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7 of the world's quirkiest coastal celebrations

7 of the world's quirkiest coastal celebrations

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
There's no better way to tap into the soul of a destination than by diving headfirst into a local festival, when communities come alive in the most joyous ways — be it dancing, feasting or honouring a time-old tradition. Throw in a coastline, and the magic multiplies: the tang of salt in the air, the lure of the day's catch and a backdrop of shifting seascapes all heighten the atmosphere. 1. Fête du Citron, Menton, France
When: February
Locals in the French Riviera town of Menton have been cultivating citrus trees since the 16th century and, each February, they honour their beloved fruit with a two-week carnival. The entire town transforms into a surreal citrus wonderland, as giant sculptures fashioned from 150 tonnes of lemons and oranges are erected in the streets, depicting everything from sea creatures to historic monuments. As well as parades, there are visits to local producers and a host of citrus-centric dishes to try in Menton's restaurants. At the festival's end, any leftover lemons are turned into jam. 2. Fiesta de la Candelaria, Puno, Peru
When: February
Set on the shores of Lake Titicaca, Peru's Fiesta de la Candelaria is a blend of Indigenous rituals and traditions. During this two-week celebration, the town of Puno echoes with the competing sounds of folkloric bands who drum, dance, drink, sing and celebrate from morning until nightfall, when fireworks illuminate the skies. This is also a time of reverence, with homage paid to the Virgin of the Candelaria and Pachamama (Mother Earth). Festivities culminate with la diablada, the devil dance, performed by panpipe-playing dancers in Andean costumes and masks. Locals in the French Riviera town of Menton have been cultivating citrus trees since the 16th century. Photograph by Alamy; Hemis 3. Tremor, The Azores
When: April
Crank up the sound system — there are few neighbours to disturb at this music festival on the island of São Miguel, far out in the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Azores archipelago, the volcanic island's untouched beauty feels in keeping with the festival's underground, artsy vibe. The line-up includes both homegrown talent and experimental artists from abroad playing an eclectic medley of genres, from folk and jazz to psychedelic and rock. Performances and installations take place in unusual spots around the island, like churches and abandoned quarries, as well as beside thermal springs and volcanic lakes. 4. Songkran Festival, Thailand
When: April
Thailand's festival marking Buddhist New Year is a moment to cleanse and rejuvenate for the year ahead — locals clean their houses, offer scented waters to religious shrines and children wash the hands of their elders. On the streets, Songkran's traditions take on a more playful tone, in the form of an almighty water fight. Coastal areas like Phuket and Krabi turn into epic battlegrounds as locals use high-powered super soakers and water bombs to target passersby, including tourists. Aside from the waterworks, there's also music, traditional parades and temple ceremonies. 5. Trænafestivalen, Norway
When: July
Get ready for around-the-clock revelry at Trænafestivalen, a boundary-pushing music festival that makes the most of the 23 hours of daylight of Norway's summertime. Set on the isolated Træna islands, accessible only by ferry from mainland Norway, this festival promises a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to party in the Arctic Circle. A cutting-edge roster of world-class DJs and musicians perform in unforgettable locations, from dense forests to the cathedral-like cave of Kirkehelleren. While this year's line-up is still under wraps, past acts have included Charli xcx, Manu Chao and Damien Rice. Expect rock pool safaris, gig (rowing boats) racing, shipwreck tours, sunset swims, seal-spotting and kayaking at Cornwall's Ocean Scilly Festival within the Isles of Scilly. Photograph by Gareth Tibbs 6. Ocean Scilly Festival, Isles of Scilly, UK
When: August
The crystal-clear waters and white-washed beaches of Cornwall's Scilly Isles are the closest thing to paradise in the British Isles — no wonder its Ocean Festival, now in its third year, is already making waves. With events held across all five islands of the archipelago, some 30 miles off the Cornish coast, the festival celebrates the islands' rich maritime heritage. Expect rock pool safaris, gig (rowing boats) racing, shipwreck tours, sunset swims, seal-spotting and kayaking. Above water, the islands offer beautiful coastal walks and a bounty of wildflowers. 7. Hermanus Whale Festival, South Africa
When: September
After months in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean, hundreds of majestic southern right whales make their way to the warmer shores around Hermanus, a coastal spot 75 miles west of Cape Town, renowned as one of South Africa's best whale-watching locations. Its three-day, late September festival combines opportunities for whale sightings with an eco-minded programme of talks and exhibits that tell the story of local marine life and conservation efforts. Live music, seafood trucks and local arts and crafts fairs add to the festival's credentials. Published in the Coastal Collection 2025 by National Geographic Traveller (UK)
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).

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6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert
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6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). There's no better time to visit a new place than during a festival. These heightened moments, special points in the calendar, are when a culture reveals itself most vividly: town squares are festooned with flowers and draped in finery, people conceal themselves beneath extravagant costumes and wild-eyed masks, and the air is filled with the sound of music and the delicious smells of festival food. But beyond just being outwardly captivating, festivals are also fascinating portraits of human behaviour. While writing my book about festivals, Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity, I travelled from Indonesia to Ingol, Lancashire – and found that, across the world, festivals reflect certain universal patterns. The —sual rules of life are upended: social hierarchies dissolve, inhibitions are shed, and altered states of consciousness are pursued with relish. Whether you're a participant or an observer, the experience of a festival can be inspiring, life-affirming and, sometimes, transcendent. Here are six of the best festivals to visit across the world this summer. Summer solstice (20/21/22 June)It may have entered the horror pantheon thanks to the celebrated 2019 movie Midsommar, but there's nothing (too) scary about Scandinavia's real-life summer solstice celebrations, the most famous of which is to be found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. As many as 30,000 spectators descend on the town to watch locals, dressed in traditional white blouses, colourful dresses and floral wreaths, process from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a natural grassy amphitheatre. Here, they dance around a maypole covered in plants and flowers, singing folk songs which celebrate the warmth and light of the year's longest day. 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6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert
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6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert

One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. Festivals, when cultures reveals themselves most vividly, are some of the best times to visit a new destination — here are the six best summer festivals to travel to this summer. 6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). There's no better time to visit a new place than during a festival. These heightened moments, special points in the calendar, are when a culture reveals itself most vividly: town squares are festooned with flowers and draped in finery, people conceal themselves beneath extravagant costumes and wild-eyed masks, and the air is filled with the sound of music and the delicious smells of festival food. But beyond just being outwardly captivating, festivals are also fascinating portraits of human behaviour. While writing my book about festivals, Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity, I travelled from Indonesia to Ingol, Lancashire – and found that, across the world, festivals reflect certain universal patterns. The —sual rules of life are upended: social hierarchies dissolve, inhibitions are shed, and altered states of consciousness are pursued with relish. Whether you're a participant or an observer, the experience of a festival can be inspiring, life-affirming and, sometimes, transcendent. 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A primordial rooting in the earth and connection to the seasonal calendar — common to many of the Glastonbury area's festivals — is fostered by the event's timing close to the summer solstice, and bards, druids and pagans of all stripes can often be found gathered at the festival's very own stone circle — built not in 3000 BCE, but 1992. The festival's proximity to Glastonbury Tor, meanwhile, infuses the event with a touch of King Arthur mythology. And five miles from the festival site, many more solstice celebrants can be found at this green hill topped with a medieval tower, which is often identified with the mythical Isle of Avalon from Arthurian legend. In the nearby town of Glastonbury itself, meanwhile, celebrants gather at the Chalice Well, a sacred spring held in some legends to hide the Holy Grail. 3. Khareef Festival, Dhofar, Oman 21 June-20 September Every summer, in the Dhofar region of Oman's less-visited south, the desert blooms. 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All of which makes it somewhat surprising to turn up in the Noto Peninsula town of Ushitsu each July and find it consumed by the chaos and fury of the Abare Festival, a.k.a the 'Fire & Violence Festival'. Huge, beautiful lanterns, painted with mythological scenes and folktales, are painstakingly created throughout the year, only to be ritualistically destroyed by a band of drunk, loincloth-clad men, who smash the decorations against lampposts and pavements before burning them at the town's main shrine. This symbolic riot of rage has its origins in the 17th century, as a way to ward off disease. Before, during and after the main procession, much sake is consumed by participants and spectators alike. During Phuket's Vegetarian Festival, spirit mediums process through the streets of Phuket Old Town by the thousand with swords, skewers and other sharp objects stuck through their faces at all angles. Photograph by the Copyright of the Tourism Authority of Thailand 6. 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Daniel Stables is the author of Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity published by Icon Books (14 August 2025), RRP £20 National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click To subscribe to(UK) magazine click here .(Available in select countries only).

6 whisky distilleries to visit in Scotland this summer
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timea day ago

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This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Pagoda chimneys rising above pine-forested glens, the babble of a highland spring, the distinctive aroma of toasted malt — distilleries are far more than functional factories. Often set in spectacular settings, they're crucibles of living, breathing Scottish heritage. And many invite visitors inside to view bubbling mash tuns, gleaming copper stills and warehouses filled with oak barrels, revealing the almost alchemical process that turns a few simple, local ingredients — barley, yeast, spring water — into fiery, golden spirits. Monasteries were Scotland's first de facto distilleries, putting rain-soaked grain to good use, with the earliest recorded mention of this 'water of life' (uisge beatha in Gaelic) dating from 1494. Today, there are over 150 active distilleries nationwide, falling into five officially recognised regions. 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Small in size, but big on character, Deanston's unpretentious, experimental attitude has resulted in waxy, honeyed, full-bodied drams with a cult following — including a 15-year-old single malt finished in tequila casks. Deanston even looks different to most distilleries — the red-brick, riverside buildings were in fact an 18th-century cotton mill, before they were converted to whisky-making in 1966. The place still hums with hydropower: one of the greenest scotch brands around, the whisky here is made from organic grain sourced from local farmers. Book the Warehouse No 4 experience, in Deanston's former cooperage, for direct-from-cask tastings and an atmospheric whisky-ageing education. Or compare some of its Master Blender's favourite, hard-to-find past releases on the Old & Rare Tasting. How to do it: £25 per person (Distillery Tour); £40 per person (Warehouse No 4 Experience); £130 per person (Old & Rare Tasting). 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How to do it: Book well in advance for free, monthly open days (reservations essential); £250 per person (Port Ellen Reborn). Overlooking a sea loch on the myth-steeped Isle of Skye, Talisker's peaty whiskies are as rugged and elemental as its setting. Take the classic 10-Year-Old: a bracing ocean breeze on the nose, followed by black pepper and bonfire smoke. No wonder Talisker was one of Robert Louis Stevenson's reasons for calling whisky 'the king o' drinks'. Thanks to big investment from international drinks powerhouse Diageo, Talisker's raft of visitor experiences goes well beyond classic tours, including chocolate and whisky-pairing tastings, an offshoot of Michelin-recommended restaurant The Three Chimneys and a state-of-the-art visitor centre for multi-sensory storytelling about Talisker's wave-lashed heritage. Linger in the Campfire Bar for a dram or whisky-based cocktail — the venue sometimes hosts live folk music sets, too. 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