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For most of the last five hundred years Sines has been best known as the birthplace of the explorer Vasco da Gama, the first European to find his way to India by sailing round the Cape of Good Hope.

It is rare for a theme to come first and then have a festival started to develop it. That is the case, though, with Gender Bender.

Asalto International Festival of Public Art began a dozen years ago with a group of young graphic artists who used to “do some 'vandalism' in the streets,” but who were more ambitious for their art and surroundings.

The EFFE jury said, “in a country with no tradition of contemporary culture... Gogolfest has a huge impact on Ukrainian society."

It was with just a touch of pride that Hervé Castéran admitted that, “we used to have a strong reputation as the muddiest festival in France”. Hervé is Communications Director of Les Eurockéennes and the comparison with Glastonbury is one that he relishes.

Africtions is neither the largest nor the most established festival on the menu but, if it continues along the way it has been going, it may turn out to have some of the most lasting benefits of any.

Often it seems to be true that the less likely the location, the more interesting and daring is its festival. This is certainly the case with Palić, a small lakeside town a few kilometres from the Hungarian border in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina.

The Babkarska Bystrica tour transferred its work out into the countryside, taking performers from all over the world into six small towns and villages.

The Athens Digital Arts Festival describes itself as celebrating 'digital culture through an annual gathering bringing together a global community of artists and audiences'.

One of the clever things about Dublin's 12 Points jazz festival is that it does not always happen in Dublin.

One of the most upmarket districts of Jutland is a surprising place to find Denmark's main festival of puppetry: the Festival of Wonder.

June is the month for festivals in Bulgaria's main seaside resort city of Varna, with a whole clutch of them coming together as Varna Summer.