South Korea Kimchi Festival.
Geckos Adventures is offering six new trips that explore some of the world’s most fascinating, but least-known festivals.
TORONTO, CANADA – Getting elbow deep in pickled cabbage in Seoul, doing the conga at Santiago de Cuba’s Carnival and visiting the home of the headless horseman during Halloween are just three of the options millennial travelers may choose as part of a new series of festival trips from Geckos Adventures. With #FestivalLife a mainstay for many travelers under 30, Geckos Adventures, which offers affordable trips around the world for this age group, is offering six new trips that explore some of the world’s most fascinating, but least-known festivals.
“We created this series to meet a growing demand from millennials searching for authentic local experiences in off-the-beaten-track places in combination with their love of all things festivals,” says Leigh Barnes, North America regional director for Geckos Adventures. “But we chose to skip the long lines at popular events like Burning Man and Coachella in trade for some amazing, yet lesser-known festivals that also inject tourism dollars into local economies and bring communities together. Now that’s something to really celebrate!”
The new Geckos Festivals Trip Series for 2017 includes:
Gnaoua Festival, Morocco – Departs June 27, 2017
Join more than half-a-million revellers in the port city of Essaouira, Morocco, at the Gnaoua Festival, the biggest music festival no one’s ever heard of. Indigenous to Northern Africa, Gnawa music is a mystical, religious chant with tunes often lasting several hours. On the nine-day trip, guests will join the Gnawa players, along with jazz, pop, rock and soul musicians, to celebrate music, culture and tradition. There’s also time to explore the magic of Marrakech, hang out in the windsurfing hotspot of Sidi Kaouko and drink mint tea with the Berber people in the mountain village of Imlil.
Santiago de Cuba Carnival – Departs July 18, 2017
See Cuba as never before during the Santiago de Cuba Carnival festival as the city comes alive with music, soul and rhythm to honor its Afro-Cuban roots. During this 12-day trip, travelers can give salsa a try, take part in a conga parade and enjoy the electric atmosphere. Away from the festival, explore the streets of Havana, learn about Che Guevara in Santa Clara and recover on the beaches and cobblestone streets of Trinidad. Note: For U.S. guests, this is not an approved people-to-people trip as is required by the U.S. government for travel to Cuba.
Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts – Departs October 26, 2017
This Halloween, celebrate ghostly ghouls, visit the home of the headless horseman and march through the streets of Manhattan with Geckos Adventures. Embrace the frights and spookiness of Halloween in America by exploring the cities of Boston, Newport and New York while honoring the birthplace of the popular holiday on this seven-day trip. The trip includes a visit to Salem to hear about the historic witch trials, a lantern-led ghost tour through Newport’s eerie lanes, a stop at the Pumpkin Promenade of Sleepy Hollow and taking part in the annual Village Halloween Parade in the Big Apple.
Day of the Dead Festival in Oaxaca, Mexico – Departs October 30, 2017
See a different side of Mexico’s Day of the Dead Festival, when locals celebrate the lives of the dearly departed, on this nine-day trip. While the festival is celebrated all over Mexico, Oaxaca is known for its particularly ornate celebrations. Buy colorful costumes and embrace the local festivities with street parties, face painting and cemetery visits. Afterward, marvel at the pastel-coloured architecture in San Cristobal del las Casas and learn about the Tzotzil and Tzeltal tribal groups who reside in the nearby villages with a final stop in Playa del Carmen for swimming among the sea turtles or unwinding on the white sandy beaches. Pricing starts at $1245 per person, double occupancy.
South Korea Kimchi Festival – Departs November 2, 2017
The three-day Seoul Kimchi Making Festival festival, held in Gwanghwamun Square, is a celebration of gimjang, the process of preparing and storing the cabbage-y dish before winter kicks in. More than 4,000 people work together during the festival to make nearly 50 tonnes of fresh kimchi. On this nine-day trip, guests will immerse themselves in the festival in Seoul and then travel outside the city to sample bibimbap in Jeonju, munch on street food in Busan and explore the tombs, temples and palaces ruins of historic Gyeongju.
The company will also offer a trip to celebrate five of Canada’s winter festivals in areas from Whistler to Banff in January of 2018.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
