Fireworks, which in the 16th century were used to celebrate military victories, are today traditionally associated with celebrations. In fact, several countries around the world celebrate national holidays and other major events with jaw dropping pyrotechnic displays which seem to appeal greatly to the masses.

Photo Credit:Jon Rawlinson

In the Canadian city of Vancouver, fireworks actually hold the center stage at an annual international pyro-musical fireworks competition. This competition, which is now known as the Celebration of Light, was initially called the Symphony of Fire when it was launched in 1990. The Celebration of Light attracts the world’s leading firework designers who use this prestigious event to showcase their talents in front of a crowd of nearly 1.4 million people.

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Summertime in the USA is celebrated with a plethora of cultural and sporting events. In order to enjoy the warm sunny weather, most of these events are held outdoors so that both attendees and participants can enjoy the great weather that seems to make everybody happy. Among the many summertime events that feature on the event calendars of various American cities are music festivals. Summertime Music festivals which tend to celebrate holidays like the Fourth of July, Labor Day or native North American cultural are highly anticipated summer events that often feature big name artists. Such is the popularity of these festivals that tickets for many of these music festivals sell out on the very day that they go on sale.

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The city of Chicago has been making news headlines in recent times. The reason for its new found fame is its association with the current President of the USA, President Barack Obama. President Obama, who is the first African-American to hold this post, spent many years working and teaching in the city of Chicago which is also known as the Windy City. He was based in Chicago during the three terms that he served as an Illinois Senator and continued to live and work there until he was elected to the post of the US President in November 2008. This monumental event evoked much interest all over the world so much so that sightseeing tours in Chicago now concentrate on sites that are  associated with the President as people are intensely curious about this 44th President of the USA. Many of the sites that these tours visit also include the various Chicago restaurants that were frequented by the President when he lived there.

In fact, this large Midwestern city has long been associated with great foods. Certain popular treats like Italian beef (roast beef) and the Deep Dish Pizza were actually invented in Chicago. Other famous Chicago foods include the Chicago style hot dog which is a boiled or steamed all beef hot dog that was invented in Chicago during the depression era at its famous Maxwell Street Market, Polish Sandwiches, Chicago Steaks and Chicago style Barbecue foods.

If you have only heard of Chicago’s rich culinary heritage and have always wanted to sample these mouthwatering delights, you should perhaps plan to attend the upcoming Taste of Chicago 2009. Taste of Chicago is one of the biggest annual events in Chicago and the world’s largest outdoor food festival which has been known to attract more than six million people every year. This year this foodie extravaganza is to be held from Friday 26th June to Sunday, 5th July.

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If you have ever visited New York City, you are probably aware that it is a city which has many diverse neighborhoods.  Moreover each of these neighborhoods or ‘nabes’ as they are often called have their own inimitable character.  One such prominent New York City neighborhood, is an area that is located in  Midtown West, which is known as ‘Hell’s Kitchen’. The Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood encompasses an area that stretches from 34th Street to 59th Street from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River.

This neighborhood was known for its gritty, rough and tumble character as it has been home for years to a largely Irish-American working class population. The character of the neighborhood changed somewhat in the 1950’s when the district came to be occupied by Puerto Rican immigrants as they tended to get into violent skirmishes with the original inhabitants of the neighborhood. Today however this neighborhood like much of the Manhattan has undergone a rapid gentrification as old buildings have given away to shiny condominium apartment buildings which house young professionals and several actors who ply their craft in the nearby theater district, though some old time residents still continue to reside in the older buildings of this lively neighborhood which is now a major entertainment, transportation and infrastructure hub in modern day Manhattan.

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The large American state of Texas enjoys a reputation of being ‘big’ in many ways. Texas which is also known as the Lone Star state is in fact the second biggest state in the US in terms of size and population. Keep this in mind it seems appropriate that one of its biggest cities, San Antonio holds the mother of all festivals in April each year. This grand fest is  called the Fiesta San Antonia and it is held every year to celebrate the state’s rich and diverse heritage and culture.

This year Fiesta San Antonio which celebrates its 118th anniversary is to be held over eleven days from the 16th of April to the 26th of April. This grand festival has a jam packed schedule which features more than 108 events all of which will be funded by local non-profit and military organizations who  are all members of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission which is the governing body behind this grand cultural extravaganza. It is estimated  that nearly 3.5 million people will attend the  Fiesta San Antonio this year. read more