Okay, so, “Top global arts festivals to witness this year,” huh? Sounds fancy, right? Honestly, I just wanted to see if I could plan a (totally hypothetical, maybe someday) artsy trip. Here’s how it went down.
First, I just Googled “best art festivals in the world.” Super original, I know. Scrolled through a bunch of listicles – you know the kind, “Top 10 Art Fests You Can’t Miss!” All clickbait, probably, but gotta start somewhere.
So many options! I started making a quick list in a notepad file (yeah, old school). Stuff like:
- Documenta (Germany)
- Venice Biennale (Italy)
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland)
- Art Basel (Switzerland… and Miami, and Hong Kong)
Next step: getting a bit more specific. “Documenta,” for example. What the heck is Documenta? Dug a little deeper. Turns out, it’s this massive contemporary art exhibition that happens every five years in Kassel, Germany. Super intense, super political. Added “political focus” to my note about it.
Then, Venice Biennale. Already knew a bit about this one – huge art world event, national pavilions, the whole deal. But I wanted to know when it was actually happening. Website says it’s running… well, it was running this year. Missed it. Okay, next time! (Added a note to check future dates.)
Edinburgh Fringe was next. This one seemed way more my speed. Theatre, comedy, music, dance… everything. Checked out the official website. It’s HUGE. Like, thousands of shows. Overwhelming, honestly. Made a note: “Research specific shows/artists beforehand.”
Art Basel… that’s a tough one. Three locations! Switzerland, Miami, Hong Kong. Very high-end, very expensive. Probably not the most realistic for me right now. But, hey, a girl can dream. Added “check for more affordable satellite events” to my notes.
Here’s where things got interesting. Instead of just reading about these festivals, I started looking at images and videos. YouTube is your friend! Found some walk-throughs of past Documenta exhibitions, saw highlights from the Edinburgh Fringe, even watched some ridiculously pretentious art films about the Venice Biennale.
After all that, I felt like I had a much better sense of what each festival was actually like. Like, yeah, I read that Documenta was political, but seeing the artwork… that really drove it home.
So, final thoughts? It was a fun little rabbit hole. Probably won’t be jetting off to Europe anytime soon, but I learned a lot and got some serious travel inspiration. Plus, I have a much better idea of what to look for in an art festival. Next step: maybe check out some smaller, more local festivals. Baby steps!
And that’s how I virtually attended some of the top global arts festivals. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go binge-watch more art documentaries.
