Uncover Dublin’s dark side with Bram Stoker Festival

Gothic ghouls, marauding vampires and dancing zombies are just some of the creatures that will prowl the streets of Dublin during the Bram Stoker Festival in October (24–27), when the city takes a look at its darker side.

Inspired by the Dublin-born horror novelist and his creation – Count Dracula – the annual festival returns this year with the aim of awakening the city’s gothic heart.

This great festival will encompass indoor and outdoor events, from large-scale spectacles to intimate performances in unusual spaces, a whole range of film and literary presentations, concerts, cookery and even something for children to get their teeth into.

The focus of this year’s festival is to take the events out into the public domain with street spectacles and ‘happen-upon’ events. Expanding on the vampire themes that Dracula and Bram Stoker inspire, the festival this year focuses on the Goth and the Gothic, with film documentaries, concerts, and premieres exploring the 1980s’ Goth music era.

Those who love a good scare will enjoy being grabbed by ghouls and spooked by spectres as they walk through Dublin’s streets.

There will also be an opportunity to get involved in an unusual dance-off between Zombies and Goths, when choreographer Megan Kennedy gathers hundreds of volunteers to take part in a thrilling walk through the city.

The first event to be revealed from the 2014 festival literary strand is the world famous Literary Death Match. The event will see four authors pitch their words and wits in literary battle and comedic irreverence in front of a panel of three ’expert’ judges.

Junior vampire fans are invited to Dracula’s Basement Spooky Sounds Laboratory and to the Minnie & the Illywackers Family Halloween Concert featuring Dracula inspired songs, sounds and gothic pumpkins.

A Gothic Masquerade Ball, Blood Food cookery classes and trips into the Underworld of Dublin City make up more of the festival’s macabre menu of events.

The Bram Stoker Festival is the perfect run-up to Halloween, cloaking Dublin’s streets, churches, castles, libraries, galleries, cinemas and squares in a highly enjoyable programme of gothic and Dracula-inspired events.

It is also a ‘super’natural kicker for the wide-ranging and super cool Dublin Festival Season, Ireland.

************************************************************************************

Note: The British Irish Visa Scheme will first be available to nationals of India and China. It will operate through a reciprocal visa arrangement, whereby Ireland and the UK recognise short-stay visas issued by the other for travel to their jurisdiction. This will allow the holder of such a visa issued by the country of first arrival thereafter to travel freely between Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland, for the duration of that visa. 

Rafting season in Rishikesh begins!

Exactly this time ten years ago, i was busy preparing myself for the 8-day white-water rafting expedition in the dead of winter in Rishikesh. 

It was going to be very cold and wet. But i knew i just had to do it. And so, without overthinking, I booked my train tickets and paid my advance. And i know i would have regretted it if i hadn't.

Rafting down the great Ganga is a must. But an expedition is what really gives you the feel of it. 

Rishikesh, the mecca of white-water rafting in India, is where this adventure sport has seen its beginnings and growth. The upper valley tributaries of the Ganga, the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi are reasonable expedition level rivers. They meet at Devprayag to form the Ganga, which for the next 35 km to Kaudiyala is another day trip in itself. The 35km stretch of the river from Kaudiyala to Rishikesh is the commercial white-water hub in India.

When in Wales...

There’s always something going on in Wales - there’s food and drinks, arts and literature, music and a range of fun and quirky events planned all over Wales. So hop on to the next flight and enjoy all these events in Wales!

SEPTEMBER 2014

Mold Food and Drink Festival – 20 to 21 Sept, 2014

Mold, Wales

There will be inspirational cookery demonstrations, interactive foodie workshops, live music and children’s entertainment – the perfect recipe for a fabulous foodie weekend the whole family will enjoy!  

Great British Cheese Festival – 26 to 28 Sept 2014

Cardiff Castle, Wales

The Great British Cheese Festival is first and foremost a showcase for cheesemakers. The aim is to provide a quality experience for visitors in which they can enjoy the huge variety of British Cheeses on offer and engage with the makers to discover more about their various processes. The event relies upon the attendance of the cheesemakers supported of course by the many other quality producers on site.

OCTOBER 2014

THE DYLAN THOMAS 100 Trilogy Project – 4 to 18 Oct, 2014

Swansea, Wales

Three events within the annual Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts two-week programme celebrating the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth. The Wales premiere of A Dylan Thomas Trilogy by John Corigliano, A Festival commission of Llareggub by Swansea-born international composer Karl Jenkins in celebration of his 70th birthday & The Music in the Words. An outreach project for 30 Swansea schools, developed by Ty Cerdd and managed by Swansea's Arts in Education team. 

Do Not Go Gentle Festival – 24 to 26 Oct, 2014

Dylan Thomas Birthplace, the Garage, Mozart's, the Chattery,St. James Social Club, Noah's Yard ,Wales

Do Not Go Gentle aims to be a festival that he might have liked, including music, literature, comedy and film it combines cosy and atmospheric venues with acts that could have inspired and amused Dylan in his day. 

Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival – 25 to 26 Oct, 2014

Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival has grown to become one of the most popular events of its kind in Wales.  Thousands flock to the market town each year to sample the high quality artisan produce available, with only one factor ever putting a dampener on proceedings – and even larger attendance figures – the often inclement October weather.

Conwy Feast – late Oct 2014

Conwy, Wales

They are more than simply a food festival and our exciting programme includes going all out to help their visitors grow their own food. Their trees, bees and farming marquee – with its farmyard of live animals – will include lots of advice and info on growing your own fruit and vegetables. Look out for talks and advice from some of Wales’ greenest-fingered garden experts.

NOVEMBER 2014

Barry Island Firework Fiesta – 5 Nov 2014

Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

The Rotary Club of Barry is set to stage an exceptional evening of fun and fireworks. The event will be on whatever the weather, so ignore any rumours to the contrary. By agreement with Pendragon Firework, based here in Wales, this year’s display should be bigger and better than ever. Go along and enjoy yourselves in what promises to be a wonderful evening of fun, fireworks and music.

Real Ale Wobble – 15 to 16 Nov, 2014

LLANWRTYD WELLS, Wales

Whether you are a hardened mountain biker or a fun rider who happens to like a drop of real ale, The Real Ale Wobble will be right up your street! The wobble is a non competitive event marking the beginning of a 10 day Mid Wales Beer Festival.

Waterfront Winterland – 14 Nov 2014 to 4 Jan 2015

Swansea, Wales

Lighting up the skyline this winter is the amazing Sky Ridealong with some brand new festive funfair rides. Ice skating is still top of the bill with two fantastic outdoor ice rinks – the Admiral Rink and a children’s rink, plus Santa’s Grotto and an indoor café – all the ingredients for a perfect day out! 

Christmas Market – 22 to 23 Nov 2014

Pembroke Castle, Wales

It will be a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit, pick up some gifts, enjoy some of the best local food and drink produce and meet up with friends to celebrate the festive season. The market will be within a large marquee in the Outer Ward of the Castle grounds.  There will be a variety of locally produced food and drink, crafts, toys, handmade jewellry, and fashion.

Fine-dining at Avasa in Hyderabad

This luxury property in Hyderabad has some amazing options to relax and eat some good grub. You have three options here: 

Ohm is an Asian, fine-dining restaurant at Avasa, offering a contemporary twist to the traditional Pan-Asian cuisine. It serves cuisines from China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Korea. With décor marked by traditional Asian elements and artwork designed by Tony Twigg, Ohm lives up to the Avasa trend of stylish and clutter-free ambience. The restaurant can seat guests at three levels, including two private dining spaces. 

Pi is an all-day dining restaurant at Avasa. A multi-cuisine restaurant, Pi even offers dishes from Mexico and Morocco. It has wi-fi connectivity and is located at the lobby level. The restaurant is designed in steel, wood and stone with a private dining area.

Sky lounge is located on the 10th and 11th floor of the hotel, each offering a different mood and ambience. It has a variety of seating, from lux upholstered sofas, leather booths to aluminium bar-stools. Sky offers magnificent views of the sparkling Hyderabad skyline. It is open from 12 noon to midnight.

Kerala celebrates Onam through the week!

Kerala Tourism has earmarked September 5-11 for Onam Week. If you plan to be in the state capital during that time, you will witness a veritable feast of music, dance, painting and martial arts programmes from the modern, traditional, folk and classical genres of Kerala.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the state-level celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram which will host the programmes in as many as 29 venues in and around the city, including the banks of Vellayani Lake.

Nishagandhi Auditorium, where the inauguration will be held, is among the three major venues — the others being Central Stadium and Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan.

Nishagandhi will host an experimental ensemble on the opening day. Named ‘Journey of Rhythm’, the programme will feature Padmashri Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar (chenda), Alappuzha Karunamurthy (tavil), U Rajesh (mandolin), Prakash Ulleri (keyboard), Mahesh Mani (tabla and mridangam) and Manjunath.

The leading shows at the fete include dance by actress Padmashri Shobana, music by Padmabhushan Dr. K J Yesudas, M G Sreekumar and G Venugopal and magic by Gopinath Muthukad, besides plays by theatre groups. A food festival will also be organised by KTDC.
 

More than 50 folk arts forms from the Malabar region, such as ‘Velakali’, ‘Parayanthullal’, ‘Theyyam’ and ‘Poothanum Thirayum,’ will be among the main attractions of the Onam celebrations this year.

Central Stadium will host mega shows by various media houses. The entry gate at Kanakakkunnu Palace will stage chenda recitals (both melam and thayambaka), while classical music concerts will be held inside the auditorium. The evenings at VJT Hall will feature poetry sessions (from 4pm) followed by professional drama, while amateur plays will be staged at the Institute of Engineers Hall.

Bapuji Library at Peroorkada, Public Office vicinity and Poojapura Maidan will be venues for ganamela. Bharath Bhavan, too, will host ganamela, besides folk arts. Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan’s open-air venue will stage group dance, while it will be solo dances at the Koothambalam.

Other programmes include magic and comedy shows, Kathaprasangam, Kalaripayattu, Kathakali, Patakam, Akshrashlokam and Koothu besides folk arts in Sopanam, Sooryakanthi Mini Stage, Thiruvarangu and Nattarangu.

Kanakakkunnu will have a painting and a photography exhibition, while N Krishna Pillai Foundation will host programmes by women and children. A colourful procession will march through the city on Thursday as a prelude to the Onam celebrations which will feature ‘Pulikali’ by 50 artists from Thrissur.

Photo credit: Kerala Tourism

Macao's newest luxury shopping hub opens

As if there weren't enough avenues to splurge cash in Macao, there's one more! 

Sands Retail, the leasing and retail asset management platform of Las Vegas Sands Corp and Sands China, Macao's leading operator of luxury shopping malls, officially opened 'Shoppes at Cotai Central Phase 3' on 29 August 2014. The total retail area of the mall in operation is now to 400,000 sq. ft. Within Phase 3, 36 new retailers have already opened for business, with a further 15 restaurants and kiosks to open by the end of the year. 

The new area will have home decor, variety stores, designer children's wear, fashion sportswear, travel accessories, and an even wider variety of men’s and women’s fashion, lifestyle and cosmetics brands. Altogether, the mall houses 140 brands, including the first-ever store in Macao for many retailers and the first in Asia for some. 

Shoppes at Cotai Central opened in 2012, becoming Macao's first mall dedicated to family consumers. Strategically located between Conrad, Holiday Inn and Sheraton Hotels, and connected to the luxury Shoppes at Four Seasons and high street Shoppes at Venetian by air conditioned walkways, Shoppes at Cotai Central offers outstanding customer convenience. 

The mall also incorporates a food court, Koufu, where 23 stalls serve up a range of international cuisine. Phase 3 will have Planet J, Macao's largest interactive indoor theme park by 2015. 

Conceptually, Shoppes at Cotai Central is based around a cascading river where the water flows along a central spine. Shoppes at Cotai Central was designed to be a beautiful place to spend an afternoon with friends or family, whether for great food, an unforgettable shopping trip, or just a catch-up over coffee. 

Now, we look forward to Phase 4!!