Sydney Festival opened its 2012 program with Australia’s largest free outdoor cultural event, Festival First Night, attracting hundreds of thousands of people into the city centre for eight hours of music, theatre, dance and visual arts. Headlining the event was internationally-acclaimed music superstar Manu Chao, who had 60,000 people dancing to his unique blend of Latin reggae. Audiences thrilled to a mix of Australian and international entertainment including a 1950s swing dance, painted caravans, Australian singer-songwriter Meagan Washington, Indigenous singer Gurrumul and dapper Jamaican gents, The Jolly Boys. Keeping things at a lively pace were street performances by Tuba Skinny, Lewis Floyd Henry and Norman J and his Good Times Bus. Casper Babypants, Holly Throsby and Erth’s mythical puppet creatures kept the kids laughing and dancing throughout the afternoon.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/53512-sydney-festival-2012/
Tucked inside Bangkok\'s busy urban metropolis in a wilderness of mangroves and palm trees is Bangkok Tree house. Bangkok Tree house is a eco- boutique hotel on Bang Kra Chao , a small island on Chao Phraya river. The lush landscape of Bang Kra Chao is the new favorite destination for a weekend getaway, Just 30 minutes away from the city center, Bangkok Tree house is where you can escape city life to find yourself surrounded by trees, breathe fresh air, and sleep under the stars.
One of the grandest spectacles in Thailand, the Royal Barge Procession is an ancient tradition that was revived by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1959. The processions are reserved only for nationally auspicious occasions. As for the date, the procession will involve barges carrying the deeply revered Buddha image Phra Buddha Sihing and members of the royal family presenting offerings of saffron kathin robes, food and other necessities to the monks at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). It will be the 16th procession during His Majesty’s reign.
The Klong Guru Tour takes approximately four hours and commences along the Chao Phraya River, before branching off into the heart of the city's fascinating klong labyrinth. Designed to Showcase the city's hidden cultural gems, the excursion reveals unique glimpses of timeless local life and traditional wooden canal homes that just out over the water. the journey includes encounters with the floating plants farm, exploration of glittering temples that were created in the Ayutthaya era ,and the opportunity to participate in the Thai custom of feeding fish for luck.
Bangkok’s Chao Praya river is seeing thousands of local and foreign visitors gathering along it again, all enjoying the usual Loy Krathong’s festive atmosphere which was absent last year due to the severe flood. And among the highlighted spots on the river, Asiatique the Riverfront Entertainment Complex seems to be hosting the grandest happenings with several shows and firework, making the area the most crowded place in the city.
