After the all the Christmas and New Year festivities, many us end up feeling pretty null and void during January. The first month of the year doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom though; get out and about and visit some of the great events happening throughout the month, wherever you happen to be in the world. Check out a pick of festivals and events in the coming days and weeks for some inspiration.
London International Mime Festival, UK
11th – 29th January, 2012
Dubbed as providing some of the most thought-provoking and unusual theatre from around the world, we think a visit to the London International Mime Festival will give your start to 2012 a good shake up, in a good way! Choose from shows that feature cutting edge circus, magic, mime, mask and object theatre and remember to expect the unexpected. Photo by: Phil Gyford
International Gourmet Festival, Portugal
12th – 22nd January, 2012
Food festivals are always relentlessly popular, but the International Gourmet Festival in Portugal is even more so. Why? Because it is the only food festival that Michelin starred chefs participate in. The festival’s aim is to celebrate the very best of the rest when it comes to food and wine as well as highlighting Portugal’s specialities and it’s all round beauty. This has proved to be one of the most popular gastronomy events in Europe and as such, tickets are costly but a must for a true foodie looking to tempt their taste buds.
Sundance Film Festival, USA
19th – 29th January, 2012
The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent cinema festival across the United States and is known around the world. It is hosted in Salt Lake City and showcases up and coming American and international independent filmmakers. It is a great way to kick off the year for film fans who can get a sneak peek of what to expect in the coming year.
La Tamborrada Festival, Spain
19th – 20th January, 2012
Located in Northern Spain, the town of San Sebastian hosts La Tamborrada Festival, also known as the San Sebastian Festival, each and every January. It is essentially a festival of drums and the drumming participants of the parade take over the normally quiet streets of the town and create the tempo with their instruments. The drummers begin to gather on the evening of 19th January in Plaza de la Constitution and the festival is officially started at midnight when the Mayor raises the flag. The sounds of drums and brass bands fill the air as the parade makes its way to the Old City of San Sebastian. This Spanish drum festival is set to be a truly musical affair. Photo by: Chaquetadepollo.
Australia Day, Across Australia
26th January, 2012
Australia Day does pretty much what it says on the tin; it’s a celebration of the country and their culture. Traditionally it is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the first settlement at Port Jackson in 1788. Marked as a public holiday, everyone gets a day off and Festivities take place across the country and the date remains the same every year. The sun shines, barbies are lit and plenty of beers are drunk. Some towns and cities put on huge fireworks displays and various other events take place. It is undoubtedly the favourite festival of the year for Australians.
International Carnival of Rijeka, Croatia
January – March, 2012
Continuing its 100 year tradition, the International Carnival of Rijeka is back again in 2012 and runs from January through to March. It pulls in over 100,000 spectators from all over the world each year as thousands of masked individuals take to the streets. Concerts, exhibitions, parties, performances and other festivities fill the days in the run up to the major event, the International Carnival Parade. The event is built on originality, inventiveness and wit and thus none of the hundreds of floats and masks will look the same! Photo by: whl.travel
Temple Bar Trad, Ireland
25th – 29th January, 2012
Regarded as the biggest and best festival of Irish Music and Culture, Temple Bar Trad is hosted in Dublin. Jam packed with events, the 2012 edition will see headline musical performances at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin City Hall and The Button Factory showing Irish musicians. Aside from that there are over 200 other free events as well as street performances, other musicians, artists and dancers. It’s one Irish celebration not to be missed.
Don’t let the January blues get the best of you; find out what festivals and events are happening near you this January and kick start your year in style.
Tags: Australia Day, events in January, International Carnival of Rijeka, International Gourmet Festival, January events, La Tamborrada Festival, London International Mime Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Temple Bar Trad, things to do in January
