Latest news with #culturalfestivals
Times
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The opening of San Fermin Festival in Pamplona — and other news in pictures
Times picture editors select the best images from around the world, including the Jane Austen Regency Country Fair. Which is your favourite? The Times The Times Fireworks over Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which stayed open until late to allow punters to ride their favourite rollercoasters by night GREGG WOLSTENHOLME/BAV MEDIA The Calgary Stampede in Canada is hosted on the territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy of First Nations and includes the world's largest outdoor rodeo as well as stand-up comedy and Nashville country music AMY HARRIS/INVISION/AP Children choose kittens for adoption during the AdoptMe Days festival in Kyiv, Ukraine, where more than 50 shelters, animal-protection organisations and volunteers introduced visitors to rescued animals SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES DANNY LAWSON/PA Tibetan women in Kathmandu, Nepal each carry a ceremonial khata, a scarf woven from pure cotton, as a symbol of devotion to gift to their spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, on his 90th birthday NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP Blythe Scott prepares for Joy, her solo show of paintings of the east coast of Scotland, at the Morningside Gallery in Edinburgh PHIL WILKINSON Still waters at Leigh-on-Sea in Essex on Saturday before thunderstorms rolled across the county on Sunday BEN JONES FOR THE TIMES Children in costume parade on the streets of Dakar in Senegal as part of the Tamkharite celebrations, in which local culture combines with the Sunni Muslim festival of Ashura to celebrate the day when Moses and the Israelites were saved from the tyranny of the Pharaoh in Egypt CARMEN ABD ALI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Pygmy goats at the Dalscone Farm outdoor park in Dumfries have gone viral after pictures were posted online of them wearing knitted hats to keep them warm during chilly weather Participants stroll along the parade route in eye-catching outfits during Cologne Pride THILO SCHMUELGEN/REUTERS A telephoto lens makes the moon appear giant above the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shanghai Summer 2025 opens with global invitation
SHANGHAI, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from The 2025 Shanghai Summer International Consumption Season — or simply Shanghai Summer — opened on July 4, bringing citywide experiences to international and local audiences alike. Running through October, the annual event celebrates the energy of summer in Shanghai with a dynamic mix of culture, travel, sports and entertainment. The inaugural edition of Shanghai Summer last year proved a hit — seeing a 42.2 percent year-on-year increase in international visitors and a 68.2 percent jump in foreign bank card spending. This year, the momentum continues: In the first five months alone, the city welcomed over 3.4 million inbound travelers, up 37.7 percent from the same period last year. Sales of tax-free goods reached 1.4 billion yuan ($195.72 million), representing a whopping 84.9 percent year-on-year rise. This year's Shanghai Summer is focusing on making the city more welcoming and memorable for global guests. Activities are being tailored to different regions — including Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America — to reflect diverse interests and travel habits. From cultural festivals and family adventures to sports and live music, the season aims to capture every shade of summer. Flagship events will be rolled out in two phases. The months of July and August center on family vacations and summer holidays, while September and October shift towards cultural programs and major international sporting events. A lineup of 10 marquee events will headline the season, including: LEGO World Play Day Shanghai Disney Resort Summer-themed Celebrations Shanghai Summer International Anime Month Shanghai Tourism Festival Vocation Summer Shanghai MISA Music Festival Shanghai International Light Festival 2025 World Rowing Championships Rolex Shanghai Masters SS2026 Shanghai Fashion Week FISE World Series Shanghai In addition to these large-scale events, the city is introducing a range of customized experiences based on what international travelers care most about — from pop culture and fitness to traditional Chinese aesthetics and urban discoveries. These include: Pop Mart's Summer of Trendy Toys event 2025 Lululemon Summer Sweat Games Disney's summer celebration series Yuyuan Garden Mall's Summer Garden Music Concerts West Bund (WB Central) Summer International Cultural Carnival Limited-edition products from Shanghai time-honored brands To support these experiences, Shanghai is rolling out 15 new themed service packages to make inbound travel smoother and more convenient — especially under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. These include discounted flights from China Eastern Airlines, car ride services from Didi, hotel offers from Jin Jiang International and Marriott, itinerary planning via the HiChina app, English maps from Amap, multilingual food recommendations on Dianping and the multi-use Shanghai Pass. Two major upgrades will enhance the visitor experience: A more accessible tax refund system for departing travelers and the Easy Go one-stop digital platform — which streamlines services for food, lodging, transport, shopping and entertainment. For more information: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Shanghai Summer 2025 opens with global invitation
SHANGHAI, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from The 2025 Shanghai Summer International Consumption Season — or simply Shanghai Summer — opened on July 4, bringing citywide experiences to international and local audiences alike. Running through October, the annual event celebrates the energy of summer in Shanghai with a dynamic mix of culture, travel, sports and entertainment. The inaugural edition of Shanghai Summer last year proved a hit — seeing a 42.2 percent year-on-year increase in international visitors and a 68.2 percent jump in foreign bank card spending. This year, the momentum continues: In the first five months alone, the city welcomed over 3.4 million inbound travelers, up 37.7 percent from the same period last year. Sales of tax-free goods reached 1.4 billion yuan ($195.72 million), representing a whopping 84.9 percent year-on-year rise. This year's Shanghai Summer is focusing on making the city more welcoming and memorable for global guests. Activities are being tailored to different regions — including Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America — to reflect diverse interests and travel habits. From cultural festivals and family adventures to sports and live music, the season aims to capture every shade of summer. Flagship events will be rolled out in two phases. The months of July and August center on family vacations and summer holidays, while September and October shift towards cultural programs and major international sporting events. A lineup of 10 marquee events will headline the season, including: In addition to these large-scale events, the city is introducing a range of customized experiences based on what international travelers care most about — from pop culture and fitness to traditional Chinese aesthetics and urban discoveries. These include: To support these experiences, Shanghai is rolling out 15 new themed service packages to make inbound travel smoother and more convenient — especially under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. These include discounted flights from China Eastern Airlines, car ride services from Didi, hotel offers from Jin Jiang International and Marriott, itinerary planning via the HiChina app, English maps from Amap, multilingual food recommendations on Dianping and the multi-use Shanghai Pass. Two major upgrades will enhance the visitor experience: A more accessible tax refund system for departing travelers and the Easy Go one-stop digital platform — which streamlines services for food, lodging, transport, shopping and entertainment. For more information: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE
Wall Street Journal
27-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
The Art Market Needs a Boost. It Thinks the Middle East Is the Answer.
Auction houses, dealers and advisers are betting on the Middle East to play an outsized role in the next art-market turnaround. Despite a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Iran and unstable pockets elsewhere in the region, the art world thinks it's time to capitalize on the Middle East as a major art destination. Sotheby's conducted its first sale in Saudi Arabia a few months ago, after receiving an infusion of around $1 billion from Abu Dhabi sovereign-wealth fund ADQ last year. Swiss art fair Art Basel is preparing to launch its next edition in Qatar, the tiny emirate that also recently landed a coveted spot to build a permanent national pavilion in the garden of the prestigious Venice Biennale. Private art-consulting firms are already cozying up to the region's sovereign families who have long championed and sometimes bankrolled various cultural festivals and institutions.
Zawya
04-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Oman: Nakhal Fort becomes a hotspot for tourists
Nakhal: Nakhal Fort is one of the key tourism landmarks in South Al Batinah. The fort received, during the past few years, the attention and care of citizens and tourists, something that contributed to the cultural movement and tourism and empowered the youth and the participation of women and supported the crafts of the local community and tourism in the Wilayat of Nakhal. The operation of the fort in 2023, when the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism signed a 25- year agreement on the management of the fort with Nakhal Ahlia Investment Company, which gave the company the right to transform the fort into a tourism and entertainment destination that cope with the topography of the area and the Omani identity. The operators have, since 2023, launched different programmes and activities to change the fort into a must-visit destination throughout the year. Saud bin Khalfan Al Kindi, Chief Executive Officer of Nakhal Ahlia Investment Company, said that the number of visitors from within and outside the Sultanate of Oman to the fort amounted to 11,274 during the first quarter of 2025 including 1,731 Omanis and 9,543 visitors from other countries, in addition to 5,986 children aged below 7 years and school students who visited the fort free of charge. He said that the number of activities / events organised amounted to 10 covering all community programmes up to the end of March 2025. Following the agreement signing, the Nakhal Fort has changed into a ground for the cultural festivals and celebrations. After the completion of the renovation works, the fort hosted the First Nakhal Fort Forum, he said, adding that the activities at the fort also included interactive educational programmes for the youth and children. Nakhal Ahlia Investment Company boosted the efforts accorded on the fort through partnerships with institutions concerned with education and heritage and joint cooperation agreement signed in April 2025 with Oman Memory Centre for the launch of a permanent exhibition at the fort to shed light on biographies of Omani figures in the Wilayat of Nakhal. The exhibition would acquaint the visitors with over 100 prominent personalities including judges, scholars and book copy writers who were well known during the past centuries for serving the national heritage and their valuable manuscripts, documents and possessions. Organised by Oman Film Society, the fort also hosted the Al Batinah International Film Festival and also organised fine art exhibitions. The Omani women association participated, along with the members of the local community, in the different programmes and activities of the fort. Al Kindi said that Nakhal Ahlia Investment Company intends to introduce new cultural initiatives, workshops, seminars and forums. © Muscat Media Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
