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Heilbronn Wine Festival

When I lived in south-west Germany I was always a little bit sad when the long evenings of summer were coming an end, as they are now - but September brings an event that cheers me up a lot. And it’s all about wine.

There are wine festivals all over Germany at this time of year, but my favourite is in my husband’s hometown of Heilbronn. Since Heilbronn is not a famous tourist town, but is surrounded by vineyards, it’s a great place to experience a really genuine German wine festival.

Known as the Heilbronner Weindorf (a German link, if you know the language), this year the “Heilbronn Wine Village” will run from 11 to 19 September. The centre of the city is completely taken over by small wooden stalls run by various local vineyards, along with a few other stands specialising in snacks like Zwiebelkuchen (”onion cake”) or Bretzel (the local variation on pretzels). The centre of Weindorf is on the square in front of the Town Hall, on the main street.

During the week of the Weindorf, I’m sure everybody in the whole region spends at least two or three evenings there. You can get small tastings of different wines for a low price (this year they’ll be 1.30 Euro for 100mL) and the bonus is that they’re served in attractive glasses decorated with the winery’s logo, and you get to keep them! You can also buy a bottle and share it amongst your friends.

The most important thing to remember about Weindorf is that you definitely shouldn’t drive home - so if you have a rental car, leave it at your hotel and either walk (many hotels are close to the centre) or get a taxi. And have a drink for me, since I won’t make it there this year. If you’re visiting another part of Germany, ask about a similar wine festival there.

Image from Heilbronn Marketing

East Lothian, located east of Edinburgh will be hosting the 8th annual Food & Drink Festival from 26 - 28 September 2008. Various events are being held to showcase the quality.local produce.

Haddington, East Lothian

The weekend kicks off with a Ceilidh with supper a the Glenkinchie Distillery on the evening of 26 September. On the morning of the 27 September there are cookery demonstrations at the Farmers Market in Haddington. The Slow Food Summer Fair is in North Berwick on 28 September from 11.30 - 15.30.

North Berwick harbour

There a couple of events for kids. On 27 September it’s Kids Food Fun Day at North Berwick from 11.30 - 15.30 and the “Kids in the Kitchen” is part of the Royal Scots Family Day at Musselburgh racecourse on 28 September.

Malmö used to get a bad rap. Back in the olden days it was a grimy, industrial city filled with the sort of grimy, industrial stuff you’d normally find in such places. Fortunately, those days are long gone, and now clean and sparkling Malmö is giving Stockholm a run for its money. Some pundits disregard the city as a suburb of Copenhagen of sorts, but it’s precisely the proximity to Denmark that fuels Malmö’s cosmopolitan revival.

Since 1985 the city has been organizing the annual Malmö Festival, which as of now, is the largest free of charge cultural event in Sweden. This year’s festival is held on August 15 – 22, and as in the past is chock full of attractions to satisfy all tastes and interests – from food to film and music.

The food reflects Malmö’s ethnic diversity with offerings from Asia, Middle East, West Africa and Latin America. You can even try some exotic fusions like moose stir-fry, or reindeer kebabs. All in all, I have counted more than a hundred of different food options available this year.

The music program is just as diverse. Malmö’s own Arash is the top star (at least he would be to me - though some may say that the honor goes to Flogging Molly from the US), and the genres represented span everything from classical music to American hip-hop.

photo courtesy of Malmöfestivalen

When it comes to film, this year Malmö is trying something different – showing silent classics set to modern music. Personally, I’d like to see “The Battleship Potemkin” accompanied by a live punk performance by The Static, scheduled for Friday, August 22 at 7:30PM.

All events are free (though the food is not) thanks to the generous sponsorship of the city and many local businesses.

Because of Malmö’s proximity to Copenhagen, getting there is a snap – just hop on the train, the trip takes about 35 minutes and costs about 10 euros one way. In fact, it’s been estimated that the majority of festival visitors are indeed from across the Öresund strait. Unfortunately, the festival organizers can’t quite keep up with the event’s popularity and the English language section of the festival’s website provides only the most rudimentary, useless information.

Luckily, the official Malmö city website is excellent and filled with tips, tourist suggestions, and other handy bits of information, in English naturally.

The Royal Mile awaits…. Copyright Andrew Hayes

Edinburgh is ramping up preparations for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Prices are slightly higher than last year, with a typical show now costing between £6 and £10. You don’t have to break the budget to have fun though; in this year’s programme plenty of FREE shows! The following are some of my recommendations:

- Caledonian Folk & Blues at the Guildford: a well known ‘folknfun’ pub music scene at a great city centre pub

- Best of New Irish Comedy: a nod to our neighbours on the island next door, this is a great venue and will be a hit

- Laughing Horse Comedy Festival: known for the side-splitting comedy, this year’s agenda includes a plethora of alternate genres – definitely a must-see

- Best in Stand Up – 99 Club Royal Mile: five fabulous performers every night for almost the entire fringe! Guaranteed to sell out so get tickets for this one while they last

- The Stand Comedy Club: locals know this is THE place for comedy year round; during the festival they are offering two free shows, Devlin’s Daily and Free & Easy

- Fringe Sunday: held on August 10^th this year, Fringe Sunday gives everyone an excuse to stroll the Meadows and to see some of the best fringe acts in action

Check the programme guides for details on other free events; although all the events listed above are free, you might need to obtain tickets for entry due to limited venue capacity.

Free Fringe… possibly a pot of gold? Copyright Andrew Hayes

copyright Suchi

With a name like “Viva Musica!” you might think that you were attending one of those huge summer music festivals in Barcelona or Paris. But no, this outdoor offering of jazz and classical music takes place in a city quite on the other side of Europe. Welcome to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, which is the other, lesser known half of former duo Czechoslovakia. These concerts put a lively twist on classical, opera and jazz favorites and will be played in the city’s Main Square and the Old Town Hall courtyard, from July 24 through August 1. Only a few of the concerts playing on July 27-30 are not free, but tickets cost less than 4 pounds and are available to purchase at the Main Square. The city itself is rather inexpensive, so traipse around by tram or foot, or head down to the Danube River in between a lineup that will present musicians, both international and local, including Russian cellist Tatjana Vassiljeva, Argentinian songstress Sandra Rumolino, and local funky jazz group Bashavel.

Just a 2 hour (and 2 pounds!) bus ride west of the Golden City of Prague, the charming spa town of Karlovy Vary (also known as Karlsbad) is once again getting dressed up for its 43rd annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to take place July 4-July 12 2008.

by NoblePiranha

For 33 pounds, you receive a pass for the entire 9-day festival, which includes tickets to 3 screening per day and discounts or free entry to a host of events–concerts, exhibitions, theatre, etc–surrounding the flurry of films. Or you can pay just over 2 pounds to catch an individual screening. Known as the Cannes of central Europe, this fabulous festival features world-renowned filmmakers and actors each year, and this summer, guests include acclaimed actors Christopher Lee and Robert DeNiro among many others. Check out http://www.kviff.com/en for film schedule and more details.

Written by Suchi Rudra Vasquez

The year’s Umbria Jazz Festival takes place between 11 - 20 July 2008 in the beautiful Umbrian city of Perugia. I first heard of the Jazz Festival when we stayed at the Holiday Inn in Perugia in May 2008 as the hotel displays photos taken at the Festival in the public areas and the bedrooms,

Pallo in Piaizza Novembre by Enrico Maioli

The Festival has been running since 1973 and one of the highlights of year for jazz fans in Europe. Concerts take place at various locations around the historic city centre.

The 4th annual Border Green Festival will be taking place at the Five Arches playing fields in Berwick upon Tweed in North Northumberland on Sunday 29 June 2008.. There will be a free bus service from the railway station to the venue.

Border Green Festival 2007 with Royal Border Bridge in background

There will a variety of activities and workshops on offer such as a recycling game, art frame construction, organic gardening advice and displays, shadow puppet making and African drumming. Twelve local bands, including the Brigantines, will perform. There are stalls selling food and a beer tent. The admission charge for adults is £2, kids under 14 years of age enter free.