13 spectacular places to party around the world
It's carnival time in Brazil but Rio de Janeiro's not the only place for party fun. Here are 13 other amazing ways to dance the winter blues away.
1. Carnival in Santa Cruz
Nothing says “buckle up for six more weeks of winter” like Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, or whatever you want to call it, which falls on February 13 this year. But hey, carnival is a thing in the Tenerife capital, Santa Cruz. There’s even a parade called “Burial of the Sardine”. And the weather’s warm. carnavaldetenerife.com
2. Fiesta in the Canaries
Tenerife’s Canarian colleague La Palma also embraces Mardi Gras mayhem at its Fiesta de los Indianos, which basically involves islanders dressing in white and throwing talcum powder at each other. Oh go on, why not? visitlapalma.es/en
3. Chilling in Tenerife
Oh yes, accommodation. Seven all-inclusive nights at the five-star La Palma & Teneguia Princess costs ￡583 per person. One week, full board, at the five-star Tui Sensatori on Tenerife is ￡1,358 per person. Both breaks fly from Gatwick on February 8. tui.co.uk
4. The grande dame of carnivals
The biggest carnival is, of course, Carnaval. Rio shakes its sequins – lots and lots of sequins – from Feb 9 to 14 this year. Contiki has breaks, starting February 9, for young types who want to party – from ￡1,265. contiki.com
5. Post-party Rio retreat
If you’ve no desire to wiggle and waggle until each of your limbs aches, you could pace things via a nine-day “Rio Carnival Holiday” that also retreats to the beach at Buzios. From ￡2,362 per person – flights extra. journeylatinamerica.co.uk
6. Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Rio’s rival in celebrating so hard in February that it takes all of March to clear up is New Orleans – where Mardi Gras has gaudy street processions, adults hollering for plastic necklaces and cocktails before lunch. Ace. mardigrasneworleans.com
7. Louisiana road trip
New Orleans is a fair way to go for a party, no matter how iconic. Why not make a week of it with a seven-night “Mardi Gras in Louisiana” road trip that also visits Baton Rouge? From ￡1,229 a head, with flights. americaasyoulikeit.com
8. Colourful costumes in the Caribbean
Trinidad and Tobago puts on carnival in a blur of bright costumes, insistent soca music and 86F (30C) heat. Why move your rump anywhere else? One-week breaks in February at Coco Reef on Tobago cost from ￡1,529 via tropicalsky.co.uk.
9. Masquerade balls in Venice
So you want sophistication, costumed balls and masked figures dressed as plague doctors? Right. Then you want Venice Carnevale (carnevale.venezia.it). Three nights at the four-star Hotel Ai Reali, with flights, start at ￡689; kirkerholidays.com
10. Sydney Mardi Gras
Carnival capers are rarely more splendid than Sydney Mardi Gras – arguably the planet’s biggest salute to gay and lesbian culture. Better still, there’s almost a whole month of it. It will run from February 16 until March 4 in 2018. mardigras.org.au
11. Toronto extravaganz
OK, Toronto isn’t the most obvious place for a Caribbean-style carnival. But tell that to a city that has been staging its noisy Caribana extravaganza since 1967. And it isn’t until August 2-6 – so you have time to plan. caribanatoronto.com
12. Fat Tuesday in Britain
Britain doesn’t bother with Mardi Gras, does it? But wait! What’s this? Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival, “the UK’s largest Mardi Gras celebration”, with its four days (February 9-13) of shows. We stand corrected. hastingsfattuesday.co.uk
13. Pancake races in the Big Smoke
Never mind Mardi Gras indulgence. Lovely people can sign up for the “Flipping Marvellous Pancake Race” – a frying-pan-wielding fun run in London (February 13) which raises money for good causes. More details at londonbubble.org.uk/events
