This summer we presented a Mindful travel series to inspire others to take a relaxing break from the everyday hustle and bustle. Our three previous spotlights covered national parks, museums, and animal sanctuaries. This week, for the final edition of this series, we focus on three types of summer festivals.
Summer is coming to an end and school will be starting soon. If you’re planning on going on vacation this summer it’s now or never, and festivals are a great option for you to consider. If you don’t want to travel far, check to see if there are any upcoming festivals in your local community. Or you can organize a road trip with friends and family members for out-of-town festivals.
From arts and crafts to film, there are many different festivals for you to choose from. For this spotlight, we focus on just three types of festivals.
Food Festivals
- July 29th – August 7th. July is National Blueberry Month so it’s no surprise that many cities are hosting blueberry festivals. In Minnesota, there are two festivals. There is an art and blueberry festival called Ely Blueberry Arts Festival (July 29th – 31st), as well as a blueberry ball and square dance festival called the Lake George Blueberry Festival. In Vermont, there’s the Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival (July 29th – August 7th) complete with a parade and block party.
- July 30th. If you live near Atlanta, Georgia you can try the Atlanta Back 2 School Food Festival. People will get to sample barbecue and ice cream as well as attend a parade and performances.
- July 30th – August 27th. Do you like beer? Try the America on Tap There will be three more events this summer, including July 30th (Corpus Christi, Texas), August 13th (Wilmington, Delaware), and August 27th (Lubbock, Texas). You can listen to music while you sample different craft brews.
Book Festivals
- July 28th – 31st. Do you love books and bargain shopping? Try Chicago’s Newberry Book Fair. There are over 120,000 used books for sale in 70 categories. Plus, there is no admission fee.
- July 29th & August 18th. If you love comic books and missed Comic-Con, try the Wizard World Comic Con. They will be hosting two more festivals this summer—one in Columbus, Ohio (July 29th) and another in Rosemont, Illinois (August 18th).
- July 30th. Do you live near Portland, Oregon? There will be a kid-friendly Event, the Rox in Sox Children’s Music and Book Festival, in July. This festival is free and is said to raise donations for children around the world.
- August 5th – 7th. If you’re in Washington, DC, check out OutWrite, the LGBT Book Fair. At the festival, there will be exhibits and readings, as well as new and used books for sale. There will be writing workshops for budding writers, too.
Music Festivals
- July 28th – 31st. Do you love indie music? Do you live in Denver? Consider the Underground Music Showcase. It’s a great place to hear lots of music and the line up literally has hundreds of bands.
- July 29th – August 6th. The Art of Rap Festival is a throwback celebration of legendary hip-hop. The festival will be held all over the country, so if you’re interested consider the following: Brooklyn, New York (July 29th); Atlanta, Georgia (July 31st); Toledo, Ohio (August 4th); Tinley Park, Illinois (August 5th); and Sterling Heights, Michigan (August 6th).
This concludes the 2016 Mindful Travel Series. We hope our tips and suggestions have been helpful. Enjoy the rest of your summer!