Fun festivals around the glove

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

September 18 to 20, Singapore

Singapore held the first night-time Formula One Grand Prix in September 2008, with 5km of smooth course snaking around Marina Bay under specially designed lights. The thrilling event – which saw Fernando Alonso storm up the field from 15th place to claim victory, a result that has since been tarnished by controversy – is now held every September in parallel with a host of other events, making it one of the best times to visit the City State.

 

ULTRA BEACH BALI 2015

September 24 to 25, Bali, Indonesia

Ultra Beach, as the Bali leg of the world-renowned electronic Ultra Music Festival is known, is slated to rock the Petitenget beachfront of Potato Head Beach Club Bali this month. The two-day festival follows on from Japan, and will continue over the following months in Ibiza, Chile and Brazil.

 

PYEONGCHANG HYOSEOK CULTURAL FESTIVAL

Until September 13, Pyeongchang, Korea

Hyoseok Cultural Festival is held to commemorate modern Korean writer Lee Hyo-seok and his popular novel “When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom”, which demonstrates the connection between human life and beauty of nature through the dazzling scenery of Bongpyeong, the author’s hometown and a frequent setting for his novels. The festival highlights different locations depicted in the novel as well as the area’s folklore. It’s held at the most splendid time of the year when the buckwheat flowers blanket the entire Bongpyeong area. 

 

CAMBRIDGE DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

September 12, Cambridge, England

The fastest growing water activity in Britain today is Dragon-boat racing, an ancient Chinese tradition where large teams of rowers compete on vessels each with their own drummers. Hundreds of spectators gather to watch and cheer from the riverbanks. Plenty of bankside entertainment is laid on to keep everyone amused, including a funfair, roadshow and Chinese lion dancing.

 

SHORT FILM FESTIVAL IN DRAMA

September 14 to 19, Drama, Greece

The Drama Short Film Festival was founded in 1978 as an initiative of Drama’s Film Club and, after a successful course in the cinematic world through the past years, it finally became part of the Ministry of Culture “National Cultural Network of Cities” in 1996. The festival is now an important communication forum for new filmmakers, both local and international.

 

WAITERS’ RACE

September 20, Brussels, Belgium

Held at the town’s Parc du Cinquantenaire, the waiters’ race draws a huge crowd every year. The waiters hold a tray with a bottle of liquor and three full glasses then race for the finishing line without spilling a drop. The race will make you think twice the next time you complain about slow service. After the event, markets, concerts, brass bands and wine-tasting marquees take over the park. It’s best to go there by bicycle or by metro (Merode station) because cars are not allowed.