Located on an incline above Los Angeles City, and just a stone's throw from the world famous Hollywood Sign that stands tall above the city, is the Griffith Park Observatory. This was built using the funds in Colonel Griffith J. Griffith's will on his command, after stating that if “all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world”. It was opened in 1935 and has been fulfilling his visions ever since, with more people looking through the Zeiss telescope than any other telescope in the world.

Every evening, there are free public telescopes set up on the lawn when the observatory is open. This allows visitors to look to the sky, search for constellations, zoom in on distant planets and to explore the sky at their own pace. For those who want a little bit of help understanding what they are looking at and to learn a little more about the equipment, the history, and the cosmic world, demonstrators are on hand from the observatory until about 9.45pm every evening.

One Saturday every month, the staff at the observatory host a free event for the public called a Star Party. This start at 2.00pm and run through to 9.45 with the help of volunteers from the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers and the Planetary Society. These are particularly good for families with children of all ages who are interested in the night sky. Participants are able to quiz the volunteers for information, to try out different telescopes and find out about their different functions, to talk to enthusiastic and knowledgable people and to get involved with the world beyond our atmosphere. For a list of dates, check out the Griffith Observatory website which lays out the plan for the entire year (http://www.griffithobservatory.org/programs/publictelescopes.html).

As well as the Star Parties, the observatory also holds a free evening on the first Friday of every month in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon called “All Space Considered”. This is a discussion about recent happenings and relevant topics in the world of astronomy, headed by the observatory's curatorial staff. Seating for these events is distributed on a first come-first serve basis. Some of the talks are also filmed and streamed live through their website.

All year round, Griffith Park attracts many visitors for hiking and outdoor activities up to and around the iconic Hollywood sign. In good weather it offers arguably the best views over Downtown LA and almost all of the city is visible from various points of the park. It has been featured in many movies and films, and has even been animated in The Bojack Horseman Show, so you can walk in the footsteps of some of your favourite movie stars. There are walks for all abilities, public transportation from various parts of LA, and multiple car parks that facilitate the area.

For those who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, either by losing themselves in the nature of the park or by losing themselves in the romance of the night sky, Griffith Park is a perfect place to spend some time.

The Chinese New Year celebration in San Francisco is one of the largest in the world. The main draw of this celebration, the Grand Parade, will be held on Saturday, February 23. In addition, you will find lots of fun events for the lunar new year in both February and March.

 2019 is the Year of the Pig.

The San Francisco Chinese New Year celebration is the largest outside of Asia. The Chinese New Year celebration in San Francisco first began in the mid-1800s, when many immigrants from China came to the US looking for work.

As the word of the Gold Rush in California spread, many Chinese immigrants decided to stay in San Francisco. This built up a large Chinese community in this city, forming the famous Chinatown district that is still very much alive today.

When they planned their first full scale New Year's celebration here, they incorporated both Chinese and American traditions. They loved the idea of having a large, colorful parade, though that was not done in China at that time.

Today, this celebration and parade is one of the largest in the world. More than three million people watch the parade every year.

There are more than 100 parade entries. These include participants marching down the street with flags, lanterns, and drums.

The parade also includes several floats, the largest and most popular of which is the 28-foot-long Golden Dragon. It takes a team of more than 100 people to operate and move it through the streets of San Francisco. The lucky color red is everywhere at the new year. Chinese New Year is a lunar festival whose date is determined by the moon's phases and changes every year.

This 2019 Chinese New Year Parade is on Saturday, February 23. It starts at 5:15pm at the corner of 2nd and Market Streets. It then weaves its way through Chinatown and ends at Jackson and Kearny Streets. The parade usually ends around 8pm.

Hosted every winter by Atlanta Beer Festivals, this quickly growing popular event is every beer enthusiast's dream. With over 150 different beers available, and all samples included in the ticket price, you are bound to find a new favourite brew and have a lot of fun in the process of finding it. Connecting like minded beer enthusiasts and brewers from all over the area, the event is strongly supporting the local community and has proven to be a popular and successful event.

The 2019 Atlanta Winter Beer Fest will be at Atlantic Station on February 2, 2019

There is a large focus on featuring as many locally brewed beers as possible. The event showcases a lot of local talent from Atlanta and Georgia, from the larger well known commercial breweries to much smaller, refined and experimental craft beer creators, and a whole range of different flavours will test your tasting palette. Atlanta has a wide range of different brewers such as Red Brick and Sweet Water who are well represented at the festival. America has an ever growing craft beer scene, and with new innovations and improvements happening every year, the best way to understand the culture and the beer scene is at events such as this.

As well as beer, the festival showcases a number of ciders, wines, hard sodas, and even gluten free beer for those who cannot indulge in the traditional style of beer. Those who are less enthusiastic about beer are still well accommodated for, although the festival is very focussed on beer instead of wine and cider.

Aside from drinking, there is plenty of food at the festival. Local restaurants set up small stands to cater for hungry patrons, and there are food trucks supporting the event also. There is also live music at the event, with a dedicated stage set up with lots of room for spectators and dancing. Performances range from DJs hitting the decks and stirring up a party, to live bands showcasing their musical talents. This truly is a party that one will not forget.

Tickets are best booked well in advance as the price increases as the event draws closer. Full ticket prices and details can be found at the event website (http://atlantawinterbeerfest.com) as well as more information regarding the event.

Atlanta Beer Festivals are a group of dedicated people who are “Helping Atlanta Celebrate Beer”. As well as the Winter Beer Festival, they host a plethora of different events throughout the year, such as the Summer Beer Fest, the Atlanta Brunch Festival which celebrates a lot of local food and the love of brunch which is forever augmenting in Atlanta, the Atlanta Spring Wine Fest which celebrates local and imported wines, and New Beers Eve which is an all inclusive, all out party with over 40 beers to taste. Details of these events and many more can be found at the Atlanta Beer Festivals Official Website (atlantabeerfestivals.com).

The event is limited to attendees over 21 years of age only. It is worth a reminder to drink responsibly, and to ensure you have safe passage to and from the festival.

The Joshua Tree Music Festival

is a bi-annual event occurring in Spring and Fall every year in the Mojave Desert. It was formed in 2003 and now, every May and October, allowing artists and musicians to bring together lovers of creativity in a small and intimate festival environment. The quirky national park has inspired many artists and musicians over the year, dotted with unusual fauna and wide open spaces that allow one to think.

The festivals focus on creating a family friendly environment which connects the artists to the festival attendees with passionate performers in a small setting. Performers are not separated from audience which further enhances the intimate setting. The organisers look for up and coming artists over the larger names, and the organisers hope that instead of attendees only watching their favourite artists, that they will discover a new unheard of favourite and will further support up and coming and often struggling musicians who are battling a difficult industry. Many artists who perform are being heard for the first time. The music is spread over two stages, however the musical acts alternate between them so that it is possible to see every artist without the magic ability to be in two places at once.

The stages and audience sections are well protected from the desert sun, and with small audience numbers and venues, it is possible to get up close to the stage and to have excellent visuals of the artists, instead of watching them on a TV screen from the back of a field.

Children under 10 are able to attend the festival for free and there is plenty to occupy the kids with, such as a dedicated “Kid Zone” which is particularly good for those camping with their children. Everybody of all ages is welcome to the festival, and everybody is well accommodated for.

There are lots of events to developing self-awareness, from yoga classes, a “Positive Vibration Station”, Random acts of mindfulness and a plethora of visual arts. The organisers want attended to immerse themselves in hippy culture and caring communities, and to leave the event feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, unlike other festivals which induce week long hangovers and leaver attendees in a recovery mode. Alongside this, there is plenty of art workshops, murals, sculptures, projected visuals and craft markets run by and in support of local communities. Organic food is abundant, and there is a strong focus on sustainability and healthy eating.

It is organised by a group of friends who believe that “music is the soul of life, and that art enriches and saves lives” and attracts around 4000 attendees to every event. Alongside the two annual festivals, there is now the Guitarfish Music Festival every July that runs in association with the organisers of the Joshua Tree Music Festival.

Camping and lodging is all available. More details on up and coming events as well as locations and accomodation opportunities can all be found on the event's official website joshuatreemusicfestival.com.