7 Art & Cultural Events Worth Traveling for in 2019

By Kelly Anne Gould, Travel Impressions

An avid traveler with a background in writing and literature, sharing her love for cultures foreign and familiar alike is what fuels Kelly Anne Gould’s passion for writing. As copywriter for Travel Impressions, she does just that across numerous channels for travel agents, from social media to marketing and editorial. When not traveling, she pretends she is anyway with frequent museum visits and an ever-expanding reading list.

 

Set your imagination to go.

 

Art may imitate life, but with this year’s roundup of exhibitions and cultural events already off to a fierce start, you’ll want to follow their lead. From special commemorations to envelope-pushing installations, these seven showcases will have you planning a trip faster than you can say “travel.”

 

1. “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” / “Tim Walker,” The Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
With two standout exhibitions planned at London’s V&A, you can’t go wrong no matter which season you want to explore the Town in.

On display through July 14, the Dior exhibition lets us get as close as most of us can dream of to real couture. Numbers like the imperial red silk dress with floral brocade and the coy blush tulle gown are not to be missed.

Just in time for fall fashion, the Tim Walker collection will be unveiled September 21. Photographs, films, and more from the innovative photographer promise to be a fascinating ride, if the teaser image of models in insectile full white coats is any indication.

Tickets for Christian Dior: €20 – €24 (timed entry). Tickets for Tim Walker available spring 2019.

 

2. “Wild Things: The Power of Nature in Our Lives,” Museum of Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada

A hands-on exhibition offering some fantastic Instagram pics, “Wild Things” encourages visitors to examine how our relationship with nature defines us. Open until September, its immersive look at Vancouver’s “wilds” makes for an eccentric, but powerful, reminder of the importance of cohabitation.

Museum admission from $9.75 CAD for children and $20.50 CAD for adults.

Vancouver Tourism Aerial Sunset Vancouver

Beautiful land-and-seascapes give Vancouver half its charm.

Credit: © Vancouver Tourism

 

3. “Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving,” Brooklyn Museum, New York, NY

Few female artists can claim the same level of fame Frida Kahlo has earned around the world. Paintings, drawings, and personal artifacts from the iconic Mexican artist are making their way to the Brooklyn Museum February 8 to May 12.

The biggest collection of her works to hit the U.S. in a decade, fans and newcomers alike won’t want to miss their chance to see so many of her once-lost works.

Timed tickets from $10 for children and $16 for adults; untimed tickets from $35. Member discounts available.

 

4. “Kaldor Public Art Projects,” Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Fifty years in the making, this world premiere spotlights Australia’s groundbreaking public arts project. Contemporary works like Jeff Koon’s Puppy and Marina Abramovic’s In Residence get a second life September 7, 2019 to February 16, 2020 at one of Sydney’s most popular museums.

Free admission.

Tourism Australia HarborPanorama

Sydney, Australia, where first-of-its-kind Kaldor Public Art Projects got its start in 1969.

Credit: © Tourism Australia

 

5. 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany

November 9th marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall that divided East and West Berlin—the starkest symbol of the Cold War.
Commemorative events have already begun, but the exhibition of previously unpublished photographs by Daniel Biskup of life after the Wall, on display at the Museum in the Kulturbrauerei February 14 to August 25; German Unification Day street party on October 3; and “Insight into Secrets” at House 7, one-time headquarters of the Stasi, are sure to be highlights.

Free admission.

 

6. Daks Over Normandy, Normandy, France
Another turning point in history reaches a landmark anniversary this summer: the D-Day Landings and Battle of Normandy. And a big anniversary means a BIG celebration.

In the greatest gathering since World War II, over 30 DC-3s and C-47s will take to the skies June 5 to June 9 for Daks Over Normandy. Caen Carpiquet Airport will offer an up-close look at the aircraft, making this unique experience one for the books.

 

7. Year of Festivals, Caribbean

Yes, an entire region made the list. The Caribbean Tourist Organization has named 2019 the “Year of Festivals,” and for good reason. From food and spirits (rum, anyone?) to dance and crafts, it doesn’t get more jubilant than the islands. A small sampling of upcoming events:

  • Bon Bini Festival, Aruba: Held every Tuesday year-round, it’s a mini Carnaval, complete with music, dance, and art. Entrance fee: $5 for children, $10 for adults.
  • Crop Over, Barbados: A 200-year-old tradition returns June 1 to August 5. Craft markets, street food, and, of course, costumes make sugar cane season that much sweeter. Admission varies by event.
  • Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, Saint Lucia: This May 5 to May 12 brings one of the Caribbean’s most “noteworthy” festivals to one of its most romantic islands for another round. Admission varies by event.

Aruba Bon Bini Festival 9

 A dancer entertains the crowd at Aruba’s weekly Bon Bini Festival.

Credit: © Aruba Tourism

 

Interested in learning how to build a custom itinerary around one of these events? Visit www.travelimpressions.com or call 800.284.0044.

Serving travel agents only since 1974, Travel Impressions is one of the nation’s largest leisure tour operators, offering packaged and FIT vacations to over 1,300 destinations in the Caribbean; Asia and the Persian Gulf; Mexico; Central and South America; Europe, including the Eastern Mediterranean; Africa; the South Pacific; Canada; the Continental U.S.; Alaska; and Hawaii. An extensive portfolio featuring more than 250,000 resorts, hotels, and over 2,500 luxury villas, plus more than 30,000 tours, attractions, and transfers, provides global options for every traveler.

Wildlife Viewing with Arctic Watch for the Active Traveler

By Daven Hafey, Quark Expeditions

Wildlife guide and documentary producer Daven Hafey has a passion for all things related to wildlife, weather, tides and Indigenous culture. He has guided on more than 40 polar expeditions, in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Alaska and the Antarctic. 

 

The Arctic. Just speaking the name evokes a wide array of thoughts and emotions, of daydreams, and longing for those who seek wildlife adventures in the tundra and barren lands of the surreal landscape under the midnight sun. It’s this urge to explore the pristine wilderness of the High North that draws visitors to Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge, an off-the-grid base camp built to withstand the Arctic climate.
Arctic Watch-Lodge- -courtesy-ArcticWatchLodge

 

Located on the northern edge of Somerset Island, nearly 800 km north of the Arctic Circle, Arctic Watch is small, family-run, remote land-based lodge that enables visitors to explore the wilds of Canada’s Nunavut Territory.

One of the most popular draws to Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge is the prospect of witnessing the annual beluga whale migration to Cunningham Inlet on the island’s northern shores each summer. There, in the waters of Cunningham Inlet, the majestic belugas socialize and reconnect with hundreds of their species in the quiet and pristine waters off Peel Sound. Few wilderness experiences rival the vision of mother belugas and their calves playing in the shallows of Cunningham Inlet.

Belugas_CunninghamInlet-Arctic-courtesy-ArcticWatch

 

I’ve encountered so many other wildlife species during my visits to Arctic Watch Lodge. Muskox abound in the tundra and talus slopes of Somerset Island, along with Arctic hare, Arctic fox, and occasionally caribou. The King of the North, the polar bear, is often seen in the region, as the McClintock Channel on the west coast of Somerset Island is home to one of the more stable populations of polar bears in all of the Arctic. Migratory birds also take advantage of the short Arctic summer, congregating en masse to feed, breed and rear their young before returning south for the winter. Arctic terns and eider ducks are plentiful. The chance to observe such wildlife in their natural habitat is the appeal of the Arctic.

Muskox-Arctic-courtesy-DavidMerron

 

The active traveler has multiple wildlife-viewing options while staying at Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge:

 

By water: kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and rafts

Sea kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding are popular ways to explore Somerset Island. Imagine gliding through the pristine Arctic waters with sea ice on one side of you and dozens of belugas on the other, or propelling yourself forward on a stand-up paddle board in Cunningham Inlet while watching and listening to the belugas as they congregate in the same waters.

Kayaking-CunninghamInlet-courtesy-ArcticWatch

The expert team at Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge, operated by Richard Weber and Josée Auclair along with their sons Tessum and Nansen Weber, do their best to ensure guests get a fully immersive wilderness experience. That can mean navigating the rivers upstream of Cunningham Inlet to check out the water-filled canyons and waterfalls while on the look-out for musk ox, Arctic fox, and other iconic wildlife.

 

Exploring faster and further on a fat bike or an ATV

In the absence of developed trail systems, fat bikes provide an excellent means of exploring rocky beaches, hillsides, and ridgelines inhabited by myriad Arctic wildlife. Guests can also hop on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to explore a distant ridge or plateau land and then explore on foot. Lodges guides are available to drive should a guest prefer not to operate an ATV on their own.

Arctic-birds-David-Merron

 

Let’s Go Fishing

The team at Arctic Watch includes experienced fishing guides who can equip you with gear if you don’t bring your own.  It’s hard to imagine a more pristine freshwater environment than the rivers, streams, and meltwater ponds of the High Arctic. Thawed and free-flowing for brief periods every summer, the cold, clean rivers and streams of the Far North are paradise for fish, especially Arctic char, which sometimes weigh more than ten pounds.

 

Take a leisurely approach to the Arctic wilderness

Visitors who feel the urge to absorb the wonders of the Arctic at a more leisurely, relaxed pace can go on a hiking or photography-themed outing – or they can simply choose to enjoy the Arctic wilderness in solitude. Joining a guided hike means you have the benefit of listening to staff recount endless stories and northern experiences, which provide historical, ecological, or cultural context. What better way to learn about the intricate, resilient, and delicate ecology of the Arctic wilderness.

 

Interested in learning more about Quark Expeditions? Visit www.quarkexpeditions.com.

Quark Expeditions is the leader in polar travels. Quark Expeditions has been taking global travelers on immersive journeys to the Arctic and Antarctica for almost three decades.