DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    The Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program which has been run in the United States since 1934. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio . Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, relying completely upon gravity to move.  This years event was held from July 16th to the 22nd for 2017. History    In the wake of the first car races, local kid auto races took place in the US at a very early stage. In 1914 the motion picture Kid Auto Races at Venice starring Charlie Chaplin was shown in the cinemas.   The first All-American race was held in Dayton on August 19, 1934, after an idea by Myron Scott , a photographer for the Dayton Daily News. The following year, the race was moved to Akron because of its central location and hilly terrain. In 1936, Akron civic leaders recognized the need for a permanent track site for the youth racing classic and, through the efforts of the Works...

The SAQ New France Festival    Organized as part of Québec City’s 400th anniversary celebrations in 2008, the New France Festival was first held in 1997 at the behest of the Québec City municipal authorities who were looking to set a historic festival inspired by the lives of the first European settlers against the background of Old Québec. The event was such a success from the start that it quickly became an annual event.    The festival sought to bring to life over a dozen sites, all in the historic district of Old Québec. It is set to the background of Québec City, one of North America’s most historic cities. The event is aimed at city residents, visitors, families, and anyone with an interest in history.    The decision to hold ongoing activities on the sites and in the streets throughout the event is a key part of the New France Festival. Drawing on a number of artistic disciplines and a host of different approaches, history is brought t...

La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol , in which participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is held the last Wednesday in August, during the week of festivities of Buñol . History Changes Throughout Its History    The tomato fight has been a strong tradition in Buñol since 1944 or 1945. No one is completely certain how this event originated. Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local food fight among friends, a juvenile class war, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade, a practical joke on a bad musician, the anarchic aftermath of an accidental lorry spillage. One of the most popular theories is that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration.    In 1950, the council allowed the party to happen. The next year however it was not approved, thanks to pressure from town residents and other participants. When the festival was finally officially...

   On the first Thursday of July and the previous Tuesday every summer, the Ommegang lights up the magnificent of Brussels. History    The secular setting stages the glorious and majestic procession in Brussels of Emperor Charles V Guests of honour sit at the delicately worked windows of the Town Hall to watch the reconstitution of this historical meeting from the beautifully decorated balconies. The Prince of Orange, who would become William the Silent, many ladies in waiting, city councillors, the emperor's bulldog and other hounds, his fal conry train with ladies carrying skittish birds perched proudly on their hands--all accompany the Emperor. Accompanied by his son Philip, Crown Prince of Spain and Duke of Brabant, and his sisters Eleanor, Queen of France and Mary of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Regent of the Netherlands. This majestic pageant strides along the proud façades that once housed the guilds and the elegant architecture of the...

         The Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme , also known as the festival of near death experiences, is a slightly odd festival to say the least. Held in a small Spanish village, that borders Portugal – Las Nieves, Pontevedra, in Galicia and taking place on the 29 th of July.    The Festival of near death experiences, as its name suggests, is a celebration for those people who have had a near death experience and lived to tell the tale. Saint Marta de Ribarteme is the patron Saint of resurrection. The lucky ‘survivors’ attend the festival in a coffin. It is a good place to go if you want to catch up on tales of different near death experiences.     Even though centered around a fairly morbid theme, the festival itself is a celebration with firework displays and the usually partying that carries on well into the following day.    Thousands of people line the streets of this tiny villa...