Oktoberfest A parade of ox-drawn beer wagons. Seventeen massive beer tents (and 21 small ones) filled with imbibers and Bavarian brass bands. Amazingly strong waitresses gripping six, litre-sized mugs of beer at one time. Souvenir beer steins. The world’s largest folk festival draws six million visitors annually to Munich, Germany. First held in 1810, Oktoberfest runs from the first Saturday after September 15 until the first Sunday in October. Admission to the grounds and tents is free. Festivalgoers can buy traditional costumes – women’s dirndls and men’s lederhosen – online and in local stores, to add to the fun. oktoberfest.de/en Puck Fair The crowning of a wild male goat (puck) highlights Ireland’s oldest festival, held annually on August 10, 11 and 12 in Killorglin. Pipers and Celtic dancers accompany a float carrying a billy goat from the surrounding mountains to a weatherproof pen. Men hoist the pen – bedded with straw and stocked with water and food – to the top of a three-tiered platform in Killorglin’s main square. A King Puck mascot – wearing a goat costume – poses for photos with people in the crowded streets. Buskers, midway rides and livestock fairs entertain locals and visitors. Hot dogs and ice cream tempt appetites. Inside pubs, musicians gather around small tables, playing guitars, accordions and fiddles. On the final day, King Puck descends from his elevated throne. After a vet confirms that he’s healthy, a marching band accompanies him back to the mountains. Fireworks light up the sky at midnight. puckfair.ie Crop Over Originally a celebration of the end of the sugar cane harvest in Barbados, this annual summer festival draws thousands of locals and emigrated Bajans who return home to party. Participants enjoy traditional foods and drinks, steel bands, calypso music competitions and costume parades. Excitement reaches a crescendo during the Grand Kadooment on the first Monday in August – a national holiday. Wearing glittering makeup and costumes decorated with colourful sequins, feathers and chiffon, thousands of revellers wave their arms in the air and dance from the National Stadium through the streets to the pulsating rhythm of steel bands. Islanders welcome visitors to join their celebrations. But rest up before going, because partying leaves little time for sleep. ncf.bb/crop-over 16 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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