The World's Best Festivals: Renaissance Festival, Rocking the Daisies, Cherry Blossom Festival

There's more than one reason to celebrate! Let's go on a journey! And count the ways, as we take you to experience a different side of the world's cultures! Adventure awaits! On Festivals of the World! Renaissance Festival! Get transported back to the time of swords, horses, knights, gowns and balls through the Renaissance Festival, or to others, Renaissance Fair. Many states and huge cities in the United States have their own Renaissance Festivals and the dates are spread all throughout the year, so if you love the medieval period, then Renaissance Festivals are for you! Each fair is organized separately, so if you go to two different Renaissance Fairs, you'd have two different experiences! But why does America even have Renaissance Festivals when the medieval period is already being studied in world history? Well, after World War II, there was a huge interest in medieval and Renaissance culture resurging. It's probably not surprising. After getting exhausted fighting battles and wars, people would want to go back to the time where there were no wars and everything was dedicated to the enrichment of culture. And no regrets about that, because Renaissance Fairs are the only times where you could wear an Elizabethan or Victorian-style gown without attracting weird looks and judgments from people. Because the reign of Queen Elizabeth I is considered England's Golden Age, with the works of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe flourishing during her time, many Renaissance Festivals are arranged to look like a village during the Elizabethan era. There are performance stages set up for shows like Reenactment of Shakespearean Plays and Commedia dell'Arte. There are also other performers like magicians, musicians, dancers, and singers. The Renaissance Festivals don't just depict the Renaissance period. They also incorporate creatures from mythologies such as centaurs, wizards, elves, and fairies. And just because you're only a visitor doesn't mean you're not involved. It's not a veg out and watch kind of thing. In fact, it's very interactive, and the more you engage with people, the more that it gets better for you. You are encouraged to wear costumes, so go ahead, be a knight, a princess, a milkmaid, or whatever you want, just as long as it's part of the medieval culture. There are fair vendors that could rent or sell costumes if you don't come prepared. Some Renaissance fairs allow weapons like swords and ball and chains just as long as they're peace-bonded. In other words, wouldn't cause harm to others and are only used to complete your luck. There are other fairs, however, that only allow festival employees and actors to use weapons. Don't be too disappointed. We know the fairs are just taking extra safety precautions. We don't want anyone getting hurt now, do we? Because many people are wearing costumes, it's hard to distinguish which ones are the visitors and which ones are the actors. Visitors and costumes are called playtrons, a combination of the words patron and player. And you can get into the act because sometimes, actors will interact with you to feel like you're included in the play. It's fun, isn't it? You get the chance to fully take in another identity for a while. While the Renaissance and other medieval periods are still prevalent in the fairs, Renaissance festivals in some states, such as Texas, also incorporate other themes and cultural traditions from other countries and other periods in history, like Oktoberfest, Halloween, and Celtic Christmas. Remember that some aspects of cultural events are for adults only, and while Renaissance festivals are child-friendly in general, there could be some wine, beer, or mead available, or there are shows that have more mature themes at the fairs, so steer kids away from those. Be an adult who sets a good example to children. There are some Renaissance fair vendors and actors who follow a schedule and travel from one fair to another, so if you like them in one Renaissance fair, you could visit other Renaissance festivals too. Go medieval and live in one of the best periods in history. Have a good time! Sziget Know what sziget means? In Hungarian, it means island, and the festival's location is on the lovely island of Obudai, located on the Danube River at the Hungarian capital Budapest, hence the name Sziget. It won twice at the European Festival Awards as best major European festival and is considered one of the best festivals in Europe. See? Even festivals have to build their credentials. But of course, these will be nothing to you if you don't have a great time. Well, why not let Sziget work its magic on you and see what happens? What makes Sziget different? Island time While other music fests are located on vast green farmlands or estates, Sziget is having their annual event on an island. Once you're in the festival, the whole island is yours to explore. Plus, week-long 24-hour non-stop music performances will take it. If you're not really picky in your music genres and you really prefer the talent of the musicians, Sziget is perfect for you. During its beginnings, however, Sziget is more of a rock festival rather than its eclectic and diverse lineup at present. The regional performances are excellent and there are more than a thousand performances on the festival's entire duration. You'd just be surprised with the spontaneous performances by entertainers. At one point, expect to hear gypsy music. If you suddenly feel that you're being transported to another time, that would be it. You could also see a bunch of people blowing horns. All this energy trapped in an island. You'd be no surprise if you find yourself dancing around the island. You could see some similarities between Sziget and Burning Man. In fact, a lot of the people label Sziget as a European counterpart of Burning Man because of its one-of-a-kind features. Think of Alice in Wonderland. One of the similarities between the two is the continuous addition of interactive art. Interactive artworks get you involved. For instance, you have to step on something in order for the art piece to light up or produce a special effect. Interactive art makes you feel like you're playing games and Sziget lets you unleash your inner childishness thanks to these interactive arts. To maximize your Sziget experience, camp on the island and let the eclectic mix of music, the interactive art, the spontaneous performances, and the culture of Central Europe mesmerize you. Tour other attractions of Obudai Island like the Sziget Eye. When you arrive at Budapest, you'll notice a large ferris wheel in the midst of the city. That's the one! If you're not afraid of heights, ride the Sziget Eye and have a breathtaking view of Budapest when you reach the top. Other people call this Ferris Wheel Budapest Eye, so don't be confused. You also don't have to worry if your Hungarian isn't that good. There are lots of foreign nationals coming to Sziget and the organizers know that, which is why there are lots of flaglets of different countries raised on posts all over the festival grounds. Plus, many Hungarians could speak in English quite well, so there won't be much in terms of language barriers. But if you want to brush up on your Hungarian, try saying their longest word. Megszentszegteleni szatlenszegesskedeseteké. It means, for your continued behavior, as if you could not be desecrated. You have until the first week of August to brush up on that, but worry not for it's not a password you have to give to enter Sziget. You could ask a local to teach you how to say it. Other festival goers go out of the festival grounds for a while in order to tour Budapest, a city where east meets west. You'll notice that on the streets of the city, you'll find folks wearing the same festival wristband as you, so no need to feel guilty about taking a break from island time and awesome music. If you want a place to relax, there are the hot springs of Gellert or Széchenyi baths to rejuvenate your tired bones and give your ears a break from the amazing but endless music. If you have your first week of August to spare, Sziget is one of your best options for a vacation. You'll have a 101% guarantee that you're going to have a good time. Cherry Blossom Festival Check your calendars for a second. If it's March 27, it's a special day for everyone's favorite pink tree and the celebration spans for three weeks. Come to the capital, Washington, D.C., for the National Cherry Blossom Festival and watch many cherry blossom trees or sakura, in Japanese, in full bloom. This wonderful festival sprouted from something as beautiful as cherry blossoms and that is the friendship and close bond formed by the United States and Japan. The first batch of cherry blossoms were sent to the U.S. in 1910, but President William Howard Taft had to order to burn the trees to the ground because insects and diseases infested the beautiful plants. Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki heard about what happened to the first batch of trees, so he gave another batch of sakura trees to the United States on March 27, 1912. Hence the special day and the seal to a close friendship and strong alliance between the two nations. Thanks to the generosity of Mayor Ozaki, people from the U.S. can now enjoy Japan-like vibe in their capital city and this festival celebrates both the cultures of the two countries. It's impossible to predict when the blossoms are going to be in full bloom, but it usually falls between March 15 to April 18, so hang around the capital city by that time. Drop by a tidal basin, find a good spot to relax in and just watch the pale pink flowers hover above you. This custom of watching cherry blossom trees bloom traces centuries back at around 710 A.D. in Japan. The Japanese call this festival hanami, which means flower viewing. And that's all you have to do. Lay a nice blanket under a sakura tree and have a picnic with your family or friends or have a dramatic photo shoot in between the trees. There was an attempt to cut down trees for the Jefferson Memorial in 1938, so what women did as a sign of protest was to chain themselves on the tree trunks. Surely, no one wants anything morbid to happen to everyone's favorite pink tree. As years went by, important figures in the Japanese government kept sending cherry blossom trees as a form of a gift usually received by the First Lady of the United States. And yearly, there are about 700,000 people visiting Washington, D.C. to see thousands of cherry blossom trees in full bloom, and you better be one of them. Since this festival became more and more popular, there are already programs and activities prepared for the Cherry Blossom Festival. You might want to hang around D.C. in order not to miss any of these affairs. There's a pink tie party, an auction for the benefit of the sakura trees, and the institution that organizes the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's a classy way to mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Of course, there's no other way to open a festival than to have an opening ceremony. It falls on March 27th, or another day close to it, and watch talented, world-famous American and Japanese performers welcome us to the start of the festival. Of course, Tidal Basin is the main attraction, so lots of food, souvenirs, books, and many others can be sold in some areas of the park. There are park rangers and volunteers you could ask if you have any questions or needs. The weather during the festival is generally good, so it's time for kite flying. One of the highlights is the Blossom Kite Festival. Bring your kite and set it free to the sky. If you're a pretty good kite flyer, you can join competitions and demonstrations. Who knows, you might even win! You shouldn't miss the festival parade because it only happens once a year. It's hard to miss it. It's pink, it's energetic, and it's a huge spectacle. The parade goes for one mile starting from the National Archives to the Washington Monument, and you'll get to see lots of colorful balloons, beautiful and grand floats, and marching bands, performers, and entertainers coming from different places in the states. And last but not the least, witness the fireworks show at Southwest Waterfront. The exploding lights and pyrotechnics are all pink, so don't miss it in order to take pictures of it and share it with everyone. There's so much love and celebration for the sakura trees. Lollapalooza is not another language's term for lollipop, but there was a time when it was used to describe really big lollipops. Disappointingly enough, it's not a festival of lollipops, but if there would be such a thing, it'd be awesome for sure. Anyways, Lollapalooza is one of the most popular music fests in the US, and whenever the end of July and the beginning of August approaches, Chicago's population swells like a rubber balloon getting filled by helium for two to three days. The Lollapalooza stage is known to be a stepping stone for some of the famous artists today. This festival just turned 25 years old on its 2016 edition, and it expanded outside the United States starting in 2011. Lollapalooza festivals outside the US are held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and most recently in Berlin, Germany. Its main founder was Perry Farrell, frontman of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, and Lollapalooza was supposed to be a farewell tour for the band, but the event became hugely successful and became a platform for wider recognition for dozens of artists. Farrell coined the term alternative nation to describe the feel in the festival's early years. Music fans in the early 1990s are completely gaga over alternative rock music, hence the term alternative nation. Aside from alt-rock, the lineup of Lollapalooza also consisted of grunge, rap, and punk that inspired festival goers to crowd surf and bump into one another in mosh pits. Back then, Lollapalooza was famous for headlining non-mainstream artists in its lineup. That's why when Metallica was added to the lineup in 1996, many fans described this move as disrespectful to other performers because the crowds were only attracted to the headlining act. By 1998, Lollapalooza was cancelled and had a tough time reviving itself the following years. It finally had a successful edition in 2005 when Lollapalooza appointed Grand Park, Chicago as its venue with a greater variety of performers and Chicago became the Lollapalooza venue since then. If you think that the one in Chicago is better than the Lollapalooza outside US, you're wrong. All Lollapalooza editions are enjoyable, whichever one you attend. The Lollapalooza festivals in South America are in almost consecutive dates. They fall on the last days of March and early April. Berlin holds the festival in early September. So check your calendars and see which dates are available to you. You're gonna love the bunch of artists in the lineups. Aside from the Lollapalooza trademark alternative nation, there are also pop, hip-hop and EDM artists included as a response to today's popular music as well as including bands and singers who once performed in previous years with performances that'll surely give you huge nostalgic feels. Whether you're going to Chicago, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago or Berlin, you ought to have a good time in a three-day fun-filled clash of popular music in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s decade. Plus, these cities are one of the most popular ones in their respective countries. So you might want to stick around for a while and tour one of these wonderful cities. Now get a move on and plan your amazing adventure. Before anything else, here's a reality check. You're attending a festival, not migrating. So lose that huge luggage and don't bring all the things you're not gonna even need because seriously, you're the one who's gonna be hassled and you might ruin your festival experience because you brought things that weigh a ton. Festivals are fun and everyone will wish they last forever but they're only going to be held for a couple of days. So there's no need to bring photos of all your family members or the stuff toys you sleep with at night. A backpack or two will do. There are ways to fold your clothes in a way that'll take less space and those will come in handy for you now that you're going to travel. Of course, never ever sacrifice the space allotted for your necessities like medicines, baby wipes and tissues and very important things like IDs, passports and cash. And there are some festivals that give out what are not allowed in the festival grounds in their websites and don't underestimate the kind of security they give. So if the guidelines say what are not allowed in the festival, do not bring them. Don't ruin your own fun. On a lighter note, you've gotta be prepared for all the souvenirs and mementos you're going to buy and keep. Or what if you decided to buy presents for your friends and family? Even if you say you're not going to buy it first, you might suddenly change your mind. So leave some space in your bags. It's always better to be ready, just in case. We never know what'll happen. Think about it. The less things you bring, the less liabilities you have, right? And if you only bring the things you needed, you would immediately notice if they're missing because you're going to need to use them at some point in your trip. When you're only taking care of a few things, you'll have less worries. So remember, you're going to a festival, not moving into your new home. Pack light and enjoy the festival. The celebration ends here, but the fun is not over. And we still have more festivities to look forward to. So recharge your energy and get ready for another adventure. We'll see you again on Festivals of the World.