Worldwide festivals and events in 2018 with Travel Local

Opera in the heart of the Amazon; Nomadic sports in Kyrgyzstan; tribal cuisine and dancing in India – exciting worldwide festivals and events in 2018 

TravelLocal – the ‘buy local’ expert in tailor-made holidays – puts independent travellers in direct contact with tried-and-trusted travel companies in 40+ destinations around the world. Pioneering a new way to travel, TravelLocal not only enables travellers to access directly on-the-ground expertis­­e from regional experts and ensures a much fairer deal for local suppliers, but also makes undiscovered gems more accessible to its UK customer-base via local know-how.

In 2018, TravelLocal is offering an exciting range of itineraries with a festival focus, allowing travellers to visit some of the most unique and colourful events worldwide. Take in authentic and traditional culture, music and sport with unique access facilitated by local travel experts on the ground, alongside experiencing other activities on a bespoke tour in some of the most exciting destinations around the world.

Here are five sample festival itineraries in 2018:

NB: these can be tailored in any way to suit different interests and budgets.‎

St Louis Jazz Festival – Senegal, April 2018
Africa’s answer to New Orleans, Senegal is the beating heart of an unsung, thriving jazz scene. The St Louis Jazz Festival (April 22-27, 2018), now in its 25th year, is a world-class music event attracting international talent from the worlds of jazz, blues and gospel to this colourful colonial city in the north west of the country.

TravelLocal’s eight-day Step into Senegal tour starts in the vibrant capital Dakar, before heading north to St Louis, then taking travellers through the charming rural and coastal villages of central and west Senegal, to experience palm-fringed beaches, tribal islands, abundant wildlife, bustling markets, and the friendliness and hospitality for which the Senegalese are known.
Cost: £840 pp (two sharing) for an 8-day tour, including accommodation with breakfast, some meals, transfers, excursions and the services of a local guide.*

Amazon Opera Festival – Brazil, May 2018
The heart of the Amazon is an unlikely place to find an ornate Italianate theatre, so opera enthusiasts may be surprised to find an opulent purpose-built opera house dating from 1897 in Manaus, deep in the rainforest. The city has been a cultural hub since wealthy rubber merchants became rich from the ‘rubber boom’ at the turn of the nineteenth century and invested in the arts scene, and Manaus plays host to the annual Festival Amazonas de Ópera from March to May.

Combine this cultural highlight with an adventure through the Amazon on a fourteen-day tour, exploring the Anavilhanas Archipelago, a complex of 400 islands on the middle of the Amazon. Delve deep into the jungle, camping and learning survival techniques, swimming in waterfalls, visiting indigenous villages, and witnessing wildlife including pink dolphins and piranhas, with accommodation in eco-lodges, houseboats and colonial hotels.
Cost: £2,040 pp (two sharing) for a 14-day tour, including accommodation with breakfast, some meals, transfers, excursions and the services of a local guide.*

Imchil Moussem Wedding Festival – Morocco, August to September 2018
Set in the soul-stirring upland landscapes of the Atlas Mountains, this festival brings Berber communities together before the snows of winter cut them off. Amid dancing, music and feasting, the moussem has a more important role; unmarried Berbers don their finest traditional attire and the flirting begins. It is not unusual for couples to sign a marriage contract before the festival is finished.

TravelLocal’s fourteen-day tour delves into this beguiling country, exploring the maze-like souks of Fez and Marrakech and the delightful blue hill town of Chefchaouen, with refreshing sea air in Essaouira, and trekking in the Atlas Mountains. The Imchil Moussem Wedding Festival is held from 23 August to 8 September.
Cost: From £1,430 pp (two sharing) for a 14-day tour including accommodation with breakfast, some meals, transfers, excursions and the services of a local guide.*

World Nomad Games – Kyrgyzstan, September 2018
Held on the shores of Kygryzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul, the world’s second largest alpine lake, the biennial World Nomad Games is an extraordinary spectacle in an otherworldly location. Next taking place on 3-9 September 2018, this chaotic event showcases the nomadic customs of Central Asia’s mountainous lands, including traditional wrestling, kok buru (‘goat carcass polo’), hunting with birds of prey, cuisine and music.

TravelLocal’s eleven-day trip explores this magnificent country in the depths of central Asia, with its dramatic valleys, gleaming alpine lakes, big bazaars and nomadic traditions. The area surrounding Issyk-Kul, where the games take place, is perfect for cycling and hiking, and travellers will have the chance to discover secluded lakes, forests and nature reserves, staying at local family-run guest houses, and getting a taste for the wild and remote landscapes.
Cost: From £1,360 pp (two sharing) for an 11-day tour, including accommodation with breakfast, some meals, transfers, excursions and the services of a local guide.*

Majuli River Island Festival – India, October 2018
The world’s biggest river island is the setting for the Majuli Festival of Assam, a vibrant four-day festival celebrating the customs and traditions of the Neo-Vaishnavite culture which calls it home. The idyllic landscapes of this remote island on the River Luit play host to an electrifying programme of traditional dancing, tribal cuisine, colourful costume and rich art. TravelLocal combines this fascinating experience with a twelve-day trip around the vast and ethnically-diverse north-east region of India, bordering Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Beginning in Calcutta, the cultural capital of India and gateway to the Orient, the tour will travel to the hill towns of lush Meghalaya, the matrilineal tribal villages of Khasi, the national park of Kaziranga to view rhino and wild buffalo, and the temples and tea plantations of Dibrugarh surrounded by the misty outlines of the Himalayas.
Cost: From £2,830 pp (two sharing) for a 12-day tour, including internal flights, accommodation with breakfast, some meals, transfers, excursions and the services of a local guide.*

* All of these quotes are based on two sharing. TravelLocal trips include transfers, excursions and the services of a local guide. Travel to the destination is not included, giving more flexibility and allowing customers to book their flights via points schemes if preferred.

For more information, call TravelLocal on +44 (0)117 325 7898 or visit www.travellocal.com to plan a tailor-made trip to suit your personal interests and to match your budget.‎