Festival de Músiques Contemporànies - Sep/Nov

Advantages: Lots of good modern art
Disadvantages: May be very different when you go - mainly exhibitions!

...I visited Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona last week, and found myself very impressed with the collections that they had to offer. It was the third art gallery I had visited in a week in Barcelona (after Miro and Picasso's collections), and, in my opinion, competed with both. The first impressions of the gallery are of the building's exterior. When it opened in 1995, many of the locals objected to the stark contrast the building with the surroundings. While I admit this criticism from residents, I found the white, glass, huge modern architecture to be inspiring and a breath of fresh air. Indeed it seems to reflect the modernisation and investment put into the Raval area over the past few years. Indeed the purpose of the building, according to the architect, was to "create a dialogue" between the museum and its surroundings... Read review

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Advantages: Lots to choose from, some superb theatre and comedy, chance to meet the great and the good!
Disadvantages: Sometimes too much to choose from, can be quite pricey, accommodation is hard to find.

...Festival - and, boy, I liked it! A little back story: I graduated from LIPA (read my op to find out more!) in Liverpool last year with a 2.1 in Acting (applause, applause!). Whilst there, I did the usual uni things - drinking, partying, wild nights out, a little bit of work when neccessary, and the traditional 'meeting friends I'll have for ever, no, I really mean it, I know I said that about people I was at college with, but this time I'm sure'. Well, I'm bound to that, because not only did we share drunken declarations of undying matedom, but six of us actually set up a theatre company together. At first it was just a way of ensuring that we had work after leaving uni, but then our little group decided to go for the big one - the Ed Fringe. So, we created a season in Liverpool, staging four plays in theatres and pubs, and showing a film... Read review

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Advantages: huge selection of films long and short,
Disadvantages: tickets are difficult to get hold of for some screenings

..."The only festival worth a damn," is how American director John Houston described the longest continuously run film festival in the world. With around 120 feature-length films and a plethora of shorts the EIFF is easily the leading UK film festival - although the larger London Film Festival which happens in November - would disagree. Edinburgh is not as starry as London. In fact, 1999 was criticised for its low star turn-out, although top Scottish actors like Robert Carlyle, Peter Mullen were among the names in attendance. Previous festivals have attracted the likes of Clint Eastwood, Pierce Brosnan, Terry Gilliam and Sean Connery. London may win in the stars league, but that's missing the point. Edinburgh is more intimate, more self-contained (most of the action happens around Lothian Road). Guest filmmakers are often to be found... Read review

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