Woodford Folk Festival

Woodford Folk Festival is one of the biggest cultural festivals in Australia, bringing artists from around the world and lasting for six days over the New Year period (December 27 to January 1). It includes Aboriginal culture, which is one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world. The spiritual life of Aboriginal Australians has been based on understanding their environment, the land, plants and animals, which shaped their culture. They have developed many plant and animal based medicines. The ceremonial performances are the core of their cultural lives bringing together all aspects of art: song, dance, and body decoration.  The festival brings hundreds of tribes from all over Australia together to share their traditions, ceremonies and beliefs. The festival features music, dance, and theatrical performances. Fire Event on the New Year’s Day is a spectacular closing ceremony of the festival.

The American SandSculpting Championship Festival

American SandSculpting Championship & Beach Festival was held on Fort Myers Beach in Florida from November 2 through 6. The competition is always divided into two areas, amateurs and masters. The end result is a display of the very elaborate sand sculptures. Fort Myers Beach was a home to the 2011 World Championship of Sand Sculpting that brought in at least 60 international artists. “It’s the Super Bowl of sand sculpting.” Fort Myers Beach is known for world class sand.

http://sandsculptingfestival.com/

The International Sand Sculpture Festival held annually in Pera, Portugal, is the largest sand sculpture event in the world. 

http://www.fiesa.org/

Rabechilbi Turnip Festival

Rabechilbi Turnip Festival celebrates the end of harvest with turnips in Richterswil, a small town on Lake Zurich in Switzerland, on the second Saturday in November. It is the largest turnip festival in Europe. Before the festival, people of all ages including kids make tones of turnip lanterns with candles inside them. Then on Saturday night all the lights in the village get turned off and the only light comes from candles. The windows, balconies, and stairways of every house are lined with lighted turnip lanterns, turning the whole town into a magical place. During the festival at night, there is a spectacular parade of glittering floats made from thousand of candles and carved root vegetables of different shapes and sizes including famous people, animals, plants, and temples. The festival was entered into the Guinness Book of Records for world-breaking statistics with its number of beautifully carved turnips.

Celtic Colors Festival in Canada

Celtic Colors International Festival, Cape Breton Island in Canada, October. This is the largest festival of its kind in North America. The festival is a cultural event of Celtic roots and music, full of concerts and cultural events. The Cape Breton Celtic musicians are one of the finest in the world. When several hundred years ago the first Scots came to Nova Scotia, they brought their Gaelic culture and traditions with them, which today they try to keep alive. You can still hear the ancient dialects in the villages. At the Mabou village you can experience Gaelic signs and Scottish traditions of music and dancing. The festival is spread throughout the island with concerts in different towns. This encourages visitors to travel the island and see the beautiful colors of the trees in autumn.

Hermanus Whale-Watching Festival

Hermanus Whale-Watching Festival in South Africa at the end of September for 5 days. Hermanus, once a small fishing village, today is known as the world whale capital for its best land destination for whale watching, attracting tourists from around the world. The 7 mile Cliff Walk allows you to follow the whales, which move along the coastline within the close proximity of the cliffs. There is a whale crier, who uses horn to make a sound to let you know where to catch the best view of those giants. The festival celebrates the return of Southern Right whales to the waters of Walker Bay in the second part of the year. The whales travel between Antarctica and South Africa spending one season in one place and the rest of the year in another. They travel to the cold polar region of Antarctica for food, mainly krill. Then they travel back to the shallow coastal waters of South Africa to breed. Occasionally, you can see humpbacks and Orcas. Throughout the festival you can also enjoy African rhythms and local crafts. The focus of the festival is on the environment with emphasis on marine life and protection.   

Almabtrieb's annual event in Austria

Almabtrieb in Kufstein, Austria, starts in mid September. It is an annual event happening in the alpine region, which stretches through seven European countries (Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, and France). The Almabtrieb (German language) literally means drive from the mountain. It refers to cows coming back from pasture to stables in autumn. During the summer, the cow herds feed on the pasture in the alpine region. And in autumn, these herds come down the mountains back to their stables. The cows are decorated elaborately. It is celebrated with music and dance throughout the villages.

In US, Trailing of the Sheep is celebrated with an annual October festival in Sun Valley, Ketchum and Hailey, Idaho.

The New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands

 

The gardens include summer garden, lilac garden, azalea garden, magnolia walk and more. However, as varried as it sounds, it doesn't offer lots of plants. The green spaces at the Skylands are the major part of this botanical garden. It is a nice place to unwind and have a picnic on a lawn. Not all paths are paved, the park might be good for walking in sneakers, but not stroller friendly.

                                    Manor House for wedding receptions.