ensembles to perform in the fields of dance, opera, music (especially classical music) and theater. Six major theaters and concert halls plus a few smaller venues and more will be used.

Badenfahrt 2017

Located just south of Zürich, the spa town of Baden, Switzerland, hosts the folk festival known as Badenfahrt (www.badenfahrt.ch [in German only]) every 10 years. The festival, with theater performances and open-air concerts plus parades, special events at area restaurants and bars and fireworks over the Stein Castle ruins, is scheduled for Aug. 18-27, 2017. A million-plus visitors are expected. 

Madeira Flower Festival

“Colorful” is an understatement when describing the Portuguese island of Madeira’s annual Flower Festival.

For my third visit to this lovely island, I decided to travel April 4-17, 2016, in order to see this wildly popular festival being held April 7-17 in the capital of Funchal. During that time, at least four huge cruise ships were in port for a day or two at a time, and most of the hotels were full.

Martin Luther & Bach in Leipzig

The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and Leipzig, Germany, is celebrating it and Martin Luther with events throughout the year. For a downloadable brochure of Reformation events in Leipzig (and those of city native Johann Sebastian Bach), visit www.leipzig.travel/en/Download_Centre_2139.html and click on “In the Footsteps of Luther and Bach.”

Montréal at 375

Montréal, QC, Canada, will celebrate its 375th birthday in 2017 (visit www.375mtl.com) with events throughout the year, such as…
• Highlighting outdoor activities like ice skating, curling and sledding, the winter festival Les Hivernales will be held each weekend in February in Parc Jean-Drapeau, Old Montréal and Quartier des spectacles.
• Each night in July, any of 60 street performance groups from around the world, such as street musicians and theatrical groups, will perform citywide — 800 performances, total.

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