Am I the only one constantly confused by all the department store advertisements for spring attire or swimsuits? I mean, it is still very much winter outside. The temperature keeps dropping while fierce wind and blizzards are on the horizon. So, what use would I have for a shorts or a swimsuit during the first week of March? A recent article posted on lonelyplanet.com revealed six answers to that very question. Below you will find a few of the destination suggestions that will help you to no longer second guess why you’ll need a those tank tops and sunglasses.
Southern Cape, South Africa
March is in fact one of the most active months in Cape Town. There are a variety of sporting and cultural events to keep residents and tourist busy. The beginning of the month presents various cycling races, ending with the “world’s largest timed cycling event”, the Cape Town Cycle Tour. The tour hosts nearly 30,000 participants and will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2016.
The Cape Town Cycle Tour will be followed by a performing arts musical festival, Infecting the City. The festival will run throughout much of the Cape Town’s theatres, fountains, and museums. The final day of Infecting the City will end with the lively Cape Town Carnival on March 12, 2016.
New Zealand
If you’re as big on trying new foods as you are on traveling then make sure you head to New Zealand for the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival 25 years ago a local resident of Hokitika was overwhelmed with request in regards to her home-brewed gorse flower wine. In an effort to suppress the requests, she chose to hold a celebration of all the local foods of Hokitika. Travelers nowadays will not only be able to sample gorse flower wine, they can also try deep-fried beetles, whitebait patties, marinated tuna, and much more!
The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival takes place on March 12, 2016. Travelers must keep in mind that this wildly popular event does not allow entry to after the maximum of 10,000 people is reached.
Nara, Japan
One of Japan’s oldest Buddhist festivals, the Omizutori festival, is hosted in Nara during the month of march. Each night monks parade on the verandah of Nigatsu-dō holding torches and spraying embers on the crowd below. The deed is meant to “purify and bring luck” to visitors. Travelers will have more than enough time to catch embers of luck and purification as the event lasts from March 1st to March 14th.