Bierfest brings the spirit of Oktoberfest to London

by Jessica Festa on

While not everyone can find time in their busy schedule to make it over to Germany for Oktoberfest, those in London from October 5-7, 2011, can still experience the spirit of the festival. London will host their annual Bierfest at Old Billingsgate Market, which will be transformed into an authentic-style Oktoberfest celebration with traditional German food, unlimited steins of beer, live music, and servers dressed in costume.

Bitburger will be the official beer supplier for the event, featuring brews such as:

  • Bitgburger Premium Beer, a hoppy beer with a dry-finish that is made in accordance with Germany purity law.
  • Bitburger Drive, an alcohol free, fully-fermented, low calorie beer option.
  • Licher-Weizen (Light Wheat Beer), a refreshing beer brewed out of wheat and “blessed by the sun”
  • Kostritzer Schwarzbier (Black Beer), a barley malt with a mild-hop flavor.

As for food fare, expect options like Bavarian spiced chicken, cold meat & cheese platters, salted pretzels, mini Gherkins, BBQ ribs, and more.

Tickets must be purchased in tables of 10, so get your closest friends together and experience the spirit of Oktoberfest in London.

Why you should visit Germany this Christmas

by Jessica Festa on

For those looking to have an authentic experience that really makes you feel like you’re in the Christmas spirit, head over to LutherCountry in eastern Germany to sip Glühwein (mulled wine), partake in a piece of Stollen (traditional German cake with fried fruit), listen to carolers, and purchase wooden toys while taking in the smells of cinnamon and pine.

Erfurt, Thuringia Christmas Market

Here you will find over 200 wooden stalls sitting in the Domplatz, with an intimidating cathedral guarding the square. Don’t be afraid to enter the building, however, as the crypt beneath houses the 24 Advent scenes and a floral tableaux created by locals. Outside in the square, the big draw is the nativity scene, which includes 14 almost life-size figures that have been carved by hand, a large wooden pyramid, and a Christmas tree that towers at 80 feet. At night, the entire scene is lit up by candles.

November 23, 2011- Devember 22, 2011

LutherstadtWittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt Christmas Market

History buffs will love the half-timbered homes, small courtyards, and Christmas stalls, as well as the church where Martin Luther once preached. Popular Christmas items include roasted almonds, mulled wine, toys, and holiday decorations.

November 25, 2011- December 21, 2011

Halle, Saxony-Anhalt Christmas Market

While this market includes the usual Christmas market fare of decorations, carvings, and mulled wine, it also offers cuisine from other areas of Europe including Finland, Hungary, France, Austria, Russia and the Netherlands. And, for the first time ever, this market will feature a 275-foot tall Advent Candle!

November 23, 2011, December 23, 2011

Wartburg Castle, Thuringia Christmas Market

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is almost 1,000 years old and once served as a a refuge for Martin Luther as he translated the New Testament of the bible into German. A feeling of being in the Middle Ages overcomes visitors as they visit candle makers, glass blowers, and wooden-toy makers all dressed in Medieval fashion. Sample the sugared almonds and juicy Thuringian-style sausages.

November 26-27, 2011 and December 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 2011

Austrian pop-up store opens in Nolita, New York, in October

by Jessica Festa on

Austria comes to Nolita, New York, this Fall from October 5-19, 2011, with the Taste of Austria pop-store store. For two weeks, the Openhouse Gallery will be transformed into an authentic Viennese coffeehouse, complete with marble tables, traditional Sacher wallpaper, and Sacher cups, under the name The Sacher Cafe. Along with delicious Austrian food fare, such as the Sacher Torte, a thick, chocolate cake separated by layers of jam and topped with whipped cream, there will also be cultural happenings. Enjoy a free film screening, sample some of the best wines from Austria, listen to a concert by Austrian composers, or sit in on some Austrian storytelling.

Aside from learning about Austrian culture through food, music, art, and film, patrons can also enjoy the fact that they are doing a good deed, as part of the proceeds from the event go towards helping City Harvest, a charity that works to feed the hungry in New York.

While almost all of the events for a Taste of Austria are free, you will still need to get a ticket. Click here to see the schedule of events and reserve your spot.

The Openhouse Gallery is located at 201 Mulberry St, between Kenmare St. and Spring St. Take the 4, 6, or 6X to Spring St., the J to Bowery St., or the N or R to Prince St.

Hours for the event are 12PM-9PM, Sunday-Thursday, and 12PM-10PM, Friday-Saturday.

Getting high at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

by Ori Epstein on

New England may be the standard-bearer for fall travel, but New Mexico is an equally spectacular destination to spend the season. And perhaps there is no better way to usher in autumn than with necks craned skyward, under a dawn Albuquerque sky slowly filling up with several hundred illuminated hot air balloons.

Now in its 40th year, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta kicks off on October 1 for 9 days of events. The largest ballooning gathering in the world, and one of the largest events in the state, over 100,000 people attend to watch more than 700 balloons inflate, launch, and float over northern New Mexico. Many of these people happily set their alarms extra early in order to observe these vibrantly decorated balloons rise with the sun for the 5:30 a.m. mass ascent.

All of the week’s events take place at a 365-acre, tailor-made balloon park in the north of Albuquerque, about 10 miles from the airport and city center. So the city makes a perfect base for exploring both the Fiesta and the region. And surprisingly, for an event that brings 100,000 visitors into the area, affordable hotel rooms are still readily available. The event’s planners are also providing bus transportation from various points throughout the city, so thankfully there is no need to worry about driving through traffic or fighting for a parking spot.

For all you procrastinating gas balloon pilots out there, registration is unfortunately closed and you will have to wait until 2012. But for all you procrastinating spectators, tickets are still available. And who knows, instead of gazing up you may end up gazing down – it’s not unheard of for pilots to offer friendly, curious tourists a lift.

Chicago named most mustache-friendly city in America

by Jessica Festa on

Chicago has recently been named the most “mustache-friendly” city in the United States by the American Mustache Institute (AMI). The research came in response to a “long-existing pattern of social and professional discrimination against Mustached Americans”.

Apparently, Chicago is leading the way in providing an ideal living and working environment for Mustached Americans. In fact, Dr. Aaron Xavier Perlut, chairman of AMI, claims, “Its vast pool of professional opportunities in first-responder fields and in the fishing industry centered around Lake Michigan, along with the heritage of retired Chicago Bears players who have continued to embrace a Mustached American lifestyle helped to set the Windy City Apart.”

Of course, with every achievement comes a celebration, which is why Chicago will be hosting a ‘Stache Bash on Friday, October 28, 2011, at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street. Tickets are $25 and include entertainment and beers. The event will serve as the opening for Movember, a world-wide mustache-growing charity campaign that works to raise awareness and contributions for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.