9 Worldwide Events You Need to Attend Before You Die
2014.06.27
There are an endless amount of things to do and see in a person's lifetime, but you may not be able to experience all of it. So how do you select which places, events and things to put on your bucket list? Here are some of the world's most amazing events you have to attend before you die.
There are plenty of imitators, but the only one you really want to be at is the original one in Munich, Germany, and their famous beer halls. Millions of people head to Munich to drink beer and enjoy German food in beer tents for sixteen days, across the city. The food and beer are amazing, but it's the hospitality and atmosphere that keeps people coming back every year. It's believed to be the world's largest festival.
If you thought the Olympics and Super Bowl were huge sporting events, you've yet to experience the FIFA World Cup. Just like the Olympics, this event only happens once every four years. It not only draws the best players from around the world, the game is generally spectacular and emotional. Getting a ticket is difficult, but few sports bring out the passion and national pride of fans like this one does.
Mardi Gras is one of the biggest parties of the year, held in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It's held before Lent, and thousands of people take to the streets of New Orleans for the final day of the carnival, dressed in costume, beads, decorated in face-paint, and are generally inebriated. The parade is filled with outrageous costumes and floats with riders who toss plastic beads to those they feel deserve them. Most participants are drunk prior to noon, and the party doesn't stop until the next morning.
When you first see images of Burning Man, you'll get an idea of how strange this festival is. It's probably going to be one of the weirdest gatherings you'll ever attend. It's filled with artists, exhibitionists, and crazy people who meet in the desert and create a temporary town they call Black Rock City. It's assumed that anyone who attends must contribute to the construction - which is part of the festival in many ways, but once fully underway, there are displays of crazy and beautiful forms of expression. Nudity is common here, so are drugs and music. The festival gets its name from the strangest part of the event - a giant wooden effigy which is built for the sole purpose of being destroyed.
In the summer months in northern Russia where the sun never sets, the Russians hold the White Night Festival which culminates with the Scarlet Sails on the final day. During the White Nights, artists, musicians, ballerinas, orchestras and street performers entertain the city with performances and film festivals. It’s a celebration of life and art. On the final day, the Scarlet Sails celebration takes place under the setting sun and features tall ships with red sails, and an enormous fireworks celebration. It’s one of the most enjoyable and beautiful celebrations on the planet and honors the artists who live and work in St. Petersburg.
Nearly 2 million people gather on the streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the four-day Carnaval, where dancing, parades, costumes, and so much more come together to create the biggest party in South America. It really isn't like anything else on the planet. There are several parades and all of them are free-spirited affairs where anything could happen. Everyone is happy and everyone participates. Samba schools hold elaborate competitions, and work year round on their routines for Carnaval. Hundreds of street bands perform throughout the city. Everything about Carnaval is loud and fun, and it’s an event not to be missed in one's lifetime.
The running of the bulls is part of the San Fermin Festival, where tens of thousands of people line up and attempt to run with--and from--a group of bulls which are funneled through a barricaded path towards a stadium filled to capacity. It's both bizarre and dangerous, but despite the countless injuries, people continue to flock to Spain for this event. If you can escape without being gored or trampled by a bull or the crowds, you'll get bragging rights for participating in the event. If you aren't keen to participate, you could watch from the buildings surrounding the event.
A horse race is held in Siena twice a year - on July 2nd, and August 16 - called the Palio de Siena. It consists of 10 riders who ride horses bareback, dressed in colorful clothing that represents 10 of the 17 wards in Sienna. The racers circle the Piazza del Campo, which is covered with a thick layer of dirt, three times. The race lasts only about 90 seconds and riders are routinely thrown from their mounts. Before the race is a spectacular event known as the Corteo Storico, a parade of costumed flag-bearers dressed in medieval outfits and warriors who perform several demonstrations to entertain the crowds. If you do intend to witness this, get there early because the square fills up long before the events begin.
Get this. La Tomatina is a giant food fight with tomatoes, among 30,000 participants. Admission to the event used to be free, but in the recent years the numbers have grown to the point where the town was forced to sell tickets for it. Before the fight starts, organizers launch rockets filled with tomato juice into the sky, which rains on the city and coats everything and everyone. Participants are "supposed" to crush all tomatoes in their hand prior to throwing them, to prevent injury, but of course, some lawbreakers don't always follow this rule.
1. Oktoberfest — Munich, Germany
There are plenty of imitators, but the only one you really want to be at is the original one in Munich, Germany, and their famous beer halls. Millions of people head to Munich to drink beer and enjoy German food in beer tents for sixteen days, across the city. The food and beer are amazing, but it's the hospitality and atmosphere that keeps people coming back every year. It's believed to be the world's largest festival.
2. FIFA World Cup
If you thought the Olympics and Super Bowl were huge sporting events, you've yet to experience the FIFA World Cup. Just like the Olympics, this event only happens once every four years. It not only draws the best players from around the world, the game is generally spectacular and emotional. Getting a ticket is difficult, but few sports bring out the passion and national pride of fans like this one does.
3. Mardi Gras — New Orleans
Mardi Gras is one of the biggest parties of the year, held in the French Quarter in New Orleans. It's held before Lent, and thousands of people take to the streets of New Orleans for the final day of the carnival, dressed in costume, beads, decorated in face-paint, and are generally inebriated. The parade is filled with outrageous costumes and floats with riders who toss plastic beads to those they feel deserve them. Most participants are drunk prior to noon, and the party doesn't stop until the next morning.
4. Burning Man — Black Rock Desert, Nevada
When you first see images of Burning Man, you'll get an idea of how strange this festival is. It's probably going to be one of the weirdest gatherings you'll ever attend. It's filled with artists, exhibitionists, and crazy people who meet in the desert and create a temporary town they call Black Rock City. It's assumed that anyone who attends must contribute to the construction - which is part of the festival in many ways, but once fully underway, there are displays of crazy and beautiful forms of expression. Nudity is common here, so are drugs and music. The festival gets its name from the strangest part of the event - a giant wooden effigy which is built for the sole purpose of being destroyed.
5. White Nights and Scarlet Sails Festival — St. Petersburg, Russia
In the summer months in northern Russia where the sun never sets, the Russians hold the White Night Festival which culminates with the Scarlet Sails on the final day. During the White Nights, artists, musicians, ballerinas, orchestras and street performers entertain the city with performances and film festivals. It’s a celebration of life and art. On the final day, the Scarlet Sails celebration takes place under the setting sun and features tall ships with red sails, and an enormous fireworks celebration. It’s one of the most enjoyable and beautiful celebrations on the planet and honors the artists who live and work in St. Petersburg.
6. Carnaval — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nearly 2 million people gather on the streets of Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the four-day Carnaval, where dancing, parades, costumes, and so much more come together to create the biggest party in South America. It really isn't like anything else on the planet. There are several parades and all of them are free-spirited affairs where anything could happen. Everyone is happy and everyone participates. Samba schools hold elaborate competitions, and work year round on their routines for Carnaval. Hundreds of street bands perform throughout the city. Everything about Carnaval is loud and fun, and it’s an event not to be missed in one's lifetime.
7. Running of the Bulls — Pamplona, Spain
The running of the bulls is part of the San Fermin Festival, where tens of thousands of people line up and attempt to run with--and from--a group of bulls which are funneled through a barricaded path towards a stadium filled to capacity. It's both bizarre and dangerous, but despite the countless injuries, people continue to flock to Spain for this event. If you can escape without being gored or trampled by a bull or the crowds, you'll get bragging rights for participating in the event. If you aren't keen to participate, you could watch from the buildings surrounding the event.
8. Il Palio — Siena, Italy
A horse race is held in Siena twice a year - on July 2nd, and August 16 - called the Palio de Siena. It consists of 10 riders who ride horses bareback, dressed in colorful clothing that represents 10 of the 17 wards in Sienna. The racers circle the Piazza del Campo, which is covered with a thick layer of dirt, three times. The race lasts only about 90 seconds and riders are routinely thrown from their mounts. Before the race is a spectacular event known as the Corteo Storico, a parade of costumed flag-bearers dressed in medieval outfits and warriors who perform several demonstrations to entertain the crowds. If you do intend to witness this, get there early because the square fills up long before the events begin.
9. La Tomatina — Bunal, Spain
Get this. La Tomatina is a giant food fight with tomatoes, among 30,000 participants. Admission to the event used to be free, but in the recent years the numbers have grown to the point where the town was forced to sell tickets for it. Before the fight starts, organizers launch rockets filled with tomato juice into the sky, which rains on the city and coats everything and everyone. Participants are "supposed" to crush all tomatoes in their hand prior to throwing them, to prevent injury, but of course, some lawbreakers don't always follow this rule.
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