April events around the world
Africa
Cape Town Jazz Festival, South Africa
Major South African and international jazz acts perform at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre – a free Community Concert takes place at Greenmarket Square, where local artists perform
Fêtes des Masques, Mali
Rival Dogon troupes compete against each other in dramatic and colourful masked dances, re-enacting scenes from tribal history and energetic funeral dances
Nederburg Wine Auction and Paarl Wine Festival, South Africa
The start of the wine season is marked by these two festivals which run back to back – up to 30,000 people, many buyers, come along to taste the latest varieties and enjoy surrounding entertainment
Splashy Fen, South Africa
The southern hemisphere’s Glastonbury attracts more than 10,000 people to Underberg to enjoy everything from township musicians and the big names of South African pop, to a smattering of international acts
Australasia & Pacific
Naghol, Vanuatu
The islanders of Vanuatu spend this time building tall wooden towers that they dive from as if bungee jumping (indeed this was its inspiration), but using vines attached to each leg – when the divers’ hair touches the ground it is meant to bring a bountiful yam harvest
Caribbean
BVI Spring Regatta, British Virgin Islands
The start of the regatta season in the Caribbean is celebrated most heartily on the British Virgin Islands – the land party takes on a carnival atmosphere as calypso bands strike up and shacks serve delicious fish to beach parties
Europe
Feast of St George, Greece
St George is Greece’s patron saint of shepherds and protector of Skiros, the Aegean island – celebrations last three days and feature a bagpipe parade and an ’Old Men’s Race’ in which pensioners race each other up a steep hill
Feria de Abril, Spain
Andalucia lets its hair down after the solemn Semana Santa events for a much more wild celebration to see in spring – Seville’s party is the one that stands out for its vibrancy and energy
Fiesta de Moros Y Cristianos, Spain
Around 80 towns and villages south of Valencia celebrate the end of Muslim rule in the thirteenth century with colourful, costumed marches through the streets and staging spectacular mock battles
Holy Week, Portugal
Braga holds one of the great Easter celebrations, with Gregorian chants piped around the city centre and candlelit altars brightening the streets by night – there’s two processions marking Christ’s Passion and the crucifixion
Queen’s Day, The Netherlands
Amsterdam, along with the rest of the country, celebrates the birthday of Queen Beatrix, the reigning monarch – the people’s party is traditionally a time when the police cannot interfere, yet the relaxed Dutch keep everything in check by themselves
Semana Santa, Spain
More than one million Spanish people head for Seville for Holy Week processions and celebrations
Snow Bombing, Austria
Mayrhofen attracts snowboarders and partygoers from across the world for six days of parties, DJs and bands – plus a little powder – as it establishes itself as the winter Ibiza
Walpurgisnacht, Germany
Locations across the Harz Mountains sees witches and warlocks gather for Witches’ Night, to recount evil deeds and dance for the devil – locals used to keep away but now people come to enjoy the fun with them
Far East
Sisters’ Meal, China
Teenagers from the Miao ethnic group celebrate spring by choosing their partners at this huge festival that attracts 30,000 revellers – events include a dance spectacular at Taijiang, dragon-lantern dances and buffalo fights
Songkhran, Thailand
This event welcomes in the Thai New Year and sees the entire nation wish each other good luck and wash away past sins by dousing each other with buckets of water – monks perform Buddhist ceremonies and larger cities have other, commercialised, events
Indian Subcontinent & Indian Ocean
Bisket Jatra, Nepal
Bhaktapur celebrates the Nepali New Year with more gusto than anywhere else – a chariot with an image of the god Bhairab is carried around town and a 25m tall lingam is erected in the stone yoni base, later to be torn down in a tug-of war
Kumbh Mela, India
By far the biggest religious festival in the subcontinent – and indeed the largest gathering of humanity anywhere – Kumbh Mela sees 70 million pilgrims bathe in the Ganges near Allahabad, to wash away their sins (it occurs roughly every three years, with 2010’s event in March/April and 2013’s in January/February)
Puram, India
Kerala’s largest festival at Thrissur sees stylishly decorated elephants parade through the streets accompanied by marching bands of drummers and folk dancers in this vibrant event
Latin America
Feria de San Marcos, Mexico
Aguascalientes, home to Mexico’s largest annual state fair, attracts about one million visitors to its exhibitions, bullfights, cockfights, beauty pageants, rodeos and free concerts
Phujllay, Bolivia
Thousands of peasants come to Tarabuco to celebrate the defeat of the Spanish in 1816, drinking, eating and dancing, all dressed in traditional garb – with some dancers mocking the Spanish
Semana Santa, Guatemala
Antigua, Guatemala comes alive during Holy Week, covering everything in colourful and vibrant sawdust and flower petals, while incense billows through the streets – elsewhere processions remember the crucifixion
Semana Santa, Peru
Holy Week in Cusco has a clear religious intensity – activities begin with an after-dark procession of the Holy Sepulchre, with other services following in the coming days and some crazy parties in the small window between crucifixion and resurrection when Christ might not be around to judge
North America
French Quarter Festival, United States of America
The home of jazz, New Orleans, hosts this lesser known festival of food, music and culture in the unscathed French Quarter – Bourbon St, the centre of the craziness, sways to the sounds of ragtime, Creole, Dixieland and jazz
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, United States of America
New Orleans’ second largest festival – after Mardi Gras – has a similar level of fun, but is less raucous, though it’s still attended by nigh on half a million people
Toonik Tyme, Canada
Up in the cold climes of Nunavut-capital Iqalit, Inuit skills and the northern way of life are put on show – fishing and hunting become central events and there’s also a snow-mobile endurance race, igloo-building and even Broadway shows
