The spring season stands in the light of change: the sun is finally starting to burst through drab winter days, flowers are beginning to blossom and us humans finally feel recharged with energy, motivation and spring-feelings all around. Honour this seasonal boost and ditch the spring-clean for later – use these mild months to celebrate the spring equinox in a different part of the world and embrace the change! Here are some ideas that will help you relax and recharge during your spring holidays!
Festival of Colours, Pushkar
What better way to spend your spring holidays than dancing in an explosion of colours with thousands of people? Each year, cities around India celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colours that sees people throwing coloured powder and spices at each other as they parade through the streets to upbeat music. At various stages throughout the day, crowds erupt into an epic water fight that partially washes off the colours but leaves your clothes stained in a myriad of designs – your very own wearable canvas to take home as a souvenir!
Photo Credit : Steven Gerner
Saluting the Californian Sun
It’s no secret that yogis of all levels share a special connection to the natural environment, the ebb and flow of the seasons, and a strong awareness of the solar and lunar cycles. You don’t need to be a bearded, certified guru who can twist his body into impossible positions to be able to achieve this mindfulness – we are all affected by the sun, the moon, the weather and the seasons. If you want to learn more about this sacred connection, there’s no better time to explore it than during the spring holidays. You will find plenty of stunning yoga retreats around the world, but the Spring Equinox Yoga Retreat at the Mayacamas Ranch in Sonomo, California, includes hiking and wine tasting….so yeah, that one sounds like a bit of a no-brainer.
Feel Good Vibes in Eindhoven
The spring season is all about feeling good, so it sounds like we’re at the right place at this market in Eindhoven, Holland’s famous “City of Light”. Located in the Strijp-S centre – a centre for the arts and various other leisure activities, small businesses and exhibition spaces – the Feel Good Market takes place on every third Sunday of the month and is the go-to place for handmade creations and the most original finds. It’s colourful and quirky and offers organic food stalls, workshops and a whole crew of gezellig (convivial) people.
Andorra Mountain Beats & Horizon Kissing
For those of you looking to dive deeper into the underground the Horizon Festival in Andorra, promises dope beats in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. This may be your last opportunity to taste the powder and ski these incredible slopes so you might as well end the season with a slamming party, right? This year’s line-up includes Motor City Drum Ensamble, Riot Jazz, Eva Lazerus and Visionobi, and mind-blowing events such as the Forest Paintball Wars, Campfire Comedy and the Hot Spa Cinema. Book your tickets to this one last winter-hoorah now!
Photo Credit : Andorra Mountains
A Glass of Wine in Eguisheim
Voted 2013’s Village préféré des Français (Favourite French Village), Eguisheim is the perfect place to toast to the spring season ahead. The cobblestone streets and colourful houses evoke images of the village in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Eguisheim’s charming little cafés and restaurants inspire leisurely afternoons and evenings that invite to linger over a glass of Alsace wine. To me, spring signifies days spent people watching and soaking in the first proper sun rays of the year over a creamy cup of coffee or a glass of wine – I couldn’t imagine a better place to start my spring holidays than in Eguisheim!
Photo Credit : Tambako The Jaguar
I love how you mentioned Eindhoven!! That place is beautiful and I can’t wait to go back! This is a lovely list
What a fantastic post it is. I can relate to the Holi festival as I am an Indian…the colours in all your photos have come out so brilliantly, by the way, I am sharing this post.Hope you also share mine..
Great choice! We would also put festival of colours on the top position! 🙂 But Andorra forest pain ball war also sounds like a lot of fun! You certainly gave us some interesting ideas! 🙂
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Sounds like a great list! I suppose spring has sprung here in London as well and we’re doing a hiking trip next month at the Lake District. Hopefully we’ll get to catch spring festivals around our area too.
Have you ever been to any of these celebrations? Which one would you most recommend? The color festival is something I’m eager to do but I am unfamiliar with the other ones in your informative article.
Love your take on spring break. These options sound far more enriching than getting drunk on a beach in Cancun. Love the Andorra idea. Nothing like the end of the powder, good beats and easy weather.
This is what I would call a wanderlusting post. Thank you for sharing – the photos are inspirational, and the places you picked were interesting. I will definitely keep some of these in mind for my future trips! Travel safe –
I am not sure about the places but if I remember my past days then I can say nothing can beat californian beaches. too good and certainly best place!
The colorful festival looks like fun! Everyone looks so happy!
I feel a new bucket list category coming on! I love these! Thank you for sharing your stories!
This is an excellent list! Hope to find myself in some parts of Asia and
I’ll be vising your top choices.
These all look like amazing ways to welcome spring, but the Festival of Colours in Pushkar really jumps out at me! I would love to participate in Holi someday
I loved the pics especially the 1st one. Yes Pushkar is a colourful place. Holi is celebrated colourfully in rest part of India also. You might also like Brindavan, Shantiniketan.
great post, happy to see pushkar here its make me feel proud.
I love spring festivals! This is an amazing list of festivals around the world and I aspire to attend some of these in the future. Thanks for sharing.
I would love to experience the Festival of Colour, it seems really interesting plus its in Asia too where I am. and that is one of the famous festival as well Your other list is new to me, that’s why love its great to read your post. Keep it up!