Festivals and Events

Feb 9, 2018 • 5 min read

On 16 February 2018, China marks a new year in the lunar calendar: the Year of the Dog, the 11th animal in the Chinese zodiac. Otherwise known as the…

Jan 25, 2018 • 4 min read

Travel writer Anirban Mahapatra travels all around the world, but between trips, he heads home to work as Lonely Planet Local for Kolkata. Whenever he’s…

Jan 16, 2018 • 6 min read

It’s time to hail Havana as one of the world’s great art cities. The Cuban capital has never lacked artistic credentials, but a growing band of small…

Jan 9, 2018 • 5 min read

Dublin is known more for its great literature than its cinematic epics but the movies do offer a way of getting under the city’s cultural skin without…

Nov 28, 2017 • 5 min read

Tokyo's winter charms include a festive atmosphere and clear days perfect for hot springs soaking and spotting Mt Fuji, enjoy Tokyo with fewer crowds.

Nov 8, 2017 • 7 min read

2013 was a pivotal point for Peru’s arrival on the world’s culinary stage. It was in this year that Peruvian food grabbed its first Michelin star,…

Oct 26, 2017 • 6 min read

With year-round sunshine, huge, sandy beaches, gorgeous scenery and vibrant, world-class cities, the Valencia region can pretty much guarantee most of…

Sep 20, 2017 • 5 min read

In some parts of the world January means hunkering down and hibernating to avoid the chill, but elsewhere hotter climes mean the cultural offerings are…

Aug 11, 2017 • 4 min read

Brussels may not scream Speedos and sunscreen, but when the big ball in the sky is ablaze and the city’s thermometers are on the up, the Belgian capital…

Jun 1, 2017 • 6 min read

As the former HQ of the Hapsburg Empire, the Austrian capital has a flabbergasting stash of cultural and art treasures – more than you could ever hope to…

May 22, 2017 • 5 min read

Sequinned revellers, shiny pants, pilgrimages and historic towns – July certainly has a lot in store for the culture-conscious traveller.

May 10, 2017 • 6 min read

Secluded in the mountainous Hida region of central Japan, Takayama is a place where Japanese history and tradition flourish in the 21st century…

May 9, 2017 • 6 min read

Tokyo is dazzling, frenetic and fashionably cool, but there are times when the population crush and non-stop energy turns this urban paradise into a…

May 2, 2017 • 5 min read

Valencia’s myriad attractions are no secret, and the Costa Blanca is never short on visitors; but you don’t hear a great deal about the province of…

Feb 24, 2017 • 9 min read

Dawn is tinting the Atlas Mountains rust-red as the rose-pickers of Hdida set out for work. Dressed in flip-flops and djellabas (full-length hooded…

Jan 8, 2016 • 5 min read

High-tech and traditional, conservative and innovative, quaint and quirky – there’s much more to the Free State (as Bavaria is known) than the…

Jan 7, 2016 • 4 min read

When it comes to adventure, you can’t go wrong in Ecuador. There are towering Andean peaks and volcanoes, vast swaths of Amazonian rain forest, chilled…

Sep 25, 2015 • 5 min read

Sandwiched between tourism giants Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay might suffer from ‘middle child’ syndrome. Lip service is paid to the Portuguese-founded…

May 5, 2015 • 5 min read

There’s nothing quite like Friday night fight night at the Arena México. This long-standing venue in central Mexico City is the place to see one of the…

Apr 13, 2015 • 5 min read

Every February the infectious sights and sounds of carnaval (carnival) return to Rio de Janeiro. The world’s best known party has taken place in the month…

Mar 11, 2015 • 5 min read

Carnival – a festive season that typically includes parades and public street parties – is serious business in the Caribbean. The saying here goes that…

Feb 25, 2015 • 5 min read

This month, hope swells in the heart of every New Yorker: spring is on the way! It’s a false hope, though, as aside from the springing forward of the…