BEST NEW FESTIVAL RESOURCE 2003

2camels.com is an festival travel web site launched in 2003 while the events took place in 2001. It features 15 Carnivals in 3 languages if we count the Quebec Winter Carnival as French. However it's much encompassing with more than 200 listings from some  audacious and bold travel reporters with their own web sites and stories to tell. www.2camels.com

All 240 articles from Nelson Taylor's book about freaky USA events are on line at 2camels too.

The Carnival Capital of 2004 is Pernik/Sofia in Bulgaria www.carnaval.com/bulgaria by virtue of hosting the annual FECC Carnival City Conference in late May ( www.carnivalcities.com ) a Carnaval.com since 1996 has promoted the great annual people's celebrations throughout the world but with a special emphasis on nine cities (the 5 pre-lenten spectaculars, Rio, Salvador. Trinidad ,New Orleans& Vera Cruz, MX, and multicultural summer extravaganzas in San Francisco , Toronto, London & New York. We believe this is how the work of Carnival organizations ( www.carnivalcities.com

Rio Carnaval Brazil
The Spirit of Carnaval “Each city in Brazil has a unique Carnaval experience. In Rio, the samba schools are the main attraction

. In Bahia, it is apparently completely different, with the emphasis on music. But no matter where you are for Carnaval you are bound to be seduced and liberated by the Carnaval spirit. >> read the article

Where and When: Carnaval in Rio is pre-Lenten and officially starts on in with the Mayor on Carnival Friday granting rule to Rei Momo the King of Carnival. It ends five days later on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday or the first day of Lent. (Carnaval.com editor’s note: There are several noteworthy Carnival in Australia including the celebrated gay Mardi Gras )

 mardigras.org.au/   2004 ( February 6 to March 6 ) The largest gay lesibian Carnival in the world with over 100 events during a four week period from the Classic Diva Dionne Warwick to the Dykes on Bikes Bike and Tattoo show, to the biathlon to Pam Am, to old favourites like Tina C and The Great Debate

 Tilcara, Argentina - Carnival
As the jungle road wound its way from Salta, vegetation seemed more and more exhausted the higher we got, changing from moist greenery to brushy shrubs until only cacti survived around the commanding heights of the Andes cordillera. What was lost in flora was gained in colour, as a rocky rainbow of ochre, violet, grey, olive and amber replaced the green of the leaves.  read the article

 Carnevale Di Venezia Italy:
 

 Baby It's Cold Outside 
"Once at the Piazza San Marco we forgot about being chilly and lost ourselves in the crowds. We scurried around like paparazzi snapping photos of the gorgeous costumed characters posing among the merrymakers.
 

"We bought some Fritole and Galani, the delicious treats available only during Carnevale. Fritole are little round balls with small pieces of dried fruit and pine nuts inside, fried then abundantly sprinkled with granulated sugar. Galani are fried strips of sweet dough, lavishly dusted with powdered sugar. We washed them down with hot spiced wine. ">> read the article
 

Where and When: Carnevale is held for the 10 days preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day Lent.

 Il carnevale d'Ivrea Italy

Ivrea Carnival: the Battles of the Oranges
"A red hat is the symbol of liberty, and a sign of the carnival, everyone is supposed to wear one...and if anyone is guilty of not wearing it is considered an enemy, and quickly becomes the target of the carnival police, who punish the culprits with some well aimed oranges. Yikes!
"Of course there is more to the carnival than the battle of the oranges.

A young newly married woman of Ivrea's high society volunteers to be cheered at as the heroine. Introduced in the Carnival's celebration in 1858, she's impersonating "Violetta", the *Star* of the entire celebration. Violetta is called "mugnaia", meaning "miller". She gets to dress in white, be revered, and tour the city on a coach, throwing candies and mimosa posies by the thousand to the spectators">> read the article

London's Calypso Carnival

But all that changes on the August bank holiday weekend as the Notting Hill Carnival - Europe's largest street party and second only in the world to Rio's Carnaval - swings and sways its way into W11. >> read the article

You can't use most public rest rooms unless you are a paying customer, and if you guys use a doorway you may get your a** carted off to jail so think twice. I have fun hosing idiots who use my door as a urinal . Be considerate.

Not to be too negative, the parades are beautiful a3nd catching beads is fun. You can buy some down here (or order on the web) to throw yourself but mainly you will want to stand on St. Charles or Canal where the parades pass to catch your own. There is no rule to expose yourself, that has become mainly a tourist exploitation, we locals don't usually waste our time unless we are strippers who often get hired to do so on Bourbon Street balconies.>> read the article

"We walked to the French Quarter, and were immediately greeted by hordes of drunken co-eds. Representing all walks of life, and every region of the country, young and old revelers crammed into the numerous bars and restaurants. The bartender leaned toward us with a wide smile and yelled over the boisterous crowd, "Welcome to N' awlens...ya'll are in for the experience of a lifetime.">>read the article

Carnival Time!

It's Carnival Baby! That translates into a month long Hol-i-day for all people of St. Thomas. Carnival comes every April to this Virgin Island and with it are all the sights and sounds that comprise the Super Bowl of Caribbean Culture.

>> read the article

 Las Fallas Spain

Las Fallas de Valencia:
"For twenty-four hours during the last four days of the festival, the city swells with constant excitement. There are non-stop explosions, dances, musical performances and street parties. The festivities grow more elaborate as the days get longer and later. Mornings begin with small firecrackers at seven and then local mariachi bands parading the streets at 8 a.m. Evenings are spent strolling the streets for the evening paseo through town. A breathtaking fireworks show is held each night along the riverbed anytime between eleven p.m. and 1 a.m.

Where and When:Las Fallas is celebrated each year beginning the first Sunday of March to commemorate St. Joseph's Day, the Patron Saint of Carpenters, in the Spanish city of Valencia.

Philippines

Ati-Atihan Festival 

 “the Ati-Atihan, the celebrated Filipino Mardi Gras that marks both thanksgiving and the anniversary of the purchase of the island Panay by Malaysian immigrants from the indigenous Ati tribespeople. Every year, hundreds of thousands of revellers flock to help throw one of the planet's most exhilarating street parties, and find themselves being smeared with mud for their trouble.” >> read the article

Where and When:  The Ati-Atihan takes place at Kalibo on the Philipine Island of Panay and is celebrated every January 14 to 16

Carnival on Cozumel

Cozumel is well known as one of the premier diving destinations in the world. But many do not know that Carnival Week on Cozumel is one of the most colorful and biggest celebrations in Mexico. It is a week of parades, dance, costumes, music and street carnivals. >> read the article