AUGUST ATTRACTIONS

It’s harvest time again!

School holidays are back – and with it comes the promise of quality family time, chilled vibes and sense of vacation in the air. August is also when festivals peak, crowds gather in the sunshine and harvest celebrations are found in every corner. Over in France, the city of Metz celebrates a peculiar yet scrumptious festival when the northeastern Grand Est region’s iconic fruit is in season.

The Mirabelle Plum Festival sees around 80,000 visitors flock to the city’s streets to indulge in the small yellow fruit that’s best enjoyed in tarts, jams, pies and wine. The festival has something for everyone including musical shows, parades and even the election of the Mirabelle Plum Queen.

Prefer prunes to plums? The picturesque town of Agen has its Big Prune Show to celebrate the dried fruit with a culture cum gastronomy festival. Taste the fruit, buy pies for the folks or simply enjoy the cultural festivities… because it’s all about having fun without sticking to prunes or plums.

There are more food celebrations this month down under. If you’re planning a visit to Melbourne, stop by the Mould cheese festival – a three day event where you get to taste the best cheeses from around the continent. Sit in a

master class, chat with a cheesemonger or enjoy wine and cheese being paired.

Kandy’s glorious Esala Perahera is undoubtedly the highlight here in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s the colourful and glamorous parade or the peripheral celebrations in the hill capital, it is most certainly one of those must-see events of a lifetime.

The annual Venice International Film Festival always delivers hot Hollywood highlights – remember Lady Gaga’s unrestrained pink feathered Valentino couture outfit last year? Taking place at Venice’s Lido, the festival is a sure-fire way to spot a celebrity in the floating city.

And The Fast and the Furious’ lawful Hobbs teams up with lawless Shaw to fight a genetically enhanced terrorist on the silver screen. Whether it lives up to the franchise or not, it will be a huge no-no to miss Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham on ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.’

Local theatre lovers are also in for a treat because Grease is definitely the word that you heard. So you’d better shape up and catch Cold Theatre 7’s production of this toe tapping musical as it takes the stage this month.

So eat, drink, love and celebrate – that’s your recipe for an amazing August!