How To Be Free :: Around the World in 80 Celebrations

[karl webster]

I would like to spend a year visiting festivals all around the world and writing about it. Not just music festivals, but probably mostly.

The project is provisionally entitled How To Be Free :: Around the World in 80 Celebrations. It will be a study of human beings throughout the globe in the act of celebrating life. Or if you like, a study of human freedom, and an attempt to make something of my own.

The journey will be documented on a website I have yet to create, and funded by backers I have yet to track down. In truth I am ill-prepared, especially as I intend to start the trip on January 31st, 2011. But if it comes to it, I’ll have to do it without backing. Maybe it’d be even better that way. Just much harder.

I hope this post isn't considered spam, especially as it's my first and all, because it's more a cry for help. I need to contact people who can help me make this happen - PRs for festivals and transport providers, potential sponsors, organisers of festivals and similar events, and anyone else who might be interested and want to collaborate.

The main thrust of the project is that it's a study of people all over the world letting themselves go. But I also want to know as much as I can about every festival I intend to visit, so I need to speak to a lot of people. Do you know anyone I should speak to? And there must be lots of angles I haven't even thought of.

Basically, any help, advice or useful information that anyone could provide would be enormously gratefully received.

There are more details about the project here and a rough itinerary for the first month here if you'd like to know more.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Cheers.

[nightcrawler13]

my advice is...

forget setting off january 2011, spend the next year working and preparing a route and doing research

if you can find people who will pay for this, send them my way

[karl webster]

Cheers, but I'm definitely leaving at the end of January, one way or the other.

[Greeny_Musicchild]

I've got to ask, in what way is this a study and not just you trying to party round the world for a year for free?

I think thats something your 'sponsors' are also going to ask.

Get a job.

[nightcrawler13]

I've got to ask, in what way is this a study and not just you trying to party round the world for a year for free?

I think thats something your 'sponsors' are also going to ask.

Get a job.

[karl webster]

Get a job.

[gratedenini]

I knew you'd understand.

[dakyras]

Den for PM!

[RABun]

Has anyone read his blog or looked him up. He's actually a good writer and I think it's a great idea.

[dakyras]

Has anyone read his blog or looked him up. He's actually a good writer and I think it's a great idea.

[gratedenini]

Has anyone read his blog or looked him up. He's actually a good writer and I think it's a great idea.

[5co77ie]

Has anyone read his blog or looked him up. He's actually a good writer and I think it's a great idea.

Edited November 18, 2010 by 5co77ie

[5co77ie]

reading this might help:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unmissable-Events-Festivals-Around-World/dp/0470742216/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I36FC5WD5EKBX4&colid=2ECGQXJ67P9XJ

[Ed209]

while it sounds like a badly planned excuse to go for a jolly round the world at someone else's expense, if you can find someone to give you the money to do it then fair f**king play to you mate. can't deny I would be insanely jealous of such a trip.

[grumpyhack]

Regardless of the merits of the project - and good luck if he can get someone to back it - a few constructive suggestions would be nice.

A few years ago I set myself the target of visiting different countries on their big National Day of Celebration. We don't really have one as such in Brtain but examples would include:

Paris on Bastille Day (saw the greatest firework display I've ever seen that night at the Eiffel Tower),

Holland on the Queen's Birthday. Everyone dresses in orange and the law banning selling in the streets without a licence is suspended for the day so all the children set up little table top stalls outside their houses selling their old toys, cakes they've made etc. It's like a huge car boot sale down many side streets.

The USA on 4th July etc.