During the month of April, Sri Lanka celebrates a festival known as the ‘Sinhalese and Tamil New Year’, which is a major anniversary celebrated by most Sri Lankans. It is a time in which not only Sinhalese, but all Sri Lankans come together as one to celebrate. Astrology Astrology plays a rather important role in Avurudu, as the dawn of the new year doesn’t take place at a specific time every year. The auspicious or ‘nakath’ time is specified according to astrological calculations. The duration of time between the old year and new year can take as long as 12 hours and 48 minutes, this is because of the sun crossing he astrological border of the House of Pisces to House of Aries. Every part …

Macau will yet again host the 31st edition of the Macao International Music Festival which has gone a long way to cement the city’s status as a musical stronghold.   The festival will be opened by a much-awaited production of Andrea Chenier, a lauded opera consisting of four acts by Umberto Giordano. It is guaranteed to be the high point of the upcoming cultural year of the region given the fact that it will be performed by Teatro Regio Torino. Special Guests The Vienna Philharmonic, considered to be one of the best orchestras in the world, will be the special guests this time around. They will be performing two concerts, the Golden Peak on the 29th of October which showcases the work of Strauss, and …

Byron Bay is one of the most musically oriented places in Australia and consistently hosts many large-scale music events, attracting celebrities and musicians from all over the world.   Image by Eva Rinaldi via Wikimedia  (CC BY-SA 2.0)   Not So Humble Beginnings Most festivals start off small before they become world-famous, the Splendour in the Grass Music Festival was not one of them. The fourth incarnation, in 2005, was sold out within 26 hours, and scalpers were selling tickets originally priced at A$125 for upwards of A$3000.   Famous Attendees The festival is massive, and much like other big festivals in Byron Bay has attracted some very famous attendees. These include Elon Musk as well as Amber Heard, who are notable fans of the festival. You’ll definitely …

The Byron Bay Bluesfest is considered one of the biggest music festivals in the world, and attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year from all over the world. Inception The Byron Bay Bluesfest was founded by Kevin Oxford in 1990 and started off with a notable but fairly humble crowd of six thousand attendees. Enter Peter Noble Peter Noble took ownership and control of the festival in 1994, and immediately worked his magic into building up the scale of the event. He received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to music, tourism and the community. Audience All of the recent Bluesfests have attracted annual audiences of over 101,000 people from all over the world. The attendees also have a wide …

Organised annually in July/ August by the Sarawak Tourism Board, The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is a 3-day musical orgy that brings together music enthusiasts from all around the world. Location This music festival is held in one of the best outdoor concert venues, Kuching Sarawak Malaysia. For 6 consecutive years from 2010 to 2015, RWMF has been awarded by Songlines 25 best international Festivals. Work Shops The festival features a myriad of afternoon workshops and interactive acts that wake the body up with all the right vibes and rhythms. This festival has been rocking the rainforest for years now and celebrated its 20th edition from the 14th to 16th July 2017. Crowd RWMF unities an electric group of people, indigenous musicians from all continents …

Dubai is a major tourist destination in the world and in order to provide a wholesome experience for tourists the country is packed with festivals and events throughout the year. Most festivals are closely related to Islam due to the dense Muslim population of the country. Here are a few of the most popular festivals in Dubai. Dubai shopping festivals This is a massive shopping fiesta usually scheduled from January 1st to the 2nd February. Stocked with tons of clothes, shoes and bags for bargain prices, this is a shopper’s paradise. The festival involves every shop in the city, fireworks, and fun activities for kids and many more. Festival of Taste This is a vibrant city with diverse varieties of food. This is held in …