ROAD READS
ROAD READS
"World Party: The Rough Guide to the World's Best Festivals"
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
BOOK: "World Party: The Rough Guide to the World's Best Festivals" (Rough Guides, $24.99)
TARGET AUDIENCE: People who like to party with a few thousand of their closest friends.
In Porto, Portugal, during June's Festa do Sao Joao, "hitting on" someone is taken literally -- with plastic hammers. (They used to use leeks, but that got, you know, weird.) Spain's festival calendar is filled, from Pamplona's annual running with the bulls to La Tomatina in Buñol, where 30,000 people throw ripe tomatoes at one another. (The authors provide tips on how best to do each without injury.) In India, don't miss (not that you could) the flatulent camels of Pushkar's annual fair. Virtually every day, there's a festival going on somewhere.
The origins of many of these municipal bashes are religious. In the book's top 20, four positions are taken by Carnival celebrations in places where, judging from the descriptions and color photos, local confessionals should be busy during the ensuing Lent. Clever icons identify the attractions and perils of the 200-plus events: fancy costumes, parades, drugs, nudity. And party-till-you-puke alcohol consumption.
-- Jerry V. Haines
![[slate.com logo]](http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/09/27/GR2007092701096.GIF)
