The Derby festival which is traditionally held over the first weekend in June at the Epsom Downs Race course located in Surrey, England is one of the most important events on the annual racing calendar. The Derby stakes (pronounced as “dar-bee”) or the Epsom Derby is a prestigious flat race for thoroughbred horses and  ranks up there with other similar races like the Kentucky Derby, the Breeders Cup, the Dubai World Cup and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe amongst others.

This event which is held at Epsom  Downs race course is a two day affair which not only features exciting horse racing but  much fun and great fashion. This year, the Derby festival is to be held on Friday, 5th June and Saturday, 6th of June. The festival kicks off with the Derby Ball which is held at the Royal Automobile Club in Woodcote Park (Epsom) on the night before the race days. This year, the ball is to be held  on Thursday, 4th June. The first day of the festival is always ‘Ladies Day’ and  it features the Epsom Oaks race,while the second day of the festival is  Derby Day. During the Derby festival, a festive atmosphere prevails at Epsom Downs as nearly 100,000 people gather at the various enclosures to take in the racing as well as the various picnics and barbecues which are held during the event. read more

The Belgian city of Ypres is an ancient town which is located in the Flemish Westhoek or the Belgian Province of West Flanders. This historic city which is also known as Ieper in the Dutch language was an important city for cloth production and cloth trading during the Middle Ages.

Apart from the cloth trade, Ypres is also well known as a locale where  many of the  fierce battles during the First World War were fought. These battles in fact  completed flattened the city though today Ypres  has  been totally rebuilt in a manner so as  to reflect its medieval heritage. However it has  several historic sites like the Menin Gate which bear testimony to its violent past. The Menin Gate is a memorial which was built to honor the several hundred British and Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives at  the battles of Ypres Salient during the First World War.

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Seville is the capital and the largest city in Andalusia, a region in Spain that was ruled by the Moors for over eight centuries. The Moors brought their own culture to Andalusia and under them; the region prospered both culturally and intellectually as during their reign, the Moors established many institutions like mosques, universities and palaces. The beauty of the region especially of its  capital city, Seville also inspired the famous poet Lord Byron to write that   “Seville is a pleasant city, famous for oranges and women” in honor of the city’s gorgeous womenfolk and  its big succulent oranges.

Seville is in fact known also for its intense heat especially in the month of August when temperatures have been known to reach 50ºC (122ºF) but before the onslaught of the often brutal summer, the city of Seville every year throws a grand party to celebrate a week long festival known as the  La Feria de Abril or  the April Fair  which features typically Andalusian cultural events.  This year the Feria de Abril the will be held from the Thursday the 28th of April until Sunday the 3rd of May and is expected as always  to draw more than a million revelers to Seville.

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The Portuguese island of Madeira is well known the world over for its culinary delights especially its fortified Madeira wines which can be had  both as an aperitif or as a wrap up to end a meal. This small island along with its neighboring island of Porto Santo is a popular holiday destination as these two islands, are the only inhabited islands in the archipelago which is classified as a  Portuguese autonomous region.

The island of Madeira is also well known for the celebration of various festivals which are held all throughout the year in and around its capital city of Funchal. One such festival is the Madeira Flower Festival (Festival da Flor) which is traditionally held every year on a weekend  two weeks after Easter. This year Madeira’s famed Flower Festival  will be held over the weekend of the 25th and 26th of April and will ensure that the streets of Funchal  will be filled with colorful and fragrant blooms. As these flowers are used to  adorn creative and artistic displays and floats. Each year the Flower Festival has a central theme and this year, the theme of the festival which celebrates the arrival of spring will be “O Principezinho” (The Little Prince).

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If you are a jazz music aficionado and follow global Jazz festivals then you have a brand new Jazz festival to look forward to in the form of the Oxford Jazz Festival which is to be held in the renowned University City of Oxford over the Easter weekend from Thursday, the 9th to Sunday, the 12th of April.

The festival has been created and produced by  three Oxford City residents, Max Mason, a local restaurateur who owns the restaurant Big Bang which enthusiastically promotes the locavore movement and is reputed to serve the best ‘bangers and mash’(sausages) in Oxford City, Paul Jeffries, a musician, and Alissa Robinson a freelance web and print designer.  The trio conceptualized and created the festival with an eye to encourage tourism to  the City of Oxford and the surrounding scenic county of Oxfordshire.

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