What agents were searching for: the May archive

We've taken a regular look at our top searches since October, and provided popular or quirky events for you to recommend to your clients in those destinations. In the last of the series, as we've now covered all the top searches, we have the last five cities for you.

Including our top search destination, Sydney, the most romantic in Paris and probably the most glitzy in LA, we've compiled the following list of recommendations to grab a seat at.

#Paris

It's been just over a month since the devastating fire that consumed large parts of Notre Dame Cathedral, but the demand for hotels in the 'City of Light' is as strong as ever and appeared consistently in our Top 20 searches recently.

As life returns to normal around Paris, the long and intricate restorations begin at Notre Dame, the delightful European summer approaches and the perennial demand of its 70+ Michelin Starred restaurants (10 of which have 3 stars), the worlds greatest museum (Louvre) and the title of the world's most romantic city, will bring 30m+ visitors to Paris this year.

We took our normal look at the less well know events and festivals in the coming months that you could highlight for your clients to have a unique experience.

The Fête de la Musique
June 21, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, is the official beginning of summer, and a time when pop-up stages appear all over Paris for the annual Fête de la Musique, turning the city into a huge street party to celebrate the summer solstice.

Free indoor and outdoor concerts take place all over Paris throughout the day and late into the night (remember, the sun doesn't set until almost 10pm) to celebrate the summer solstice and showcase the city's rich diversity of musical talent and genres.

You can find a list of performances on the event's website, usually by early June - but it's almost more fun to just happen upon them. They take place everywhere - so your clients will find them in the city's major squares, near metro stations, on street corners, in cafes, in front of municipal buildings, inside museums, in the city's parks, in courtyards - or just follow the sound of music.

La Fête Foraine des Tuileries
La Fête Foraine des Tuileries (June 23 - August 26, 12:45am Friday-Sunday) - literally, a "Fun Fair," in Paris's Tuileries Garden runs for two months of non-stop entertainment. With a giant Ferris wheel (hint: tell your clients to have phones at the ready for great shots of Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower), carousels, bumper cars, gut-wrenching rides for thrill seekers, children's games, and a lot more, the carnival entertains families with kids, teens, and everyone else seeking fun throughout the summer.

Tell your clients to wear their comfiest sneakers and to set aside a whole day for this stroll through Tuileries Garden and the Fête Foraine, adding in other nearby attractions such as the treasure-filled Louvre, Monet's giant Water Lily paintings at Musée de l'Orangerie and the Carrousel du Louvre underground shopping centre.

Paris Jazz Festival
Who doesn't like some free jazz in the park? Well if your clients do, then there are Jazz concerts taking place every Saturday and Sunday (June 30 - July 22) at Parc Floral (the Paris Botanical Garden) in Bois de Vincennes on the eastern edge of the city. Three minutes walk from Chateau de Vincennes Metro Station, tell your clients to take a blanket and a picnic or buy wine and a sandwich at the park's snack bar, for a relaxing afternoon and evening enjoying the sunshine, flowers, wandering peacocks, and virtuoso jazz.

Concerts are free and generally take place in the afternoon and early evening, but typically French, the park charges a small (2.50€) entrance fee during summer.

A great bonus idea is to tell them to arrive early and stroll through Parc Floral's famous gardens or explore Bois de Vincennes' other attractions such as its spectacular zoo, Lac Daumesnil, the aquarium, and 14th-century Château de Vincennes.

Paris Air Show
The massive International Paris Air Show, held during odd-numbered years (2019, 2021, 2023 etc.) at Le Bourget Airport just north of Paris, shows off the latest innovations in civilian and military aircraft - plus futuristic models still in the concept stage. Spectacular air shows overhead add to the excitement.

The first four days are industry-only, so unless they're looking to buy some F-35 Lightning II's, tell them the show is open to the public on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (21-23 June).

The show usually attracts around 200,000 public visitors, therefore filling up many of the city's hotel rooms. Tickets are €14 for floor access or add on another €11 for a grandstand seat for the air show; children under 7 are free.

As Le Bourget airport is less than 5km north of Paris, going by taxi is also an affordable option to recommend. Paris Insider Tip: If your clients can't make it to the Air Show, visit Le Bourget's Paris Air and Space Museum (closed Monday's) to see 100+ vintage-through-modern aircraft on display, plus art, models, and cultural items.

#Sydney

Sydney is consistently our top searched destination. It has the stunning harbourside location, iconic beaches, excellent restaurants, fantastic cafes and pubs, world heritage sites, terrific shopping, incredible festivals, a multicultural population, and pleasant year-round weather.

It's relativeley kind weather makes a great Winter destination with a vast array of cultural, nature-based and sporting offerings.

The Harbour City is spectacularly draped around its glorious harbour and beaches, has visual wow factor like few other cities. Scratch the surface and, it only gets better.

Vivid
We had to include this, as it almost defines Sydney's winters now. Starting tomorrow, and running until 15 June, this living outdoor gallery of impressive lighting sculptures and a marvellous contemporary music program is one of the world’s most creative industry forums and attracts an almost unmanageable amount of visitors.

The festival of light illuminates and accentuates Sydney, with dazzling displays, bringing new life to the surrounding precincts.

The light show that dances across the iconic Sydney Opera House at night has become the focal point of the festival. There’s plenty of great spots to view this from, whether your clients are in Circular Quay, on a cruise or looking out from their nearby hotels you booked them (often the most sensible place to view from).

Watch for Whales
If your clients are fans of the marine world, then you may know that thousands of humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to Queensland every winter.

From June to September, visitors have the best chance of spotting whales, as 20,000 migrate along the New South Wales coastline. You can catch a glimpse of them from the shore, but for the best experience head out on a dedicated whale watching tour, as most of these tours have a marine biologist on board that provides expert explanations about whales and their behaviour.

Winter Festival
For 18 days in winter, St Mary’s Cathedral is home to a European-style Winter Festival – a hub of cold weather activities like ice-skating and toboggan rides with hearty food stalls selling mulled wine, German sausages and Belgian waffles.

Clients can book ice-skating tickets in advance or on the door, and prices start from $22 for an adult ticket and $12 for a child (5-15 years). But the open-air ice rink is just the beginning – the Winter Festival has private igloos that you can book, including food service from Sake Restaurant & Bar, the Cut Bar & Grill, Café Ananas, Munich Brauhaus and the Argyle.

They’ve got something called ‘Toboggan Terror’, and your clients can hire inflatable Zorb balls to walk on water in the Cathedral’s outdoor water feature. There’s live music every night, plus a Munich Brauhaus Pop-up Bier Hall, and a powder machine that’ll create falling snow. Winter, we’re starting to like your style.

Take a plunge at Icebergs
At the southern end of Bondi Beach, your clients can find the Bondi Icebergs Club, one of the most famous ocean pools in the world. Regarded as an international landmark, not just because of its epic location but also thanks to its long tradition of winter swimming dating back to 1929. If they’re not daring enough to dip into the icy water, they can always enjoy the other perks of the club. Above the pool, they can enjoy the magnificent views of Bondi beach and the pool as they drink or dine on the balcony.

#Brisbane

The closest Brisbane gets to freezing point is the ice in their drinks – so raise ‘em high and celebrate crisp, clear days of winter sunshine, with some great events lined-up and the joys for Brisbanites of wearing a jacket for those brief moments.

The awesome weather isn’t the only motivation you need to bounce into Brisbane this winter, with a stack of action from the galleries to the horse track and back. Clients can ditch the winter woollies, pack their bags (with just one light jumper) and head to Brizzy for the winter.

Quandamooka Festival
The annual Quandamooka Festival, held from June to August, in Brisbane East, gives your visitors a great opportunity to become immersed in one of the oldest living cultures on earth. They can experience the continuing culture of the Nughi, Nunukul and Goenpul clans of Quandamooka, first-hand.

They'll learn more about Country; the sands, seas, sacred lakes, creeks, catchments and creatures found across the Redlands / Moreton Bay islands from the Quandamooka Peoples perspective.

The Quandamooka Festival theme for 2019 is “language” – respecting The United Nations’ International Year of Indigenous Languages. The ‘Jandai’ language of the Quandamooka peoples freely shared and recorded in the 1800s is revitalised through festival programs.

The 'Ekka'
Formally the Royal Queensland Show, the annual agricultural show of Queensland is best known to Brisbane locals simply as "The Ekka" (short for 'exhibition').

It’s Queensland’s largest annual event drawing more than 400,000 visitors each year to see a showcase of Queensland culture, produce, resources and initiatives for ten days every August.

There are multiple competitions, award ceremonies, exhibits, displays, animals and performances, not to mention the rides, show bags, food stands, entertainment and nightly fireworks.

For 136 years it has been one of the most important annual events for the state of Queensland.

Lots of fun for everyone and held over nine days from the 9th of August, visitors can hop on for the thrill of the carnival rides, get some hands-on experience with the animals, see the spectacular exhibits, learn about agriculture in Queensland or shop for the perfect show bag for their kids.

The Ekka is sure to put on a show to remember. There’ll be show jumping, car stunts, dance shows and some featured Australian singers before the dazzling fireworks display that gets more extravagant every year.

Location: Brisbane Showgrounds, 600 Gregory Tce, Bowen Hills
Cost: $30 for adults and $19 for children.

Bridge to Brisbane
Brisbane’s biggest running event, the Bridge to Brisbane, has been running since 2007 and raised millions of dollars for Queensland charities.

Runners start on the southern side of the Eastern Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge (also known as the Gateway Bridge). The route goes over the bridge, along Kingsford Smith Drive and Inner City Bypass, finishing at the Showgrounds at Bowen Hills.

As well as being a big fundraiser for several Queensland charities the Bridge to Brisbane is a major community event that has been attracting over 40,000 runners in recent years.

Hopefully, your clients will be wearing their ‘Bridge to Brisbane Finisher’ t-shirts.

Bridge to Brisbane - 28 August 2019
Location: Eastern Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge to RNA Showgrounds, Bowen Hills
Cost: 10km - $52-57
5km - $42-47
Children in stroller - free.

Redcliffe Kitefest
The skies over Redcliffe are set to come to colourful life again on 15 and 16 June, with the annual Redcliffe KiteFest, a bumper weekend of family fun for all ages at Clontarf's Pelican Park.

Redcliffe KiteFest will feature world-class kite displays from international and domestic kite flyers as kites of all shapes and sizes fill the sky, along with a host of other activities over the whole two days.

Let your clients know it gets quite busy, so take the parking stress out and head straight to the Redcliffe Showgrounds where they can park and ride the shuttle bus for FREE, running regularly all weekend from 8:30am until 5:00pm.

Tickets - Adults $11.42, Children/Concession $6.25, Family Pass (2 Adults & 2 Children) $26.91 (+ online book fee)

#Dublin

There’s a party atmosphere to be discovered all year round in Dublin. No matter the season, the finest in music, film, literature, food, theatre and arts come to life through a host of fantastic festivals dotted around the city’s streets, parks and unique spaces. Here are 20 essential spectaculars to discover and delight…

Some Dublin events are established, beloved celebrations; Tradfest, St. Patrick’s Festival and the New Year’s Festival are exhilarating Irish parties not to be missed, while the Bram Stoker Festival honours the iconic Dracula author. We've found some others that might be of interest to your clients if they're travelling in the next few months.

Festival of Curiosity
The Festival of Curiosity is a four-day event being held from 18th July to 21st July 2019. This event takes a brand new, innovative & research-led approach to audience participation and engagement in science, arts, design & technology for all ages.

Playful days & Curious Nights. Experience a cultural feast of unique, visual and interactive experiences in Dublin that merge cutting-edge technology, design, arts and science in playful, immersive & curious ways.

With over 45,000 people descending on Dublin from across the globe every year and visiting 14 venues & spaces across the city centre they can experience Dublin come alive in an energetic fusion of interactive installations, pop-up playgrounds and curiosity carnivals to immersive experiences, performance, visual art, theatre, film, secret tours, night cycles & urban escapes..

Dublin Wine Festival
I'm sure you'd expected to see us mention knocking back a pint of the black stuff, but we thought we'd cover the DWF, which is focused on high-quality wines from all over the world.

DWF’s is open on Sunday June 16th from 3pm to 7pm to adult customers.

Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular
This summer's festival integrates the old and the new, with festival favourites that everyone knows and loves, and a new mix of exciting programming to elevate Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular to a whole new level.

Over 250,000 festival-goers are expected at Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular in Dublin's Merrion Square on July 12th - 14th.

Your clients can expect over 150 street performances from jaw-dropping international talent, feel-good family health and wellness area with Laya Healthcare, a live music stage with bop-worthy bands, an even bigger Just Eat Street food market with delicious global cuisines from barbecue to bratwurst to burritos, football skills arena and football freestylers, an imaginative play universe for kids and hands-on Lego model building, children's storytelling and creative writing, vintage funfair rides and a plethora of free spectacular programming for all ages. And breath...
​
Entry is 100% free, and no tickets are required!
Tell them to just turn up with all your friends and family and enjoy all the Spectacular fun!

Dublin Horse SHow
The annual gathering of the horsey set in Dublin is not just Ireland’s premier show jumping event of the year, but a fixture in the social calendar as well.

At the Horse ShowSome of the World’s best show jumpers will be here, competing for large prizes in competitions throughout the week, culminating in the Nations Cup, for the Aga Khan Trophy on the last day of the show. This is as much a social as an equestrian event, with horsey people from all over the country gathering for a week of competition by day and hard partying by night.

It’s a wonderful show and let them know they should plan on spending the whole day there, as there is so much to see and do they may even want to come back for a second day!

#Los Angeles

With so many world-famous sites and attractions to visit, deciding on the best things to do in Los Angeles can be a bewildering task. If your clients are only in town for a short time, they could spend all their trip wandering around L.A.’s essentials, from the beaches of Santa Monica to the vibrant historic streets of the Arts District and super-hip Silver Lake. There are so many great events to check out, and it can be hard knowing where to start and what to fit in. This list should help your clients decide and get the most from their L.A. getaway.

Friday Night Wine Tastings
Now one of L.A.’s most treasured summer traditions, Barnsdall Park’s wine tastings regularly attract sell-out crowds. Perched atop Olive Hill on the west lawn of the historic Hollyhock House (which they can tour during the evening for an additional $15), the Barnsdall Friday fundraisers include fine selections of boutique wines provided by Silverlake Wine with a spectacular sunset and 360-degree views of the city. Clients should take along a blanket and a picnic basket, or just nosh on the variety of food trucks parked up there. The event lawn is now 21 years old and up, so perfect for a date night. Proceeds support the park’s art programs and historic renovations.

Lotus Festival
Your client could celebrate the bloom of Echo Park Lake’s popular floating flowers with the annual Lotus Festival. They can expect plenty of food, music, dragon boat races and—fingers crossed—the lotus flower beds in full bloom. 14-14th July.

Love Long Beach Festival
Love Long Beach 2019 is the 6th annual edition of the festival, celebrating the magic of all that is Long Beach. Taking place at ShoreLine Aquatic Park on Saturday July 27th & Sunday July 28th.

Your clients can experience DJs and live bands across multiple stages, yoga and sound healing, community, arts and crafts, food court, vendors, fire performances, talks, face painting, chill out areas, massage and much much more! Kid and family friendly, all ages are welcome! Mega fun under the sun for all.

International Surf Festival
Presented by BEACHSPORT.org, the Chambers of Commerce and Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Department of Beaches and Harbors.

The 2019 host city for the 57th International Surf Festival is the City of Hermosa Beach. The event promotes the four South Bay beach cities, the world’s best lifeguard service, and physical fitness for thousands of participants. Participants range in age from 8 years old to the late '80’s. The three signature events for the festival are the Judge Taplin Lifeguard Medley Relay, the Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim, and the Charley Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament. Other great events include a surfing contest, bodysurfing contest, beach run, paddleboard races, dory race, and youth events. The festival has hosted numerous international lifeguard teams including teams from Victoria, Australia.

The International Surf Festival kick-off dinner is held on the Wednesday prior to the start of the Charley Saikley 6-Man Volleyball Tournament and the Lifeguard Intracrew competition on Friday. The dinner includes the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Medal of Valor award ceremony.

Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party
Finally, we'd recommend L.A. County’s largest free July 4th celebration with an annual Grand Park + The Music Center’s 4th of July Block Party. The family-friendly event will cover more than five city blocks, from Spring Street to Grand Avenue and from Temple Street to 2nd Street, with two high-profile stages featuring DJs and live bands throughout the event. The celebration will be capped with Downtown L.A.’s largest fireworks show. The display will be shot from the roof of The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and will be visible throughout the surrounding neighbourhoods.

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