Festivals embody a country’s soul and mirror traditions that hark back to the beginning of its collective memory. Year in and year out, they are celebrated, perhaps now even with more gusto as people search for reasons to seize the moment in these volatile times. The party keeps growing as travel bodies and tour operators keenly promote these events to attract much-needed arrivals who may boost their economies. And among their targets are lucrative incentive groups.
MEET THE ROYALS
HARI RAYA IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
WHEN: From November 3 to 5 for this year.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? This three-day festival marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. On the first day, the menfolk head for the mosques to pray (the ladies and kids do so at home), but all don their colourful national dress. Later they partake in a spread of beloved traditional dishes such as satay, spicy beef rendang and rice cakes.
It is during this period that Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, flings its stately doors open to the public. This is also the only time that His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and the royal family greet their subjects and foreigners at the palace, which is said to be the world’s largest. The “open house” concept is an inextricable part of Bruneian culture, based on the village principle that everyone is welcomed warmly and generously.
THE PROGRAMME: Veteran tour operator Sunshine Borneo Tours & Travel offers interested travellers a peek into this gilded world via an experience that takes place during any of the three visiting days with the highlight being the royal audience, either in the morning or afternoon.
There is a strict protocol, however – the Sultan greets male visitors, while the Queen and her ladies greet the female guests. If you’re lucky, they might even strike up a conversation with you. A buffet, served by the Hyatt, which manages the palace complex, follows. As this is only a half-day visit, Sunshine Tours can add on other activities such as a river cruise, theme dinner or a browse around a local handicraft centre at the famous Water Village.
ACCOMMODATION: The choices include the sumptuous Empire Hotel & Country Club, Rizquan International Hotel, Centrepoint Hotel and Sheraton Utama Hotel.
PRICE: About US$200 per night, depending on the service level and group size is anywhere from four up to 300 persons.
CONTACT: Anthony Cheng at tel 673 244 6812 or email [email protected]
FRENCH FUN
CARNIVAL OF NICE IN NICE, FRANCE
WHEN: From February 27 to March 5, 2007.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? It’s French Riviera’s biggest winter bash. Rich in history, the carnival became more organised and bigger in 1873 when a steering committee was formed. These days, the city comes aglow for two weeks with a spectacle of fireworks, balls and masquerade parties, rock concerts and impromptu street performances enlivened by buskers and bands. The big parade features colourful paper mache giants that provide a wealth of photo ops. The carnival ends with a ceremonial lighting of the Carnival King’s effigy.
THE PROGRAMME: French incentive organiser LSO International has designed a seven-day programme based on the festivities. Upon arrival, participants are welcomed by a troupe of clowns, jugglers and men in stilts and led to the reception desk which is done up like a parade float. Bags of confetti and carnival paraphernalia are handed out.
The schedule is packed with activities, starting with a team assignment to produce the most striking photograph of the merrymaking, which will be projected on the big screen during the gala dinner. Another is a treasure hunt that allows guests the opportunity to explore the old town as they search for booty. The winning team gets to kiss the Carnival Queen and receive a purse full of Euros.
For the culminating dinner, guests will be asked to create their own costumes with the help of a bevy of makeup artists, stylists and prop masters. The evening’s entertainment will feature live band music and more carnival folk, including fortune tellers. The group will even vote for their own Carnival King and Queen. In addition to the week’s line up, a side tour to Menton, which stages the colourful Fete du Citron, can be arranged.
ACCOMMODATION: The client is provided with a list of hotels.
PRICE: Depending on hotel categories and type, length of stay and activities chosen. Group size is between two and 200.
CONTACT: Jingfang Zhan at tel 33 4 9238 5593 or email [email protected]
PADDLE POWER
DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL IN HONGKONG
WHEN: Fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar (usually in June).
WHAT'S SPECIAL? One of Hongkong’s most iconic events has taken on an international flavour with its main highlight, the Dragon Boat races attracting teams from countries far and near. Held at Stanley Beach or Shing Mun Pier in Shatin, it draws record crowds each year.
The festival’s origins recall the story of the respected statesman Qu Yuan, who lived in the corrupt Kingdom of Chu 2,000 years ago. Qu was accused by jealous rivals of treason, and thus, he was banished. Despairing and perhaps in protest of the injustice done to him, he threw himself in the Mi Lo River. The frenzied paddling of the race rowers re-enact the vain attempts of the fishermen who tried to save him, while the special rice-and-meat dumplings symbolise those which were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from nibbling at Qu’s body and appease his spirit.
THE PROGRAMME: Incentive operator MV Destination Management organises a four- to six-day tour incorporating the Dragon Boat Festival. This begins with a trip to a boat-building factory, moving on to a special dim sum lunch including sampling the glutinous rice dumpling and followed by an afternoon briefing on the rules and techniques of the sport with a try at actually paddling a boat. On race day itself, the activity normally just entails watching the proceedings spiced with a picnic lunch. But more sportsminded clients, keen to participate, are welcome to do so, provided they registered earlier with the organisers. For the group’s private fun – incidentally a great team-building exercise – a boat race of their own can be easily arranged.
ACCOMMODATION: A choice of four- and five-star hotels available.
PRICE: Approximately US$1,200 per person for a minimum of four days. Group size is between 20 and 100.
CONTACT: Clemson Lo at tel 852 2735 8118 or email [email protected]
SNOW FROLICS
WINTER FESTIVAL IN QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND
WHEN: Around July.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? Nothing beats winter in scenic New Zealand, especially in Queenstown where the Remarkables mountain range and piercing blue skies serve as the backdrop to the Winter Festival, an enduring event that has been running since 1975.
Visitors are spoilt for choice with an amazing range of activities including jet boating, mountain biking, sculpting snowmen and ice hockey. And there are street parties, fireworks display, glitzy balls and live concerts galore.
THE PROGRAMME: Incentive and team building specialist Dinamics Destination Management suggests that groups arrive in time for the festival’s opening to witness the magnificent fireworks over Lake Wakatipu, after which, they can have an equally spectacular dinner at a hotel restaurant. It also recommends participating in any of these festival events:
• The International Whisky for a sampling of the world’s best brands.
• Dog races at Coronet Peak to enjoy a spirited multi-event derby of shepherds and their hardworking mutts zoom down the slopes, followed by an obstacle course and finally, a canine version of New Zealand Idol (yes, really), complete with a panel of judges.
• Lindauer Jazz night for an exciting mix of jazz, dub (a form of Jamaican music), funk and soul.
• Mediterranean culinary inspiration, a food experience conducted by Ray McVinnie, an accomplished food writer, presenter, chef, editor, judge, lecturer, stylist and cuisine consultant.
• Celebrity Ball, a black-tie event that offers the opportunity to dance the night away.
?Those wanting to get away from the crowds for a few hours can fly to Milford Sound and try their dexterity handling a snow mobile or tour the local wineries.
ACCOMMODATION: The five-star Sofitel Hotel in the heart of the town is highly recommended. It’s the venue for the New Zealand Art Exhibit during the festival.
PRICE: Depending on the programme, services and activities required. Recommended group size is from 10 to 150 persons.
CONTACT: Alastair McIlwrick at tel 64 3 441 4412 or email [email protected]
THE ALL BLACKS
ATI-ATIHAN IN KALIBO, AKLAN IN CENTRAL PHILIPPINES
WHEN: Third weekend of January.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? Known to be the wildest of Philippine fiestas, the Ati-Atihan mardi gras is staged ironically to honour the angelic Santo Nino or Holy Infant Jesus. Celebrants daub their faces with black soot to resemble the Ati – the country’s indigenous people – and wear bright fantastic costumes as they dance in abandon (sometimes non-stop) during the last three days of this two-week festival.
The first day of revelry begins with a Mass, a reminder perhaps by the Church to the faithful not to forget the religious nature of the festival. The sign to party is then heralded by rhythmic, insistent, intoxicating drumbeats which initiate a tumult of writhing and gyrating by the crowd that shouts from time to time: “Viva kay Senor Sto Nino!”
The second day begins at dawn with a rosary procession and ends again with Mass. Merrymaking resumes. The final day features the main event – a parade of “tribes”, each trying to outdo the other in creativity and some, plain outlandishness, using every conceivable material, from seashells to sugar cane and from beads to bamboo. Images of the Christ Child, all lavishly and lovingly garbed by parishioners, are also paraded. Winners for best costume are announced at the masquerade ball that brings the festival to a close.
THE PROGRAMME: Local incentives operator T.R.I.P.S. offers a five-day incentive Ati-Atihan package, consisting of two nights in Kalibo and Boracay island. During the festival, participants are encouraged to get into the spirit, donning costumes and putting soot on their faces (unless they want passers-by to do it for them – all in the name of fun!). Other activities include a ride on a three-wheeled motorcycle with a uniformed driver who ferries them to a local museum, followed by a visit to a village where they can observe pineapple weaving and a tour of a mangrove farm with lunch.
ACCOMMODATION: Sampaguita Gardens Resort Hotel in Kalibo and Boracay Regency in Boracay Island.
PRICE: Rates were not available at press time.
CONTACT: Loubelle G Mercado at tel 63 2 811 4163 or email [email protected]
SOUND OF MUSIC
FESTIVAL DE VIEILLES CHARRUES IN BRITTANY, FRANCE
WHEN: July each year.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? This is Europe’s biggest music event, attracting about 18,000 spectators during the three- to four-day run. The festival site in the Keramphuihl Fields, Carhaix measures 32,060sq m, while the campsite and carparks are over 120,225sq m each. There are three stages, all of them enormous, but there’s also lots to enjoy by way of countless street performances.
The festival started more than 10 years ago as a small, community-led project. Today, it is the music event of Europe, welcoming some 80 bands with about 500 media professionals covering the event. What’s unique about this festival is its ability to attract a diversity of performers, from big international groups to up-and-coming musicians of all persuasions. This year, celebrity guests included Placebo, Johnny Hallyday and Tracy Chapman.
THE PROGRAMME: French tour operator and corporate event organiser Syltours Incoming can incorporate the event as part of a larger Paris incentive programme, allocating two nights for the festival.
ACCOMMODATION: Stays in local homes as hotel rooms in Carhaix are scarce during this period.
PRICE: Depending on the type of accommodation and number of nights. It’s advisable that booking should be made way in advance in view of the popularity of this event.
CONTACT: Armand Brajtman at tel 33 1 5538 1122 or email [email protected]
LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT
LOI KRATHONG FESTIVAL ALONG CHAO PHRAYA RIVER, BANGKOK, THAILAND
WHEN: From November 1 to 15.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? The one-day festival is celebrated all over Thailand, with variations in different regions. Said to be Brahmin in origin, the observance has become part of Buddhist rituals, which devotees perform as an act of reverence and worship of the sacred footprints of Lord Buddha. In other instances, it’s seen as a thanksgiving to the water goddess for providing life-sustaining water throughout the year.
Celebrated every 15th day of the waxing moon in the 12th lunar month, the Loi Krathong festival celebrates traditions handed down from the days when Sukhothai was once the capital of ancient Thailand. The main event is the release into the Chao Phraya River and its waterways of the krathong (little swan-shaped boats) or blooming lotus flowers with lanterns or incense placed within. Activities start from 1000 to 2100 and feature exhibitions on Loi Krathong customs, handicraft fairs, musical fountain displays and food stalls. Fireworks on this day are seen to equate the act of lighting candles for worship, and hence the preponderance of pyrotechnics kingdom-wide.
THE PROGRAMME: Companies like Hongkong-based Swire Travel can custom-make an incentive itinerary incorporating the Loi Krathong. Many of the five-star hotels along the river such as the newly-opened Millennium Hilton, Peninsula, Oriental, Bangkok Resort & Spa, Shangri-La and Royal Orchid Sheraton benefit from the festivities, offering special dinners and a vantage point from where to view the dramatic ceremonies.
An evening dinner cruise can likewise be arranged and is very popular with both locals and tourists alike. Hence, early bookings are strongly recommended and guests are warned of the surcharges levied by ground handlers due to the peak season.
PRICE: Minimum stay is from one night onwards. Hilton charges from US$210 for a Deluxe River View Room with breakfast.
CONTACT: Teresa Yuen, Destinations & Events Management, tel 852 3151 8790 or email [email protected]
COME TO THE FAIR
KHUTSOT HAYOTSER INTERNATIONAL ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR IN JERUSALEM
WHEN: Usually in August from 1800 to 2300 daily (except Friday) and Saturday from the end of Sabbath until midnight. This year, it was held from August 8 to 19 at Jerusalem’s Khutsot Hayotser Arts and Crafts Center and the Merrill Hassenfeld Ampitheater in the Sultan’s Pool, opposite the Tower of David at the foot of the Old City Walls.
WHAT'S SPECIAL? The fair has become a Jerusalem tradition after running for the past 30 years and is a huge tourist attraction in the summer. Not only will visitors find an Israeli pavilion showcasing the works of the country’s best artists and artisans but also others exhibiting talents from various parts of the world. Musical and dance performances take place on the main stage near the Sultan’s Pool.
THE PROGRAMME: Ophir Tours can tailor programmes to suit any incentive group’s requirements. In addition, it can arrange a tour of Ein Karem (Arabic for “spring of the vineyard”), a picturesque village located approximately eight kilometres southwest of Jerusalem (indirectly mentioned in the Bible as the home of Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, and birthplace of their son John the Baptist) and the vineyards dotting the hills of Jerusalem, organise ceramic classes including a spin at a potter’s wheel and book a son et lumière presentation by the ancient walls.
ACCOMMODATION: American Colony Hotel or Mount Zion Hotel, both unique, deluxe hotels next to the Old City. The first property has hosted many celebrities and dignitaries, while the second is steeped in history – the original structure was built in 1882 and enjoys the best view of Mount Zion and King David’s tomb.
PRICE: Depending on the client’s specifications.
CONTACT: Zohar Marom at tel 852 6475 6707 or email [email protected]
