Latest Fairs and festivals News
Miami native 'Cuban Cowboy' Orlando Mendez returns home for Country Bay Musical Festival
MIAMI (AP) — Miami-native Orlando Mendez had been an aspiring actor when a pandemic shut down live entertainment in 2020. But the break gave Mendez a chance to embrace his love of county music and reinvent himself as the “Cuban Cowboy.” After COVID-19 locked the world down,...
AP Photos: Garlands and treats for beloved dogs in Nepal’s annual Kukur Puja festival
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Dogs across Nepal were honored during the annual festival of “Kukur Puja” on Thursday, with offerings of flower garlands, treats and vermillion marks on their heads. In Nepal, the second day of Tihar — also known as Diwali — is Kukur Puja, dedicated...
What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights? How is it celebrated in India and the diaspora?
Diwali is the most important festival of the year in India — and for Hindus in particular. It is celebrated across faiths by more than a billion people in the world’s most populous nation and the diaspora. Over five days, people take part in festive gatherings, fireworks...
Indians celebrate Diwali by lighting a record number of clay lamps
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Millions of Indians began celebrating the annual Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, by symbolically lighting a record 2.51 million clay oil lamps at dusk on Wednesday on the banks of the river Saryu in a northern Indian city they believe to be the birthplace of the deity Lord...
AP PHOTOS: Ayodhya in northern India celebrates the night before Diwali with pomp and pageantry
AYODHYA, India (AP) — A priest stands with folded hands praying toward the rising sun on the banks of the Saryu River in Ayodhya in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Nearby, a group of women takes a dip in the river dressed in their saris while a barber trims the mustache of a shirtless...
A colorful kite festival in South Africa raises awareness for mental health
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Enthusiasts flew kites of all shapes and sizes Sunday at a festival in South Africa that raises awareness for mental health and provides a burst of beachside color. The Cape Town International Kite Festival is celebrating its 30th year, with...
A thriller about electing a pope draws crowds at the Rome Film Festival near the Vatican
ROME (AP) — With Pope Francis a few weeks away from his 88th birthday, the plotting for his successor is well underway at the Vatican. How timely, then, that just across town in Rome, “ Conclave ” a thriller filled with back-stabbing, manipulative cardinals, quick to toss...
Georgia's Gullah-Geechee community seeks path forward after deadly dock collapse
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The partial collapse of a ferry dock that claimed the lives of seven people attending a cultural festival has left a historic Black community in Georgia struggling with how to move forward. The Gullah-Geechee residents of Sapelo Island were already facing a...
Cardi B says she's hospitalized with medical emergency, will miss music festival
NEW YORK (AP) — Cardi B says she has been hospitalized with a medical emergency and will have to miss a Saturday night headlining performance at an Atlanta music festival. “I am so sad to share this news, but I’ve been in the hospital recovering from a medical emergency the...
Grieving families of seniors killed when a dock collapsed say the tragedy was preventable
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Regina Brinson heard a crack before the metal walkway gave way beneath her feet, plunging her into the water beneath the state-operated ferry dock on Georgia's Sapelo Island. As strong currents swept her and others who fell away from shore, she called to her 79-year-old...
