Freshly Social

For anyone who doesn’t know what Snowbombing is, here’s a little help. It’s a festival designed around winter sports such as snowboarding and skiing, music performances by world-renowned DJ’s combined with themed parties in unusual locations the likes of farmsteads, igloo villages, street-parties and slope parties. Clearly the snowbombing festival is ‘da bomb.’

Before anyone runs off to buy snowbombing tickets, it’s best to educate yourself on the safety aspect of snowboarding and skiing. As much fun as these sports can be there is a dangerous side that definitely cannot be overlooked. The clothing and gear you hire, or own, needs to be in top shape. Footwear is a particularly important addition when being on a snow-covered mountain. Scruffs footwear, or alike, is excellent for these kinds of expeditions. Secondly, if you’re planning on taking part in the sport part of snowbombing, it’s best to know snow safety and what the signs are for unstable snow, avalanche terrain and snowpack layering. Contact your nearest mountain guide for information on how to go about your snow education.

It’s that time of year again. Christmas time! The time of cheer and good will and the city of London is one of the most incredible places to be during this time. Oxford Street is said to be London’s busiest street with over 200 million visitors per year and apart from Oxford being an extravagant shopping destination which sees shopping statistics soar in December, there are the world renowned Oxford Christmas lights that attract Londoners and tourists alike.

Christmas lights are being put up, red is becoming the new fashionable color, the smell of tinsel fills the air and ‘ho ho ho’ can be heard in popular shopping malls. Yes, it’s that time of year again; its Christmas time and the taste of Christmas time too.   What a lovely time of year, well I love it at least and what is more wonderful than the Christmas spirit, spending time with family, holidays and gift wrapping is the delectable food that comes with it. The quintessential Christmas lunch is something I yearn for all year long. Plum turkeys and gammon perched up on our lunch table and pulling the colorful crackers waking up granny is what it’s all about. This year, The Taste of Christmas is sure to exude all of the good and yummy things Christmas has to offer.

The Maltese are known for their appreciation of traditional so why not celebrate Christmas the Maltese way? Considered Christmas gifts are the completely unexpected ones so give yourself, a family member, or a friend the gift of flying to a beautiful island to celebrate Christmas.

Malta is a beautiful island that revels in tourism, and tradition. The Maltese have great respect for traditional holidays and with Christmas being an extra special holiday, it’s given extra-special treatment. Malta flights are very reasonable which means you’re holiday starts before you even take-off. After landing take a load off and go discover the rich cultural heritage of this amazing island. The best Christmas gifts would be to treat someone special to the rustic streets, which are decorated with beautiful lights, while Christmas carols are sung throughout the season and can be heard throughout the islands.

The festive season is all about good feelings, good deeds and of course, good food – and during December, London will play host to a number of gourmet food festivals to tempt and treat even the most discerning connoisseurs. Visiting a London food festival during the Christmas season is a great way to get into the festive spirit, pick up some delicious gifts for your loved ones and indulge in fine food and wine prepared by some of London’s top chefs.

While frozen delivery fleets are gearing up to cater to the city’s Christmas food festivals, some Londoners might be wondering which of these fine food celebrations to attend; here are three top festival picks for the Christmas season, where guests can eat, drink and be very merry indeed!

Malta is a renowned destination for fun, sun, beauty, history and culture. It is a popular holiday destination especially among Europeans but people from all over the world are now flocking to  its crystal shores. Malta festivals are a monthly occurrence and one of the more humble and interesting ones is the Birgufest.

In the United Kingdom 43% of households own a pet. In the USA it is even higher. Many people own pets, love pets and will inevitably own an animal companion throughout their lives. The London pet show happens every year and all the furry, reptilian, slimy, large and small pets come out to play, put on a show and interact with their owners.

Everyone remembers having imaginary friends then those friends turned into our animal pets and then humans. Many agree the best of friends were our animal counterparts. Even now we take solace in our pets. They provide us with unconditional love and are fiercely loyal. At the London pet show, one of the bigger ones among pet shows UK, we get to explore the eclectic mix of ‘best friends’ attendants bring along while taking the family out and letting the kids have some wholesome fun. The London Pet Show is a dynamic live event, packed full of hundreds of different breeds of animals, amazing live animal action displays and fun and informative talks and demonstrations. The quintessential pet, the dog is a huge attraction at the pet show and all aspects are covered, from games and training and even to pet vacuum cleaners.  There are five diverse and exciting zones to discover at this ultimate pet show, which feature Dogs, Cats, Small Furries, Exotics & Aquatics and Pets.

Every year in September the edges of London’s River come alive with the annual Thames Festival, and 2011 looks to be no different from years before. Usually only used by the locals for Christmas party boats or for a place to run along in the mornings, the Thames River comes alight with a myriad of international food flavours, fireworks and theatre attractions in celebration of London and its iconic river.  It is free to all attending the Thames Festival and is the biggest festival of arts and hosted by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

London will play host to the 2011 Wine Show at the Olympia which is located in the heart of the Capital. This year’s event will feature the Drinks Tasting Theatre with Oz Clarke, The Coutts Private Wine Cellar as well as plenty exhibitors with tasty morsels, specialized harvests and brews to tantalize taste buds. From the 11^th to the 13^th of November, wine aficionados and cuisine critics will fill the halls with displays and aromas for a wonderful winter warming day in London for all to enjoy the wine and food festivities. Ice cold hops brews will be arriving through frozen courier services from all over the country along with some of the top white wines and “bubbles” providing fresh flavours.

Families from all over London will soon be flocking to Regent’s Park to enjoy a fun-filled day out at Lollibop, a London festival created specially for kids. While most London concerts and West End festival tickets are aimed at grown-ups, the Lollibop festival is billed as “The Big Bash for the Little People”, offering a wide range of entertainment and activities for kids… and the young at heart.

Lollibop 2011 promises to be bigger, brighter and better than ever! Here are just a few of the sweet surprises you can expect when you visit the popular family festival this August:

The Enchanted Forest
This magical woodland is filled with friendly creatures, and it’s here you’ll find the LollyBooks story reading area and get the chance to learn some magic tricks at the famous Lollibop fairy and wizard school.