Popular festivals around the world to see in the next month

(November 1-5, 2017) – Location: Reykjavik, Iceland
Iceland Airwaves

Iceland Airwaves is an annual music festival organised in Reykjavík, Iceland during early November. The festival spans five days (Wednesday – Sunday) and its main focus is showcasing new music, both Icelandic and international. The festival’s main sponsors are Icelandair and the City of Reykjavík. Iceland Airwaves was started in 1999 as a par ty sponsored by Iceland’s favorite airline, Icelandair, throwing a music concert in an airplane hangar. This homegrown festival later outgrew the original venue and now transforms downtown Reykjavík into a city-wide festival full of art, music, fashion and fun. This music festival is known for its intimacy and party spirit. Late night lovers, fans of intimate shows, quirky clubs and even quirkier destinations: rejoice, it is your festival!

(November 4, 2017) – Location: Lewes, England
Lewes Bonfire

Guy Fawke’s Day or Bonfire Night is traditional throughout the UK, but in Lewes the celebration reaches new heights. The Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations is the biggest celebrated Fifth November event in the world, and is held in the usually peaceful county town of Lewes East Sussex, every year on 5th November, and the carnival or festival is known as the Lewes Bonfire Night or just simply the Fifth. Remember, remember, The Fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot; For I see no reason, Why Gunpowder Treason, Should ever be forgot! Every year on November 5th, Brits light bonfires and set off fireworks to remember their good luck in stumbling upon Guy Fawkes just before he attempted to blow up Parliament in 1605.

(November 2, 2017) – Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Día de los Muertos

The Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mex ican ance stry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In this culture, the lines between life and death are blurred and the acceptance of mor tality becomes liberation from fear. Indeed, life and death live on parallel planes in Mexico. This beautiful festival has a profound life lesson that transcends life itself.

(November 3-5, 2017) – Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival)

Loy Kratho ng is a fes tival celebrated annually throug hout southwestern Thai cultures. The name could be tr anslated as “to float a basket”, and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decor ated baskets , which are t hen floated o n a riv er. Loi Krath ong t akes place on th e even ing of the full moon of th e 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as Yi Peng. Swarms of Lanna-style sky lanterns are launched into the air where they resemble larg e shoals of giant fluorescent je llyfish grace fully floating through the sky. In 2017, the full moon falls on Saturday, 4 November 2017, but in many places (including Chiang Mai) the main celebration will be from Friday, 3 November to Sunday, 5 November, 2017.

(November 4, 2017) – Location: India (majorly North India)
Guru Nanak Jayanti

Guru Nanak Jayanti also known as Guru Nanak Gurpurab or Guru Nanak’s Prakash Utsav is one of the grandest and most visual celebrations in India, marking the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh gurus. The fes tival falls on the full moon, or Kartik Poorni ma, whi ch is a lovely sight given that the location is the Golden Temple with a lake surrounding it. With the Gold en Templ e li t up, twinkling li ghts surrounding the lake, a ful l m oon glis tening and Sikhs donning turbans and their finest silks, Nanak Jayanti is a festival made for the visually-minded folks of the world. You may see people performing Gatka, a Sikh martial art and there’s a continuous reading of the holy book Guru Granth Sahib beginning 48 hours before the main event.

(November 7, 2017) – Location: Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne Cup Carnival

The Melbourne Cup is the crown jewel of the Australian horse racing calendar. First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup is steeped in social, fashion related and cultural tradition. Each year on the first Tuesday of November, the greatest thoroughbreds from across the globe make their way to Flemington Racecourse for a shot at the prestigious title and a chance at the AU$6.2 million in prize money. It is commonly billed as the race that stops the nation and it truly is. The Melbourne Cup is one of Australia’s most prestigious Thoroughbred horse races. Conducted annually by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in M elbourne, Vict oria, the event usually star ts at 3pm on the first Tuesday in November.