Everyone loves a party, especially us here at The Good Travel Company. In fact, we believe that there's no better way to get to know a place and its people than by taking part in local festivals.
Festivals are a great way to acknowledge the local creative community - from comedians in Melbourne to nomadic bands in Mali - and to get a better understanding of the local culture. You're also pretty much guaranteed to have a fantastic time.
So we've chosen some lesser-known festivals to add to your calendar. After all, you don't need us to tell you that Rio is a great place to be at carnival time or that Glastonbury rocks. But did you know that Zanzibar hosts a film festival? Or that there's a fantastic free world music festival held annually in Essaouira, Morocco?
We hope you enjoy our selection and we'll keep working to add other festivals to the list too. Let us know if you think we've forgotten an amazing event that's worth listing and make sure to send us your first-hand reports from festivals that you've been to. After all, we'd hate to miss out on a party.
FIESTA TIME!
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Gwana and World Music Festival - Essaouira, MoroccoRub shoulders with the film elite from East Africa, Asia and Europe as well as world class musicians and performing artists for ten days of film, art and celebration within the magical streets of Zanzibar's Stone Town
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Naadam - Nadaam and Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaoThis annual event brings together the country's best athletes for three days of competition in the "manly sports" of archery, wrestling and horse racing.
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Il Palio - Siena, ItalyWitness the mayhem and madness that comes with Siena's legendary bareback horserace with a ringside seat at Il Palio. Every year on July 2 and August 16 the town erupts into a frenzy of festivities in anticipation - and celebration - of the 90 second dash around the boundary of the city's famous Piazza del Campo.
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The Festival of the Dhow Countries - Zanzibar, TanzaniaRub shoulders with the film elite from East Africa, Asia and Europe at this 10 day film and arts festival held annually in the first half of July. The majority of films and events are held at a handful of locations within Zanzibar's Stone Town.