IntotheWest
Jan 16, 2007, 9:20 PM
I came across a new book in Chapters titled "World Party" (published Dec 2006 by Rough Guides) and decided to have a quick look...especially at what events were listed for Canada (I always like to see how these books from outside Canada "rank" our events).
For the "North America and Caribbean" section, no Canada events were spotlighted (such as Mardi Gras, etc) - but three were listed in the "Best of the Rest" at the end of the chapter; Calgary Stampede, Quebec Winter Carnival, and Toonik Tyme.
Three other Canadian events are listed on their website (below); Niagara Wine Festival, Canadian Oktoberfest, and Festival du Voyageur (which you can vote on with all other World Party events).
Did they miss some good ones? Of course they did...They actually want to know about it:
http://worldparty.roughguides.com/worldroot/wp_cms/website/index.cfm?page_id=378
The existing ones in their DB is listed here:
http://worldparty.roughguides.com/worldroot/wp_cms/website/index.cfm?page_id=65
For the "Best of the Rest" three they listed, here's what they say:
Quebec Winter Carnival
Bills itself as the best Winter Carnival on the planet, and, despite strong Scandinavian (and US) competition, generally lives up to the title pretty well. The two-week extravaganza has it all – mad ice slides, skidoo races, dyed-snowball-fight competitions and some of the most raucous après-ski you’ll find anywhere. Thousands of people take part in the fire-lit night-time parades through the street of Québec that more often than not turn into all-night parties. Come dawn, if you’re brave enough - or just plain drunk enough – you can join in the traditional morning dip in the freezing St Lawrence river, which is guaranteed to cure any hangover. The carnival even has a mascot, a lovable snowman called ‘Bonhomme’, and after two weeks of snow-induced hysteria you too will be sobbing into your scarf as he waves farewell for another year.
Calgary Stampede
An orgy of all things cowboy and cowgirl, the Calgary Stampede brings around a quarter of a million spectators and participants to this likeable Canadian city every year. It’s not just about chaps-in-chaps, this is the real thing, ten days of seriously manly events that kicks off on the first Friday with a traditional parade, featuring the several thousand Stampede participants and their horses. Thereafter, the focus of activity is Stampede Park, a vast open area which contains an amusement park, concert and show venues, bars, restaurants and all sorts of stalls. At the heart of the action are the rodeo competitions, including bronco-riding, bull-riding, branding, steer-wrestling, cow-tackling – fiercely competitive affairs that draw the bravest and most talented cowboys from every corner of the continent. Equally compelling are the enormously dangerous chuck-wagon races. These are held once each night, and the four top drivers go through to a final on the last night – a fitting and exciting conclusion to the festival. Other things to see include a native tepee village, lots of livestock displays, and the cracking world blacksmith competition; check out also the outdoor stage, used for late night country-and-western performances. But really it’s the guys and gals on horses that steal the show. If you want to go, be sure book accommodation well ahead of time. It’s popular.
Toonik Tyme
Towards the end of April, Iqalit (also known as Frobisher Bay), the tiny capital of the newly proclaimed Canadian region of Nunavut, throws off the hard Arctic winter blanket with Toonik Tyme, a week-long showcase of Inuuit skills and northern life. Toonik is the mythical herald of spring, and as the festival gets underway, vague sightings of him are made around town – even if he does look suspiciously like a man dressed in caribou skins. Fishing and hunting sprees are central events (followed up by a seal-skinning contest) along with an endurance snow-mobile race over the icy plains surrounding the town. If these don’t appeal, try your hand at building an igloo, using only traditional knives and the odd hardware tool to shape the blocks – the winning structure has to be able to support a man standing on the roof, and if you can build one in ninety minutes you’re doing well. After this you might want to take in one of the ancient Broadway shows that come to town during Toonik Tyme, but those after a more authentically Innuit experience might prefer the traditional throat-singing competitions, where the singers’ voices seem to bubble up from the vocal chords, bypassing the mouth completely. The winner is, of course, the singer who manages to reduce all the others to laughter.
For the "North America and Caribbean" section, no Canada events were spotlighted (such as Mardi Gras, etc) - but three were listed in the "Best of the Rest" at the end of the chapter; Calgary Stampede, Quebec Winter Carnival, and Toonik Tyme.
Three other Canadian events are listed on their website (below); Niagara Wine Festival, Canadian Oktoberfest, and Festival du Voyageur (which you can vote on with all other World Party events).
Did they miss some good ones? Of course they did...They actually want to know about it:
http://worldparty.roughguides.com/worldroot/wp_cms/website/index.cfm?page_id=378
The existing ones in their DB is listed here:
http://worldparty.roughguides.com/worldroot/wp_cms/website/index.cfm?page_id=65
For the "Best of the Rest" three they listed, here's what they say:
Quebec Winter Carnival
Bills itself as the best Winter Carnival on the planet, and, despite strong Scandinavian (and US) competition, generally lives up to the title pretty well. The two-week extravaganza has it all – mad ice slides, skidoo races, dyed-snowball-fight competitions and some of the most raucous après-ski you’ll find anywhere. Thousands of people take part in the fire-lit night-time parades through the street of Québec that more often than not turn into all-night parties. Come dawn, if you’re brave enough - or just plain drunk enough – you can join in the traditional morning dip in the freezing St Lawrence river, which is guaranteed to cure any hangover. The carnival even has a mascot, a lovable snowman called ‘Bonhomme’, and after two weeks of snow-induced hysteria you too will be sobbing into your scarf as he waves farewell for another year.
Calgary Stampede
An orgy of all things cowboy and cowgirl, the Calgary Stampede brings around a quarter of a million spectators and participants to this likeable Canadian city every year. It’s not just about chaps-in-chaps, this is the real thing, ten days of seriously manly events that kicks off on the first Friday with a traditional parade, featuring the several thousand Stampede participants and their horses. Thereafter, the focus of activity is Stampede Park, a vast open area which contains an amusement park, concert and show venues, bars, restaurants and all sorts of stalls. At the heart of the action are the rodeo competitions, including bronco-riding, bull-riding, branding, steer-wrestling, cow-tackling – fiercely competitive affairs that draw the bravest and most talented cowboys from every corner of the continent. Equally compelling are the enormously dangerous chuck-wagon races. These are held once each night, and the four top drivers go through to a final on the last night – a fitting and exciting conclusion to the festival. Other things to see include a native tepee village, lots of livestock displays, and the cracking world blacksmith competition; check out also the outdoor stage, used for late night country-and-western performances. But really it’s the guys and gals on horses that steal the show. If you want to go, be sure book accommodation well ahead of time. It’s popular.
Toonik Tyme
Towards the end of April, Iqalit (also known as Frobisher Bay), the tiny capital of the newly proclaimed Canadian region of Nunavut, throws off the hard Arctic winter blanket with Toonik Tyme, a week-long showcase of Inuuit skills and northern life. Toonik is the mythical herald of spring, and as the festival gets underway, vague sightings of him are made around town – even if he does look suspiciously like a man dressed in caribou skins. Fishing and hunting sprees are central events (followed up by a seal-skinning contest) along with an endurance snow-mobile race over the icy plains surrounding the town. If these don’t appeal, try your hand at building an igloo, using only traditional knives and the odd hardware tool to shape the blocks – the winning structure has to be able to support a man standing on the roof, and if you can build one in ninety minutes you’re doing well. After this you might want to take in one of the ancient Broadway shows that come to town during Toonik Tyme, but those after a more authentically Innuit experience might prefer the traditional throat-singing competitions, where the singers’ voices seem to bubble up from the vocal chords, bypassing the mouth completely. The winner is, of course, the singer who manages to reduce all the others to laughter.