Where to go on holiday in July 2015

Will your old banger make it all the way to Ulan-Ude?

The Adventurists

For city slickers…

Short haul: Venice, Italy

Nothing calls for celebration like the end of a plague. That’s why the Venetians knocked together the formidable Redentore Church in the 16th century and why they still mark the end of the epidemic with the annual Festival of the Redeemer (18-19 July).

Even five centuries on, this spectacular beano sees ornamental boats fill St Mark’s Basin and the Giudecca Canal, with many linking together to make a ‘bridge’ that connects the city and Giudecca. Revellers then feast on traditional dishes as musicians pipe up. It all ends with a sparkling firework display.

With the morning hangover comes a regatta with gondola and boat races. It’s all part of a weekend that Venetians agree is one of the best in the calendar.

Get ready to party like it's 1699 in Venice
Dan Kitwood / Thinkstock

Long haul: Kyoto, Japan

You’ll never feel more welcome in Japan’s old imperial capital than in July. Playing host to the Gion Matsuri festival, residents across the city open their doors to visitors during Byobu Matsuri, giving them a chance to see traditional folding screen artwork in the homes of old textile merchants.

Whether you drink in the famous Kencha Matsuri tea ceremony at Yasaka Shrine or watch the procession of ornate floral headwear at the Hanagasa Junko, this month-long celebration encapsulates the essence of Japan.

The highlight of the festival, though, is the Yamaboko Junko parade on 17 July, a carnival of vast wooden floats that make up part of a purification ceremony that dates back to the Heian period.

Kyoto is best experienced during the Gion Matsuri festival
Creative Commons / Frankyyy007

For beach bums…

Short haul: Tisno, Croatia

These days the rhythmic lapping of waves along warm Adriatic shores is best accompanied by seven days of blistering electronica. The Garden Festival (1-8 July), held in Tisno, Croatia, is the place to be if you want top-notch DJs rummaging through a collection of excellent disco, house, funk and techno.

From the oceanfront to an olive garden, and from beautiful parkland to boat parties, the live shows and DJs take full advantage of the idyllic landscape here. Keep everything peeled for the location of a secret island party.

Alas, this July will be the final hoorah for Croatia’s founding electronic music festival, which is shutting up shop after this year. Help it go out with a bang.

Boat parties are just one part of The Garden Festival in Croatia
The Garden Festival Facebook

Long haul: Boryeong, South Korea

If Daecheon Beach’s white sands and warm summer evenings weren’t already enticing enough, then surely the chance to cake yourself in a load of squidgy grey mud will convince you.

Wait, hear us out. The annual Mud Festival (17-26 July) draws enormous crowds, offering everything from mud-wrestling and extreme mud obstacle courses to mud massages and baths along the beach.

Famed for its mineral-rich mud-based cosmetics, at least your skin will look good at the Hip Hop-Rave Party or Mud Rock Festival. Showers, blessedly, are available on site too.

The Mud Festival in Boryeong is good for your skin - honest
Creative Commons / Hypnotica Studios Infinite

For thrill seekers…

Short haul: Sonkajärvi, Finland

Marriage is usually an endurance sport, but at the Wife Carrying World Championship in Sonkajärvi, Finland, it becomes a race.

The annual competition finds distant inspiration in the region’s history: young men of yesteryear roamed between villages, stealing other men’s wives and bringing them home to mum and dad.

Today, the Wife Carrying Championship is a more light-hearted affair; though don’t doubt that participants are in it to win. 10,000 spectators gather to watch men carry their wives over an obstacle course, traversing grass, sand and aquatic terrain.

For those with stamina to spare, additional events on offer during the 3-4 July weekend include a Wife Carrying Triathlon and a Rubber Boot Throwing Competition. Participation is open to all.

Taking your wife on holiday is very different in Finland
Pekka Honlaloski

Long haul: Ulan-Ude, Russia

Sure, you could head to Heathrow and fly to Ulan-Ude, Russia. Or you could buy a duffed-up motor with a 1L engine or smaller, raise £1,000 for charity and drive there like a champion.

That’s what the Mongol Rally proposes: depart from England on 19 July and aim for Ulan-Ude, if you ever get there. The race posts no official route, so when your car breaks down in a mysterious swathe of sweeping Mongolian plains, try to think of it as a unique opportunity to meet the locals.

It’s all for a good cause too, with £500 of the money you raise going to the Cool Earth Charity, and the other £500 to a charity of your choosing.

Will your old banger make it all the way to Ulan-Ude?
The Adventurists

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