Rice straw is typically used as a livestock food and building material, but there’s so much of it that the new uses are always welcome. In 2008, the city of Niigata (located in a big rice-producing region) worked together with locals and art students from Tokyo to establish the Wara Art Festival. The sculptures were made and exhibited at several locations, becoming an instant success. 

The festival was held every year since 2008, but in 2020 it had to be canceled due to thee COVID-19 pandemic. Each year, there’s a theme that determines what kind of sculptures will be displayed. The sculptures are made by artists and art students in collaboration with the locals.

“Making Wara Art began when it was suggested that it would be interesting to create artworks using the large amounts of rice straw in the paddy fields, which cover roughly half the area of Nishikan Ward,” reads Niikata city’s website.

The post Japan’s Wara Art Festival Celebrates Rice ‘ith Art appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

Exit Festival is a music festival held every July at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. The festival was founded in 2000 as a student movement, but has since grown into a full-blown serious 4-day event, with over 20 stages set up all across the fortresses’ many levels. The best thing about this location is the fact that the sounds from the numerous stages never mix, thanks to the structure of the fortress and its hilly terrain and sturdy walls.

The festival has won two Best Major Festival awards, one in 2013 and the second in 2017. Since the beginning, it has hosted many famous artists and bands, but in recent years the lineup has mostly focused on electronic music and bringing famous names of the DJ world, making its Dance Arena one of the strongest music stages dedicated to this genre, hosting performers such as David Guetta and Nina Krawitz.

Sziget Festival

Sziget festival is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in Budapest, on the island of Óbudai-sziget on the Danube river. The festival started in 1993 as a student event but has since grown to be one of the most famous and successful festivals in Europe, hosting over 1,000 performances each year. It takes place over the course of a whole week when the entire island turns into a camping site, and the visitors get a special “Szitizen passport”.

Many day-time performances and art installations have dubbed Sziget as the European equivalent of The Burning Man. The festival is also a two-time winner of the Best Major European Festival award, in 2011 and 2014. Sziget is also famous for its variety of genres, it has stages dedicated to blues, jazz, there is a world music stage, and of course, on the main stage, you can see many up-and-coming rock and pop artists and bands, such as Foo Fighters and Twenty One Pilots.

The post Two European Music Festivals You Must Go To appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every year in August. It is a very diverse festival, celebrating all types of arts, including theater, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, musicals, opera, music, and spoken word, followed up by various exhibitions and events. To this day, it has hosted over 30,000 performances and more than 2,000 shows.

The thing that sets this festival apart is the fact that this is an open access festival, which means anyone is allowed to participate with whatever performance they choose. There is no jury or selection committee that decides on the nature of the performances. For this reason, each year is full of surprises and unexpected shows. 

The festival is also famous for its use of unconventional venues. Apart from the established venues — such as the Assembly, Gilded Balloon, The Pleasance and Underbelly, known as the “Big Four,” as well as Traverse Theatre, Cabaret Voltaire and The Stand comedy club — The Fringe takes place all over the city.

The outdoors portion mainly focuses on the pedestrian area of High Street around St Giles’ Cathedral, but other venues include numerous improvised spaces such as rooms above pubs, public parks and even moving vehicles. At this time, the streets are brimming with countless street performers and thousands of buskers.

There are a few coinciding sub-festivals that also fall under the Fringe umbrella, such as The Edge, which promotes up-and-coming bands, The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, and The Edinburgh International Book Festival, which takes place in Charlotte Square Garden and George Street, hosting events such as writing workshops, panel discussions, and performances by international poets and writers. 

The post You Need To Visit Edinburgh Festival Fringe appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

The epicenter of trendiness kicks off the summer music festival season in Indio, California. All the top Instagrammers, millennial celebrities, and “somebodies” go there to lavish in all of the latest popular music, food trends, and photo opportunities. Performers range from popular rappers to the more alternative, trippy artists like ODESZA.

Governors Ball

Meet Coachella’s relaxed cousin, also known as Gov Ball. There’s less of a fashion show feel and more of a fun-loving atmosphere since it’s held the first week in June, after all of the college graduations. Gov Ball is hosted on Randall’s Island in New York City and is built around its artist lineup and amazing, interactive art.

Bonnaroo

This festival is one of the longest, lasting four days in Manchester, Tennessee. And it offers way more than just a killer lineup of the hottest musicians. For starters, they offer a camping…or glamping plaza with already pitched and decorated tents to sleep in with a host of activities day and night. Break a sweat running the Bonnaroo 5k, relax with a yoga morning sesh, or catch a show at The Little Cinema!

The Meadows

This festival is the most recent annual installment of the bunch – it’s only two years old! The good vibes take place in the Citifield parking lot in Queens, New York. Their lineups are incredible big names, and they range in genres. What do people love most about The Meadows? The food! The Meadows is known to produce an incredible food lineup that will keep your happily nourished throughout the long, head-banging day.

The post 4 United States Music Festivals To Put On Your Bucket List appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

Rice straw is typically used as a livestock food and building material, but there’s so much of it that the new uses are always welcome. In 2008, the city of Niigata (located in a big rice-producing region) worked together with locals and art students from Tokyo to establish the Wara Art Festival. The sculptures were made and exhibited at several locations, becoming an instant success. 

The festival was held every year since 2008, but in 2020 it had to be canceled due to thee COVID-19 pandemic. Each year, there’s a theme that determines what kind of sculptures will be displayed. The sculptures are made by artists and art students in collaboration with the locals.

“Making Wara Art began when it was suggested that it would be interesting to create artworks using the large amounts of rice straw in the paddy fields, which cover roughly half the area of Nishikan Ward,” reads Niikata city’s website.

The post Japan’s Wara Art Festival Celebrates Rice ‘ith Art appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

Exit Festival is a music festival held every July at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. The festival was founded in 2000 as a student movement, but has since grown into a full-blown serious 4-day event, with over 20 stages set up all across the fortresses’ many levels. The best thing about this location is the fact that the sounds from the numerous stages never mix, thanks to the structure of the fortress and its hilly terrain and sturdy walls.

The festival has won two Best Major Festival awards, one in 2013 and the second in 2017. Since the beginning, it has hosted many famous artists and bands, but in recent years the lineup has mostly focused on electronic music and bringing famous names of the DJ world, making its Dance Arena one of the strongest music stages dedicated to this genre, hosting performers such as David Guetta and Nina Krawitz.

Sziget Festival

Sziget festival is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in Budapest, on the island of Óbudai-sziget on the Danube river. The festival started in 1993 as a student event but has since grown to be one of the most famous and successful festivals in Europe, hosting over 1,000 performances each year. It takes place over the course of a whole week when the entire island turns into a camping site, and the visitors get a special “Szitizen passport”.

Many day-time performances and art installations have dubbed Sziget as the European equivalent of The Burning Man. The festival is also a two-time winner of the Best Major European Festival award, in 2011 and 2014. Sziget is also famous for its variety of genres, it has stages dedicated to blues, jazz, there is a world music stage, and of course, on the main stage, you can see many up-and-coming rock and pop artists and bands, such as Foo Fighters and Twenty One Pilots.

The post Two European Music Festivals You Must Go To appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every year in August. It is a very diverse festival, celebrating all types of arts, including theater, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, musicals, opera, music, and spoken word, followed up by various exhibitions and events. To this day, it has hosted over 30,000 performances and more than 2,000 shows.

The thing that sets this festival apart is the fact that this is an open access festival, which means anyone is allowed to participate with whatever performance they choose. There is no jury or selection committee that decides on the nature of the performances. For this reason, each year is full of surprises and unexpected shows. 

The festival is also famous for its use of unconventional venues. Apart from the established venues — such as the Assembly, Gilded Balloon, The Pleasance and Underbelly, known as the “Big Four,” as well as Traverse Theatre, Cabaret Voltaire and The Stand comedy club — The Fringe takes place all over the city.

The outdoors portion mainly focuses on the pedestrian area of High Street around St Giles’ Cathedral, but other venues include numerous improvised spaces such as rooms above pubs, public parks and even moving vehicles. At this time, the streets are brimming with countless street performers and thousands of buskers.

There are a few coinciding sub-festivals that also fall under the Fringe umbrella, such as The Edge, which promotes up-and-coming bands, The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, and The Edinburgh International Book Festival, which takes place in Charlotte Square Garden and George Street, hosting events such as writing workshops, panel discussions, and performances by international poets and writers. 

The post You Need To Visit Edinburgh Festival Fringe appeared first on Traveler Dreams.

The epicenter of trendiness kicks off the summer music festival season in Indio, California. All the top Instagrammers, millennial celebrities, and “somebodies” go there to lavish in all of the latest popular music, food trends, and photo opportunities. Performers range from popular rappers to the more alternative, trippy artists like ODESZA.

Governors Ball

Meet Coachella’s relaxed cousin, also known as Gov Ball. There’s less of a fashion show feel and more of a fun-loving atmosphere since it’s held the first week in June, after all of the college graduations. Gov Ball is hosted on Randall’s Island in New York City and is built around its artist lineup and amazing, interactive art.

Bonnaroo

This festival is one of the longest, lasting four days in Manchester, Tennessee. And it offers way more than just a killer lineup of the hottest musicians. For starters, they offer a camping…or glamping plaza with already pitched and decorated tents to sleep in with a host of activities day and night. Break a sweat running the Bonnaroo 5k, relax with a yoga morning sesh, or catch a show at The Little Cinema!

The Meadows

This festival is the most recent annual installment of the bunch – it’s only two years old! The good vibes take place in the Citifield parking lot in Queens, New York. Their lineups are incredible big names, and they range in genres. What do people love most about The Meadows? The food! The Meadows is known to produce an incredible food lineup that will keep your happily nourished throughout the long, head-banging day.

The post 4 United States Music Festivals To Put On Your Bucket List appeared first on Traveler Dreams.