Festival season is upon us, providing the perfect reason for a getaway this fall or winter. Whether it’s seafood in Rhode Island, peanuts in Lower Alabama or Celtic culture in Nova Scotia, there’s always something worth celebrating at a destination worth exploring. Here are nine we recommend.
Celtic Colours International Festival
Rugged and majestic Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, celebrates its living Celtic culture each fall with the Celtic Colours International Festival. Inspired by the island’s multicultural mix of Scottish, Irish and French traditions brought by early settlers who were, in turn, influenced by the indigenous Mi’kmaq, this is mainly a music festival with concerts, dancing exhibitions and workshops. Events are held in communities spread across the island over a nine-day period beginning on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend just in tine to see the leaves change colors. Cabot Cape Breton resort, known for its scenic seaside golf links, is offering the October Celtic Experience package ($160 and up) that coincides with the dates of the festival. The package includes live entertainment on the grounds nightly, a $25 food and beverage credit and in-room welcome beverages. Golf is extra.
Oct. 11-19. Ticket prices vary. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. 888-355-7744, celtic-colours.com.
Credit: ExploreAsheville.com
Credit: ExploreAsheville.com
Lovely Asheville Annual Fall Festival
West Asheville’s Carrier Park, located along the French Broad River Greenway and centered around a velodrome that was once a motor car speedway in the 1960s and a small airport in the 1920s, is the ideal home for Lovely Asheville Annual Fall Festival. Its mission is to celebrate the natural beauty of the Asheville area and encourage ecological preservation. It’s also all about celebrating what’s local. A music stage will host local bands playing a variety of musical genres and dance group performances, while local small businesses and artisans sell food, fashions, arts and crafts. The closest lodging option is the Wrong Way River Lodge and Cabins ($200 and up, www.wrongwaycampground.com) across the road within easy walking distance to the park.
Oct. 12-13. Free. 220 Amboy Road, Asheville, North Carolina. 828-333-4875, lovelyasheville.com.
Credit: undefined
Credit: undefined
Krewe of Boo! Halloween Parade
Get in the spooky spirit of the season at New Orleans’ official Halloween parade put on by the Krewe of Boo! The parade and its attendant events has the feel and spirit of Mardi Gras but with more zombies, ghouls and ghosts. Beginning at sunset on Saturday, it’s a family friendly event. Kids are encouraged to bring bags to collect all the throws from parade floats. The parade route runs from Faubourg Marigny through the French Quarter and downtown to the Warehouse District. VIP viewing party locations will be set up at three spots along the route with private balconies serving food and drinks. The Zombie Run takes place Saturday morning when costumed participants run, walk and crawl along a two-mile route trying to avoid roller derby zombie killers. Other events scheduled for the weekend are the Royal Luncheon at Galatoire’s Restaurant on Friday, followed by the Jazz Second Line Parade, and the Monster Mash on Saturday evening, a post-parade costume party.
Oct. 18-19. Free. VIP viewing parties $125 and up. Various locations in New Orleans. 504-233-2831, www.kreweofboo.com.
Credit: Bowen's Wharf
Credit: Bowen's Wharf
Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival
Bowen’s Wharf in the deep-water harbor town of Newport, Rhode Island, has played a part in the maritime history of the nation since the Colonial era, first as a thriving international seaport, and today as a sailing capital. Get a glimpse of this history — and many period waterfront buildings — at the 33rd annual Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival. Colorful big-top tents are set up directly on the wharf where seafood vendors will serve the freshest catches, and local bands will perform folk, surf, rock, blues and Caribbean music. Expect lobster rolls, chowder, calamari, oysters and local specialties such as stuffies, large stuffed quahog clams. The wharf is also home to numerous seafood restaurants, which will be open during the festival serving special dishes for the occasion.
Oct. 19-20. Free admission. 1 Bowen’s Landing, Newport, Rhode Island. 401-849-2243, bowenswharf.com.
Credit: Visit Franklin County
Credit: Visit Franklin County
Blue Ridge Folklife Festival
If you want to experience what life and culture was like in 19th century Appalachian farm communities, this is the place to do it. Held on the grounds of Ferrum College in the mountains of Southwest Virginia and presented by the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival is a living heritage event showcasing the folkways of the region passed down through generations. Taste real moonshine while hearing old moonshining tales; listen to authentic mountain music played on acoustic instruments; sample traditional foods; and watch sheep dogs herd their flock. Coon dog contests including races across a pond and jumping over mules are a highlight. The farmstead buildings appear as though they did in 1800. If you can’t make this one-day festival, the self-guided museum exhibits are open year round.
Oct. 26. $12. 20 Museum Drive, Ferrum, Virginia. 540-365–4416, blueridgeinstitute.org/blue-ridge-folklife-festival.
Banff Centre Mountain Film & Book Fest
Held on the campus of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and select locations in downtown Banff surrounded by the soaring peaks of the Canadian Rockies, this festival focuses on films about outdoor adventure and exploration. The 49th annual event will feature dozens of screenings, speakers, exhibitions and the return of the Festival Marketplace featuring festival-themed books, handmade goods by local artisans, mountain gear and apparel, plus food and beverages. Film screenings will be announced on Oct. 3. Scheduled speakers include Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, the first Nepali women to become an international mountain guide, and bestselling Canadian American author John Vaillant, among others with thrilling outdoorsy tales to tell and films to share.
Oct. 26-Nov. 3. $20 and up. 107 Tunnel Mountain Drive, Banff, Alberta, Canada. 403-762-6100, www.banffcentre.ca/film-fest.
Choctaw Powwow
November is Native American Heritage Month and a good place to kick it off is at the Choctaw Powwow produced by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Widely considered one of the largest and best powwows in the country, it’s held at the Choctaw Event Center across the road from the Choctaw Casino and Resort-Durant ($159 and up, www.choctawcasinos.com/durant). A spectacle of sight and sound, it’s become an international event streaming to more than 100 countries while drummers and dancers representing 65 tribes from around the United States and Canada compete for top purses ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 in multiple dancing and drumming categories.
Nov. 1-3. $12. Choctaw Event Center: 3702 Choctaw Road, Durant, Oklahoma. 833-708-9582, choctawculturalcenter.com/powwow.
Credit: undefined
Credit: undefined
National Peanut Festival
The peanut is one of Alabama’s top agricultural crops, a fact celebrated during harvest season at the National Peanut Festival. Held in the city of Dothan in lower Alabama — or “LA” as locals are fond of saying — this multifaceted 10-day festival has its own fairgrounds with an amphitheater and feels more like a state fair than a local celebration of peanut farmers. There’s a midway with carnival rides and other amusements, classic fair food, animal attractions, car shows, parades, concerts and the expected agricultural exhibits, shows and contests. Save money by purchasing the festival’s MegaPass that includes gate admission and a ride armband, only available for purchase before opening day.
Nov. 1-10. $10 daily gate admission, $25 and up ride armbands, $30 advance MegaPass. 5622 U.S. 231 S., Dothan, Alabama. 334-793-4323, www.nationalpeanutfestival.com.
Credit: Super Girl Surf Pro
Credit: Super Girl Surf Pro
Super Girl Surf Pro Jacksonville
The Super Girl Surf Pro series will make a stop in Jacksonville Beach the second weekend of November. Centered around qualifying events for the World Surf League championship for female professional surfers, the event has grown into a full-blown sports, lifestyle and music festival celebrating women in activities where they are traditionally underrepresented. While watching more than 100 pros compete in the big breaking waves next to the Jacksonville Beach Pier and Seawalk Pavilion, attendees can join fitness classes, hear motivational speakers, take in concerts, compete in gaming contests and shop and eat from women-owned businesses in the festival village.
Nov. 8-10. Free. 503 1st St. N., Jacksonville Beach, Florida. www.supergirljax.com.
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