New Year’s camping, Sydney
On Cockatoo Island, the largest island in Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia, visitors can watch the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display, roughly 2½ miles away, while camping in style.
Festivals
VALLETTA BAROQUE FESTIVAL
8-day, 7-night music festival, Jan. 14-21, 2017. Highlights: Throughout MALTA, see concerts and recitals by local groups and soloists/in Mdina, Palazzo Falson/on island of Gozo, megalithic G˙gantija Temples /in Birgu, Malta at War Museum. £2,390 (near $3,153) ppdo. Single supp., £295 ($389). Ciceroni Travel (2 The Square, Aynho, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, OX17 3BL, U.K.; phone +44 1869 811167, www.ciceroni.co.uk).
Go outside when you’re inside Europe
After spending 30-plus springs and summers in Europe, it seems to me that, more and more, the culture is celebrated outdoors. Cities and towns everywhere are competing to attract visitors, and there is more than enough music, drink, theater and fun to keep these concerts and festivals going and growing.
Make a point in your travels to enjoy the scene outdoors… by day and by night. Here are a few random examples of how to put this cultural sparkle into your next trip.
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“Germany Christmas Markets”
8 days, 7 nights, Nov. 27-Dec. 4, 2016. Highlights: Travel from Munich, Germany, to Salzburg, AUSTRIA, for walking tour, Christmas markets/Innsbruck/hike near village of Schwangau/Neuschwanstein Castle/village of Rothenburg ob der Taüber/Nürnberg Christkindlmarkt. $2,689 ppdo. Single supp., $400. David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe (Middleburg, FL; 800/570-1351, www.davidmcguffin.com).
“Classic Christmas Markets”
9-day, 8-night tour of GERMANY, AUSTRIA and FRANCE, enjoying crafts, food and drink at Christmas markets in most cities visited, November-December 2016 and 2017. Highlights: Tour Oberammergau/tour Innsbruck/in Munich, Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz/Black Forest/in Strasbourg, tour Old Quarter, Cathedral of Notre Dame/Rothenburg’s medieval Old Town/Würzburg/Nürnberg’s historic market has 200+ wooden stalls. From $1,899 ppdo or $2,099 single. Collette (Pawtucket, RI; 866/537-1923, www.gocollette.com).
Annual Themed Festivals: Maria Alm, Austria
Since my heart very strongly lies in Austria, my favorite country in Europe, let me describe the great annual festival that my wife, Judy, and I have attended on eight occasions in the past dozen years.
The Bauernherbstfest (Peasants Fall Festival) is held the third Saturday in September in Maria Alm, right in the Austrian Alps. The village is 45 to 60 minutes from beautiful Salzburg.
Annual Themed Festival: Tapati Festival, Rapa Nui
Soon after my husband, John, and I arrived on Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, our hotel hostess, Sophie, asked if we’d like to go see the races. Of course, we said ‘Yes,’ then we piled into her pickup.
Geneva Festival
In 2016, the annual Fêtes de Genève (Geneva Festival) will occur Aug. 4-14 on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. It will feature more than 100 food stalls plus carnival rides, open-air concerts and, on Aug. 13, a fireworks show on the lake. The festival culminates in a parade.
Entry is free, but rides and concerts may each cost CHF5 to CHF15 (near $5-$15.65). For info, contact Geneva Tourism (Rue du Mont-Blanc 18, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; phone +41 22 909 70 00, www.geneve.com/en).
Adäka Festival, Yukon
In Whitehorse, Yukon, July 1-7, 2016, the annual Adäka Festival (www.adakafestival.ca) celebrates First Nation culture and traditions, with music, dance and storytelling performances plus demonstrations of art, weaving and carving. Most events are free. Traditional-craft workshops are each offered for a fee.
The festival is held at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center (1171 Front St., Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 0G9, Canada; 867/667-7698).