If one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2015 is to travel more, you’re in luck. There’s a lot to look forward to around the world this year, from food festivals to cultural events to sports championships. Plan your trip around one of these spectacular events for an unforgettable vacation.
Sporting Events
Super Bowl XLIX
When: February 1, 2015
Where: Glendale, Arizona, USA
The National Football League’s championship game is one of the most watched sporting events in the world and features superstars and pageantry unlike anything else happening in a stadium this year. Best of all, winter temperatures in Arizona are in the low 70s, making this event a fantastic winter escape.
ISU World Figure Skating Championships
When: March 23-29, 2015
Where: Shanghai, China
The International Skating Union crowns ladies’, men’s, pairs, and ice dance champions. Now that China has built itself into a figure skating powerhouse, the country is whipped into a frenzy over its home-ice favorites. As they proved during the 2008 Summer Olympics, China knows how to put on a show for world sports fans.
FIFA Women’s World Cup
When: June 6 – July 5, 2015
Where: Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, Canada
Every four years, FIFA holds the women’s world soccer championships in a different host country. The world’s greatest female athletes gather to compete in the world’s most popular sport. Canada is celebrating by spreading the tournament from coast to coast, to highlight its regional differences, so there’s never been a better summer to travel across the country.
Cultural Events
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
When: February 19, 2015
Where: New Taiwan City, Taiwan
This celebration of the Lunar New Year is filled with the light of thousands of paper lanterns floating into the sky. In Pingxi, locals write their wishes on large, rice paper lanterns that are carried into the air like hot air balloons. Celebrants say goodbye to the old year and launch their dreams for the new during this gorgeous event.
Semana Santa
When: March 29 – April 5, 2015
Where: Seville, Spain
The week leading up to Easter Sunday is filled with music and a celebration of the history of the Catholic church in Spain. The faithful don medieval robes and hoods and carry excruciatingly heavy and ornate shrines through the town. This is one of Spain’s richest cultural experiences, and the weather in Seville in April is delightful.
Thrissur Pooram
When: April 29, 2015
Where: Thrissur, India
This Hindu celebration features a parade of 30 elephants attired in golden headdresses and peacock feathers. They are trained to march and perform a parasol routine, and a major part of the celebration is their ceremonial feeding. This event is filled with music, food, and fireworks as the processions pass from temple to temple over a 36-hour period.
Oktoberfest
When: September 19 – October 4, 2015
Where: Munich, Germany
The world’s quintessential fair opens when the mayor of Munich taps the first barrel of beer, and the festivities continue for two weeks. Tents featuring local beers, wines and food offer a taste of German cuisine, and traditional rides and attractions offer plenty to do between meals.
International Festival of the Sahara
When: November 2015
Where: Douz, Tunisia
Experience the glory of Bedouin culture during this showcase of arts, crafts, music and dance of the desert. Highlights include belly dancers, snake charmers and camel races, all with a backdrop of the golden sand dunes of Tunisia. This is a once in a lifetime cultural experience that celebrates a proud and welcoming people.
Noche de Rábanos
When: December 23, 2015
Where: Oaxaca, Mexico
The mountain town of Oaxaca is well-known for its artisans and craftsman, but the community really comes to life in December as they prepare to celebrate the Night of the Radishes. Artists carve fanciful figures into radishes, turning the lowly vegetable into works of art to ring in Christmas. There’s also delicious local food, fireworks, and parades to round out this unique local festival.
Will you be heading to any of these events in 2015? Leave a comment below and let us know!
SOURCES:http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/49
http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/
http://www.thrissurpooramfestival.com
http://www.gonomad.com/2800-international-festival-of-the-sahara-douz-tunisia
http://www.donquijote.org/travel/guides/oaxaca/night-radishes.asp
