Events
VENETIAN CELEBRATIONS Take to the water as its time to celebrate in Venice. The residents of the beautiful Italian city will man their boats on 14 July to celebrate Il Redentore (www. turismovenezia.it). It’s ships ahoy in St Mark’s basin as almost 2,000 decorated boats jostle to see the evening’s spectacular firework display. Then it’s [...]
VENETIAN CELEBRATIONS
alt="Venice, Italian city will man their boats on 14
July to celebrate Il Redentore"
class="picright">Take to the water as its time to celebrate
in Venice.
The residents of the beautiful Italian city will man their boats on 14
July to celebrate Il Redentore (www. turismovenezia.it). It’s ships
ahoy in St Mark’s basin as almost 2,000 decorated boats jostle to see
the evening’s spectacular firework display. Then it’s off to join in a
feast commemorating the end of a terrible 16th-century plague
or you can follow the young crowd, who go to a beach on one
of the Lido’s islands till dawn. Chicago is also awash with boats this
month, as it holds its 50th annual Venetian night on 28 July
(www.chicagotraveler.com). Uniquely decorated boats float around the
city’s lakefront, before the fireworks display bursts into life.
Words: Emma Juhasz, Elaine Cheung Photography: Shutterstock, Tony
Attille at Black Ink
SHOP TILL YOU DROP
alt="The Vauxhall Art Car
Boot Fair" class="picleft">Looking
for an unusual bargain, but bored of what’s
in the sales? The answer may lie in a car boot. The Vauxhall Art Car
Boot Fair (www.artcarbootfair.com), on 8 July at the Old Truman
Brewery, London, is a unique opportunity to find works of art by
well-known artists such as Gavin Turk, Tracey Emin and Abigail Lane,
on, or in, cars. Make a wise investment or just soak up the atmosphere
as DJs and various performance artists keep the crowds entertained. If
it’s fashion you’re after, but you’re not sure how to keep the children
occupied, then Riyadh’s Festival of Shopping and Leisure has all the
answers. Throughout July, various shopping malls across the city will
offer entertainment for all the family [check local press for updated
details], with sale prices to keep even budget shopaholics happy.
July is the month for …Summer festivals
alt="Scissor Sisters and The Who, among others, at
Quart 07, on 2-6 July"
class="picright">Pack up your tent and get ready to rock as
festival
fever is upon us. Some of the biggest stars will be strutting their
stuff on outdoor stages at various destinations. Kristiansand will be
alive with sound of the Scissor Sisters and The Who, among others, at
Quart 07, on 2-6 July (www.quart.ne). T in the Park, in Balado, near
Edinburgh, takes place on 6-8 July (www.tinthepark.com),
and features the likes of Lily Allen and the Killers. If you want to
party with a clear conscience, head to the Rosklide Festival near
Copenhagen (www.rosklide-festival. dk), on 5-8 July, as all profits go
to charity. Just don’t lose your tent in the crowd, as there’s no
guarantee of hot summer nights.
NUMBER CRUNCHER
60,000 Is
the number of tons of sugar produced in Barbados annually. Join in
the five weeks of celebrations at the Crop Over Festival, 2 July
10
August (www. cropoverfestival.bb), when the island marks the end of the
sugar cane-cutting season.
Also in the diary…
alt="Belgium celebrates its National Day on 21 July"
class="picleft">Belgium celebrates its National Day on 21
July (www.belgiumtheplaceto.be)
and Brussels will be alive with street parties and music, while the
city’s museums and royal locations are all free to visit. Hanover is
hosting the largest fair of its kind, the Schutzenfest Fair (
on 29 June 8 July. From a Ferris wheel to beer stalls
offering the local delicacy of Lüttje Lage (fruity beer) and
schnapps, it’ll keep the big kids as well as the little ones happy.
In a galaxy far, far away…
Who would have thought that a hairy Wookee could help save the galaxy
from an evil Empire? But that’s what happened 30 years ago when Star
Wars blasted onto the big screen. Back in 1977, many believed that the
bizarre sci-fi film wouldn’t catch on, but only those who had turned to
the dark side could have doubted its future success. The film went on
to spawn two sequels, three prequels and made creator George Lucas a
billionaire. These epic films are being honoured with events all across
the world, but London is the place to be this month: “George Lucas
referred to the London area as the `spiritual home’ of Star Wars, since
four of the movies were shot here,” revealed Steve Sansweet,
Lucasfilms’ head of fan relations. In London’s County Hall, Star Wars
The Exhibition, until 1 September (
is an extraordinary collection of paraphernalia from the six films,
from the original Darth Vader suit accompanied by his creepy breathing
a recording of someone breathing into a scuba regulator
to a full-scale model of a pod racer from The Phantom Menace.
Meanwhile Excel, at London Docklands, is being taken over on 13-15 July
by Star Wars Celebration Europe (www. celebrationeurope.com), with live
entertainment, exhibits and celebrities from all the films. There’s
plenty of memorabilia to collect along the way, but if you want to dive
into some unique film history, a new book The Making of Star Wars: The
Definitive Story Behind the Original Film, by JW Rinzler (Del Rey,
£39.99), gives a rare insight into the film’s creation. Like
Luke Skywalker, you can’t deny your destiny, so head out there now and
celebrate.
Words: Emma Juhasz
Photography: Rex Features
Lyon, Zurich, Manchester
Lights, camera, action!
alt="Auguste and Louis Lumière" class="picleft">It’s
the season for summer blockbusters, but before
you settle down with your popcorn, have you ever wondered where it all
began? Although there is some debate about who “invented” cinema,
Auguste and Louis Lumière have the strongest claim to the
title. Brought up in Lyon, the brothers unveiled their first short film
on 28 December 1895. It was a huge success and within just two years
they had made over 1,000 films. Take a tour through film history and
visit the Lumière Museum (
in Lyon, the villa where they lived and the setting for many of their
films. If you’d rather catch a classic film while lounging outside
during the warm summer evenings, then head to Amsterdam, where you’ll
find Holland’s home of cinematography, the Filmmuseum (www.filmmuseum.
nl). From the end of July, the museum will be screening classic films
in the romantic Vondelpark every Friday night.
Take to the skies
Flying through the air with the greatest of ease will be some of the
world’s best pilots, as they pit their skills against each other and
the Red Bull Air Race course (www.redbullairrace.com). This high-flying
event sees 14 pilots navigating 20m high inflatable pylons, flying at
400km/h and facing forces of up to 10G. For the first time, Interlaken,
two hours from Zurich by train, and London are hosting this
adrenaline-fuelled event. Three British pilots will be flying the flag
this year, Steve Jones, Nigel Lamb and Paul Bonhomme, who, at the time
of going to press, is leading the competition. Bonhomme captains Boeing
747s but has trained in aerobatics since he got his licence aged 17, so
is a real natural in the skies. He has high hopes. “My plan is to win
the Red Bull Air Race.”
Cultural phenomenon
alt="The Edinburgh Festival" class="picleft">The
Edinburgh Festival may have become a staple on
the arts scene, but on 28 June to 15 July, the Manchester International
Festival will establish itself as a worthy rival (www.
manchesterinternationalfestival.com). It’s the world’s first cultural
programme of new and original work and Alex Proots, the festival
director, hopes that the three-week extravaganza “will reiterate that
Manchester is a vibrant, creative city”. He admits, though, that it’s
not quite on the same scale as the one in Edinburgh: “They’ve got
25,000 shows we’ve got 50.” However, Proots has commissioned
unique performances from some of the world’s greatest artists, which he
reckons will make the event stand out in the crowd. Catch the premiere
of composer and producer William Orbit’s first major orchestral
composition, a fascinating change of direction for a man who is best
known for his collaborations with Madonna, Blur and U2. Then watch
Cuba’s and possibly the world’s most exceptional
male ballet dancer Carlos Acosta’s debut as a choreographer, with
Tocororo Suite, which will be accompanied by a live Cuban band. There’s
also a fascinating collaboration of theatre and music in The Pianist,
which will be performed in one of Manchester’s most historic buildings,
the impressive Museum of Science and Industry.
Photography: Superstock
London, Kristiansand
Happy and glorious
Get ready to sing along, as one of the world’s most popular musical
festivals is upon us once more. The Proms, 13 July 8
September, The Royal Albert Hall, London
(www.tickets.royalalberthall.com), will host over 70 concerts, from
chamber music and opera to the famous, flag-waving festivities of the
Last Night. It’s hard to believe that this famous British musical
institution started out over a century ago as a popular series of
orchestral concerts. The Proms, A New History, by Jenny Doctor and
David Wright, Thames & Hudson (£24.95), charts the
rise of this influential event, from its beginnings as a musical
experiment in 1895 to an event that has captured the hearts of a
nation, so pick up a copy and tune in.
