Every year in June and July the city of London turns into a buzzing multicultural festival ground for three weeks. Though initially geared towards classical music, the City of London Festival now features a veritable kaleidoscope of musical styles ranging from world to jazz, opera to contemporary. Theatre, dance, architecture, literature, walks, film and the visual arts being a big part of the programme are not to be left out here. In the course of the festival there is also an educational programme of primary and secondary schools' cultural projects, which are showcased within the main festival programme. These include exhibitions, a colourful procession through the City streets, student films about city life in both Paris and London and a sing-a-long.

In previous years Festivals have focused on London's links with important international trading centres. 2005 had a Dutch theme, 2006 highlighted Japanese culture and 2007 intends to show the City's connections to France's trading centres. This year's Festival will also explore the 200th Anniversary of the parliamentary Abolition of slave trade in the United Kingdom. 

Events usually take place within local venues including some of London's famous churches, St. Paul's Cathedral and Livery Company Halls. Others are held outdoors in the City streets, squares and gardens, alongside open spaces including the Guildhall Yard, Liverpool Street Station and Finsbury Circus Gardens. The great architecture of London’s Square Mile also provides an impressive background to the Festival.

Many of the daytime performances are free with the aim of accessability to art to a large proportion of the City's population. Other events are to be booked and paid for in advance.

See the programme, find detailed information and book your tickets here:
http://www.colf.org/about.cfm

Information on the City of London:
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

May 30 is an important date for all the people of the Canary Islands, for every year the Canarian government organises a great festival. Indeed, it is the official festival of this Spanish autonomous community.
The Canary Islands are an icon of Spain, Europe and the world. An archipelago without borders, they are conveniently situated  close to Africa, bridging Europe and Africa with America. A ground which attracts several million tourists each year.

May 30 is a festival that celebrates what the Canary Islands are today. In fact, the Canary Islands are at the top of European standards for safety, health, infrastructure, hotel services and road conditions.

There is a diverse programme of activities on this day. These activities are organised by the Canarian government, the town councils and 87 municipalities.

The programme of the Canary Islands Day:

1)    Traditional plays, folk music, traditional food
Place: Morcillo, El Hierro, starting from 10am
2)    Traditional dances with a Canarian orchestra
Place: St Sebastián de La Gomera
3)    Popular festivals
Place: Plaza del Auditorio Alfredo Kran, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
4)    Demonstration of traditional sports, folk festival
Place: Puerto de Tazacorte

For more information visit www.gobcan.es

Singapore is an island, city and country situated in Southeast Asia. A former British colony, it is nowadays one of the most prosperous countries in the world, with a unique mix of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cultures, as well as a thriving Arab population.
Singapore is situated close to the Equator, resulting in a hot and humid climate, with little difference between the seasons. The country enjoys temperatures of around 30C all year round. Heavy rainfall is quite common, although these downpours usually only last a few minutes.
Changi airport, Singapore's main air carrier, is one of the most modern airports in the world. It has an excellent range of facilities, including free internet in the departure lounges, some of which have webcams and microphones for web conferences. It also has a games area equipped with XBox consoles to make the wait a little more enjoyable.
The most convenient way of getting to the city centre is by taxi, which are fast and reasonably priced. There is also an underground link to the centre from the airport, taking around 30 minutes (with a change of station inbetween.) It is not necessary nor recommended to drive around Singapore with a hire car. The public transport system and taxi services are more than sufficient to get around.
The multicultural city of Singapore offers cuisine from all over the world, including Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, Italian, American, Russian, French, Swiss and even British food. Malaysian food is the most popular, and is usually prepared with coconut milk and spices. One of the best ways to enjoy food in Singapore is to eat al fresco, in one of the city's thousands of open-air eateries.
The city boasts a thriving nightlife, including open-air opera and theatre, bars, discos, karaoke, evening markets, nighttime cruises and cinemas. The Boat Quay and Clarke Quay areas are popular for their exclusive restaurants, whereas the ancient Chinese walls have become floating bars. Bugis Street, Changi Village and Holland Village are also popular hangouts.
Singapore is also a paradise for shoppers; in Orchard Road you can find anything from designer clothes to electrical goods. Many fabulous shoppings malls are scattered all over the city.
Other must-sees in Singapore include: Sentosa, a small island with beaches, luxury hotels and spectacular shows; the National Orchid Garden, one of the country's most impressive orchid gardens; Chinatown, with its various Buddhist temples as well as the largest Indian temple in the country; Little India, with its charming little shops; Arab Street, the Arab quarter with a mosque surrounded by palm trees and stores; Singapore Zoo; Orchard Road with its department stores and skyscrapers; and finally the Singapore River, also surrounded by skyscrapers and charming little houses, with excursions available. Here is where you will also find the Merlion lion, a statue that has become the official symbol of the city.

Singapore official website

The Foire du Trône, a huge temporary funfair located on the outskirts of Paris, is one of the biggest events on the French calendar, and one certainly worth stopping for. Although the venue is a 10-hectare display of fast-food stalls and adrenaline-filled rides, this fair actually has an interesting essence of history, with roots dating back as far as the 10th century.
The fair is said to have been founded in 957 by King Lothaire of Lorraine, with the purpose of providing a place for merchants to trade rice and grain. The first actual Foire (as it is better known today) took place in 1131, and from then on it became famous for its pig-shaped spice bread, giving it the name of Foire aux pains d'epices ("spice bread fair").
The fair traditionally began at around Easter from 1861 onwards, lasting 15 days with the possibility of a further eight. It developed to such an extent that by 1800 more than 2500 forains (stallholders) came with their fairground rides and stalls. This led to new legislation in terms of ownership and land rights, which in turn led to a decline in visitor numbers.
Nowadays, 1000 years and one French Revolution later, the fair is one of the most popular events in France, offering more than 350 attractions and shows. It is a unique opportunity to see the fun-loving, flamboyant side of Paris, far away from the city's romantic clichés.

Read more about Paris.
Foire du Trône official site

It's that time of the year again, as the French city of Cannes opens its doors for the 60th Cannes Film Festival, taking place from May 16th-27th.
Hollywood starlet Diane Kruger will be this year's Master of Ceremonies, hosting the opening ceremony in the Palais des Festivals before rounding off the spectacle at the closing ceremony on the 27th.
This year is a special one for Cannes, as it will be the 60th anniversary of the prestigious film festival. To celebrate, a special feature film will be screened on May 20th, made by 35 producers from 25 countries. The President of the Festival, Gilles Jacob, explains that this project was a matter of reuniting a group of filmmakers-famous worldwide-to create a picture that represents both their countries and their pride in cinema. The project focuses on one single theme- cinema itself, giving rise to the film's title, To Each His Cinema. The project involves artists from all corners of the globe; European collaborators include Roman Polanski, Ken Loach (UK), Nanni Moretti (Italy), Wim Wenders (Germany), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium), Lars Von Trier and Bille August (Denmark), Theo Angelopoulos (Greece), Aki Kaurismaki (Finland), and finally Olivier Assayas, Claude Lelouch and Raymond Depardon (France).
This film will also be screened on live TV, so that the people of Cannes can also step back in time and enjoy the fine accomplishments of world cinema.

Cannes Film Festival Official Website

The Feria del Caballo (Horse Fair) of Jerez de la Frontera is the city's biggest and most important festival, with the city's Easter celebrations not far behind. The finest and most extravagant horsemen from all over the world come together for this festival, which is considered the most prestigious event in the equine world.
The Fair, which takes place a week after the Seville Fair, becomes an exhibition of stalls and displays, with each one offering their own activity or culinary delight. Most of these stalls are entered for competitions, winning prizes for best design or best produce.
The most popular drink during this event is, of course, the superb local sherry, best enjoyed with local fried fish, also the main dish served at the fair.
The defining feature of the Fair, declared an event of international tourist interest, is the grand Horse Parade (Paseo de Caballos), a dazzling array riders and horses with their splendid attire, proudly parading through the streets in front of thousands of awestruck spectators.
This year's event is dedicated to Vintage Spain Wine Tours in Spain (Rutas de Vino de España), which operates in 17 tourist destinations in Spain, including more than 160 communities and 600 companies. The Tuesday of the Fair will be  Vintage Spain Wine Tours Day and will focus especially on the activities and products offered by AVECIN (Spanish Association of Wine-Producing Cities)
 The 8th of May will be a showcase of wine and wine tourism, focusing especially on Jerez wine and brandy. More than 83 businesses and establishments will be at the event, including wineries, hotels, restaurants and other associated industries.

Read more about Jerez de la Frontera.

Between September the 7th and October the 20th, the French will have the privilege of hosting the sixth edition of the most important event in the rugby calendar, the World Cup.

The competiton will take place within 10 different cities across the country, notably in the Stade de France in Paris, in Marseille and Bordeaux...

This occurence has been prepared for quite a while now, as the qualifications started in 2004, gathering 90 nations in regional competitions. There will be 20 final contesting nations, fighting through 48 matches over 44 days.

The Webb Ellis Cup, named after the man who is said to have invented rugby, has been disputed for a short time, for the competition has been established in the 1980s, with the first World Cup in 1987, which was won by the New Zealand All Blacks. Since then, Australia, South Africa and England have subsequently won the title.

Who will win it this year? This is what France will witness next fall!

From mid April to July 2007, the Spanish city of Valencia will host the 32nd display of the America's Cup. This sailing event, which history is considered to be the oldest in sports, goes back to 1851 when it first happened in England. It is 45 years older than the Olympic Games!

This regatta is not only the oldest sport competition of the world, but it is aslo the most difficult one. The interest of the event for an outsider resides in the unique opportunity to witness a prestigious and elegant gathering, which enables spectators to discover the latest architectural innovations in sailing, as well as an outstanding sportive performance... 

To get more information on the Cup, click here

Right in the middle of the Andalucia region, in the south of the Spanish peninsula, lies the city of Granada, a must - see for every travellers going to Spain!

The architecture and monuments are stunning, and the overall atmosphere of the town, largely influenced by the North African culture, makes the place a unique cultural "pot pourri".

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