While North America produces the most films, South America lags behind. South is now taking steps for the development and expansion of its cinema and one of these steps is the holding of film festivals.

Fantaspoa or the International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre takes place in Brazil from late July to early August. This is a competitive festival where the jury decides the winners; there are also public choice awards. Only horror, science fiction, bizarre and fantastic films of short length and feature films are screened in this film event. This film event also aims at encouraging the production of films in Brazil.

Uruguay plays host to the International Film Festival of Uruguay. This is a competitive event which features international films and local films. Through this event, the local audience is exposed to international ventures and local works are brought to the attention of the world. The winners are selected by a panel of Jury and by the audience as well.

The International Festival of Documentaries Three Continents is held in Venezuela. Only documentaries from three continents Asia, Africa and Latin America are screened in this event. The documentaries are mostly based on social issues, human struggle and endurance while light comedy has also been a topic. The event brings together directors of documentaries from the three continents and strengthens ties between them.

Comedy is an important genre of movies and is quite popular among the audience. The Giggle Shorts Comedy Film Festival is held every year in Toronto. The event started in 2002 and invites short films from all over the world. Giggle Shorts accepts any film, commercial, or video but it should be hilarious and less than 15 minutes.

The Montreal Festival of New Cinema and New Media is an important film event which features independent productions from all over the world and serves as a qualifying festival for short movies for the Academy Awards.

New York Marathon is one of the major sports events of the world. Every year 37,000 participants both professionals and amateurs participate in this 26.2 mile long event. The New York Marathon first started in 1970 and involved running around the Central Park until the 26.2 mile target was achieved; but now the course runs through the five boroughs of New York City.

There are three categories of this marathon; the men’s events, the women’s events and the wheelchair event. The race commences from the Staten Island and after crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the participants head towards Brooklyn. From Brooklyn they turn northwards and after running 13 miles, enter Queens. From Queens they cross over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. From here it is a four mile run to Bronx. The participants return to Manhattan after a brief run through Bronx and then enter the Central Park. This is the final stage of the marathon and by this time most of the participants are completely exhausted. The last stage is three mile long and quite tough. The race ends in front of the Tavern Green.

The New York Marathon carries prize money of $900,000 and many participants enter to raise money for charity. It provides an opportunity to the participants to enjoy the sights of New York as well. This major event is watched by millions of people both on television and on the entire 26.2 mile long course.

Top Three Blues Festivals around America
Posted in American Festivals, Music festivals on 05. Apr, 2009
Blues and jazz are unquestionably a way of life for many on the American continent. There are plenty of blues festivals around America and Canada all year. Similar to many other music festivals blues festivals are held around summer and fall/autumn. The festivals listed here may not be as big as the International Festival of Blues and Roots Music in Australia, but they are three festivals that are worthy of mentioning would be:

•    The Ottawa Blues Festival in Canada
•    The San Francisco Blues Festival
•    The Chicago Blues Festival
Ottawa is a renowned city for these types of festivals and among them is The Blues Festival. It is attended by hundreds of thousands from all over Canada and the United States. It is normally held outdoors for four days and is the largest in the country. The San Francisco Blues Festival is a comparable size, but it is located on the western shore of United States. It is held annually at San Francisco Bay. The Chicago Blues Festival is probably one of the oldest and most famous in the Midwest United States. This particular festival is also known for featuring famous blues artists from around the world.

3 Most Famous Chili Festivals around North and Central America

Note: Chile does not seem to be an alternate spelling for chili.

Posted in American Festivals, General Info about Festivals on 05. Apr, 2009
Chili festivals are a bit more rare in regions outside the American Continent. Most are held in North and Central America. Chili festivals are fun because unlike other festivals, it often allows individual’s to share their food through competitions and similar ways. Among the most popular of such chili festivals around the region are:The Texas Chili Cook-offs Festival
    The Santa Fe Wine and Chile Festival in New MexicoThe Houston Hot Sauce Festival
Chile or Chili festivals are quite famous in these regions for one basic reason. The locals consider this fruit (yes, chili is indeed a fruit) a delicacy regardless of how it’s cooked or what it’s cooked with. The Texas Chili Cook-offs Festival for example, is a festival for foods made from chili. It’s basically a cook-off just like any other in the country. It is larger in scale and number of visitors than most though. The Santa Fe Wine and Chile Festival in New Mexico is an annual cultural chili festival held in fall. It is targeted at the locals who are interested in discovering new ways of pairing the local cuisines with wines from outside the United States. The Houston Hot Sauce Festival is a festival of chili-based foods and sauces made by various famous restaurants and hot pepper sauce vendors from around the country.

3 Most Famous Blueberry Festivals in Europe and America
Posted in American Festivals, European Festivals, General Info about Festivals on 04. Apr, 2009
Blueberry festivals are very rare, but they can also be very popular when they come around. There are a number of such large-scale festivals in Europe and America, although none seem to have a consistency in dates at this time. Three of the most famous blueberry festivals around the continents would include:The Annual Blueberry Festival in Kentucky (America)The National Blueberry Festival in Michigan (America)The Scandinavian Blueberry Festival in Norway (Europe)
Two of the above three are from America, but that doesn’t imply that such festivals are not in favor in Europe. In fact, blueberry festivals are among the most important in the UK. The Annual Blueberry Festival in Kentucky is one of the most famous in US. It is held annually at Edmonton, Kentucky in June. The National Blueberry Festival in Michigan is a national-level blueberry festival as the name suggests. It is held in South Haven in Michigan, a place locally known as the ‘Blueberry Capitol of the World’. The Scandinavian Blueberry Festival is one of the most renowned in Europe. It is held annually in Norway towards the end of August. This blueberry festival is quite new and low-profiled, but its presence in the online world is extensive nonetheless.

3 Most Famous BBQ Festivals in North America
Posted in American Festivals, European Festivals, General Info about Festivals on 04. Apr, 2009
BBQ festivals are quite famous in the Americas and Europe and subtly popular in most Asian and African countries at private BBQ parties. America in particular, has hundreds of these BBQ festivals and parties all year round. Most of them are held on a state-to-state basis attracting to the state populations. Some will agree that the top three most famous BBQ festivals will include:The Smokin’ In The Wiregrass – Tri-State BBQ FestivalThe National Capital BBQ Battle
    The Gulf Coast Rhythm & BBQ Festival
As we can see, all three happen to be in the US, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect that such festivals do not take place in Canada. It is simply that they are less famous there. The Smokin’ In The Wiregrass – Tri-State BBQ Festival is an extremely huge BBQ festival involving thousands from three different states, the main being Alabama. The National Capital BBQ Battle on the other hand is a festival that attracts people from within and outside the country. It is considered an international tourist attraction.  The Gulf Coast Rhythm & BBQ Fest is probably the most famous in the state of Florida, which is already known for parties and active nightlife. Tickets for the above three can usually be  found online on various related websites.

Top 3 Chicago Festivals
Posted in American Festivals on 03. Apr, 2009
Chicago is a city known for festivals all year round, which is why it’s also highly rated in terms of tourism. It’s also one of the most happening and simplistic host for events and festivals. The top three festivals that it is home to are:The Chicago Blues Festival
•    The Taste of Chicago
•    The Chicago Jazz Festival
At a glance, we see that Chicago indeed has a quality taste for music. Among the most prominent choices associated with the city are Jazz, Blues, Classical, Chambers. Along these lines is the Chicago Blues Festival. It is probably one of the oldest and most famous in the Midwest United States, and is famous for featuring plenty of famous blues artists from around the world every year. The Taste of Chicago is a food festival for everybody’s taste with free entrance and variable food trials. It’s also quite happening and loud in the month when the Chicago Jazz Festival happens. One of the most famous of these festivals in the country, this festival provides a feast on Jazz music for the lovers of the music. Normally held  in the month of August, it’s also known for featuring some of the best artists in the industry.

The Top 5 Balloon Festivals in America and Europe
Posted in American Festivals, European Festivals on 03. Apr, 2009
Balloon festivals are quite frequent around America and Europe This includes famous hot-air balloon festivals as well. Thousands of people normally attend such festivals. The colorful display of beautiful and majestic balloons are special attractions. Five of the most famous around America and Europe are:The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
•    The Balloon Festival of Warren County in New Jersey
•    The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in the UK
•    The Montgolfiades de Dole in France
•    The Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade in Germany

Most balloon festivals take place during the summer and autumn when the weather is just right. True to form, most of the above festivals take place around that same time. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is possibly the most famous in the world. Thousands of people come out for the balloons and races. Similarly, the Montgolfiades de Dole in France and the Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade in Germany are equally famous among international travelers and participants. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in the UK is also very highly rated by the media. It is known for being the largest on the continent. The Balloon Festival of Warren County in New Jersey is low-profiled in comparison, yet it is among the top of these festivals.