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| Glastonbury : The Great British Summer |
Next month will be June. The start of Summer. Half way through the year. Already. The month of the Summer Solstice, The Longest Day and festivals galore. The UK offers much during this time. If however you didn’t get tickets for Glastonbury, don’t have enough stripy clothing for Henley or can’t face queuing for three days to get into Wimbledon, here are some alternative events happening around the world in June. Be warned - the mid summer sun has a strange powers!
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| Sweden: The ABBA Tribute band are warming up |
June is an important month in Scandinavia as daylight extends for 24 hours in some parts and the temperatures regularly make it into double figures. Sweden celebrates in style over the weekend of Mid-Summer’s Eve (June 24th this year). Get an invite to one of the islands in the archipelago around Stockholm and you can expect parties to last all night (or all weekend) fuelled by plenty of schnapps and herrings. And plenty of self assembled furniture to sit down on.
HOW: Fly to Stockholm Arlanda and make friends with somebody who owns a boat. Or fly to Stockholm Skavsta or Vasteras and miss everything because they are nowhere near the City.
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| The Arctic Funkys: in the Chill Out Zone |
Head over the border to Norway and keep going until you get to Bodo inside the Arctic Circle. The nearby island of Vaeroy hosts the Midnight Sun Festival starting on 29th June. A week long electronic music and nature festival. With 24 hour daylight, don’t expect glow sticks, strobe lighting or a view of the Northern Lights.
HOW: Fly to Bodo via Oslo. Take a ferry through the Fjords to Vaeroy. Wind your watch back to the 1960s.
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| Iceland: So cool it’s actually it’s freezing. |
For an even cooler music festival, head to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik between 16-19th June for the Secret Solstice. It doesn’t seem that much of a secret as they tell you where it is and who is playing (varied live acts including Radiohead). Quite literally the coolest event is a (secret) top DJ performing in a glacier on top of a mountain. For something a bit warmer, 20 VIP tickets are available at £1,400 each for an acoustic performance inside the magma chamber of a volcano reached by helicopter. Eat that Glasto!
HOW: Fly to Keflavik for Reykjavik. Bring a thick coat and a bottle of vodka and stop off at the Blue Lagoon thermal spa for a bath on the way back to the airport.
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| Bordeaux: You’re going to need a bigger glass |
To warmer climes and the French city of Bordeaux hosts its annual Wine Festival from 23-26th June. Expect plentiful opportunities to sample some of the finest wines in the world on the 2km long wine route through the town. Meet wine makers and enjoy the fruits of their labours under the Girondin sun.
HOW: Fly to Bordeaux from across the UK. Don’t hire a car and take a card with the name of your hotel before hitting the wine route.
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| Rioja: Bottoms Up - and all over the place |
If you prefer wearing your wine as well as drinking it, Festival stalwart Spain comes in with the Haro Wine Festival on 29th June. Taking place in Haro in the Rioja region around 100km south of Bilbao, it is known as La Batalla del Vino - the Wine Battle. Basically throw wine at everybody else, before being chased by bulls followed by a big wine and tapas street party long into the night. Don’t try this in Bordeaux!
HOW: Fly to Bilbao then it’s 1h50 by train to Haro. Take old clothes and a good sense of humour.
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| Cusco: an Inca-ling of impending pan pipes |
Finally, if you are still keen on the winter, head to Peru for the Winter Solstice on 24th June in Cusco, home to the recreation of the 9 day Inca Festival of the Sun or Inti Raymi if you prefer. Colourful celebrations with entertainers, street food and plenty of Peruvian music all now without the traditional Alpaca sacrifices. In the area, there is plenty more to do around Cusco including of course the Inca city of Machu Picchu.
HOW: Use the new direct BA flight from Gatwick to Lima and head uphill to Cusco. Bring warm clothing. And ear plugs if you’re not into pan pipes.
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| Thailand: it has boats, sea and sun |
If you need further inspiration, please visit my Websites and Facebook pages and follow me on Twitter.
For an exotic twist, why not visit my new boutique thailand website.
Standard low cost packages are bookable through my EyeLine Travel website. For tailor made packages, special requests or just some information, please Contact me and I will do the hard work for you. All holidays that I arrange are ABTA/ATOL protected.
Summer Festivals - no wellies required!
David Sutherland
EyeLine Travel
6 May 2016
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