Rio Carnival is just one of a number of global hot spots

World's Most Decadent Parties

Head to Rio this weekend and you'll find an entire city getting down. Every block is an explosion of music. Scantily clad beauties shimmy down spectator-lined streets, and well-heeled partygoers gather in liquor-stocked suites at the Sambadrome, the festival's unofficial headquarters.

Rio Carnival is just one of a number of global hot spots that welcomes thousands of visitors looking to take part in the most decadent of celebrations. Among the more popular: Munich's Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras and The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. While some started out as pious events and others commemorate human achievement, all the bashes on our list are testaments to the pursuit of a good time.

Of course these events also mean big bucks for their host cities. Although Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans aren't at pre-Katrina levels, the city expects this year's festivities to bring in over a billion dollars.

Big Business
The world's largest Carnival celebration draws over 700,000 tourists and $500 million to Rio de Janeiro every year, according to city officials. But a prime seat in the Sambadrome, built in 1984 and designed by noted Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, will run you as much as $1,500. It may be well worth the price as the spectacle put on by the samba schools in the 65,000-capacity arena is the centerpiece of the world's craziest party.

Not to be out done, Munich sees $1.4 billion from the 17-day Oktoberfest, according to the city tourism office. During this period, the Bavarian city of just over a million people handles some six million visitors who consume over six million liters of beer.

But if you're seeking a truly decadent time, however, it's going to be hard to top Las Vegas on New Year's Eve. A city known to blow up buildings to welcome midnight is notoriously kind to vast sums of wealth and offers some truly amazing amenities like hotels with 24-hour butler service, rain forest steam showers and private salons, and personal concierges to book booths at exclusive lounges.

Hedonist Haunt
While some celebrations tend to be based on traditions that span centuries, others, like Burning Man, are more recent and resemble raves more than festivals. The communally organized event in the Nevada desert starts in August with volunteers constructing an entire village, Black Rock City, to house what can be up to 50,000 attendees. An expression of self-reliance and self-expression, the six-day spectacle includes radical art displays and culminates in the burning of a wooden effigy that in past years has topped 80 feet.

Know of a party not on our list but that should be? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

Not your mom's Rose Parade, Germany's one-day Love Parade features internationally famed and local disc jockeys who blast electronica music from trucks as spectators choose their favorites to follow. Revelers make a weekend of it by attending both exclusive and public dance parties throughout the city. The 2007 Love Parade drew twice the population of its host, Essen, a small coal-mining city on the French border.

At both Burning Man and the Love Parade, the drug culture is said to be extremely active. Drug overdoses aren't unheard of at either festival, and law enforcement closely monitors the crowd. Organizers have been trying to change this perception in recent years; sponsors of the Love Parade have tried to discourage drug use by handing out candy to maintain energy levels.

Luxe Lodging
Of course no two people are going to party alike, especially if one of them is willing to open his wallet.

Those traveling to Rio to commemorate Carnival might choose to do it at the Copacabana Palace. One of South America's first luxury hotels, it is home to Cipriani restaurant and features 150 luxury suites with beds decked in Troussardi linen. Munich's top spot is the Mandarin Oriental; its 22 suites feature state-of-the-art entertainment systems. And in San Francisco, the 336-room Ritz Carlton offers valued guests complimentary iPods.

Perfect for handling that hangover.

more

IN PICTURES:World's Most Decadent Parties



Mardi Gras
Where: New Orleans, La.

When: Feb. 2-5

The city's celebration is concentrated around Bourbon Street, where you can enjoy Fat Tuesday Cajun style by sipping Hurricanes and eating King Cakes as floats filled with participants in masquerade parade by. Procrastinators better act now: Over 90% of the city's hotel rooms are already booked.




Burning Man
Where: Black Rock City, Black Rock Desert, Nevada
When: Aug. 25 through Sept. 1
Originally started on a beach in San Francisco, Burning Man moved to the Nevada desert when a permit to burn the festival's trademark effigy was denied. Now in its 22nd year, Burning Man is testament to self-expression and pyromania. Unfortunately, if you want easy comfort you're out of luck. Entirely built by volunteers for the festival, Black Rock City doesn't have hotels. Other than grabbing a tent and camping out, your best bet would be to rent an RV. Check out cruiseamerica.com for clearance RVs and rentals.




Bastille Day
Where: Paris, France
When: July 14
Called "La Fete Nationale," or "le quatorze juillet," this one-day party officially marks the "Fete de La Federation," a 1780 feast held to commemorate the end of the French Revolution. To many, though, the celebration is about the anniversary of the 1789 storming of the Bastille. Military parades are held in the morning, with the city's largest on the Champs-Élysées; come evening, the city celebrates with fireworks and "bals" along the Seine.




Gay Pride Parade
Where: San Francisco, Calif.
When: June 28-29
What was originally founded in 1973 as Gay Freedom Day has become one of the hallmarks of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender movement. Now a two-day festival held at and around the city's Civic Center, the San Francisco Pride Parade hosts hundreds of groups bedecked in everything from candy-colored wigs to frothy tutus on floats ambling down Market Street. Evening street parties take place in the Castro.



The Love Parade Where: Dortmund, Germany
When: To be determined
Stalled in 2004 and 2005 due to lack of funds, the Love Parade returned to Berlin in 2006 with corporate sponsorship, McFit, a German fitness company. In 2007, it was held in Essen. Featuring a parade of trucks outfitted to play dance and electronica music, the Love Parade often draws comparisons to raves. But it's keeping local coffers full; the 2006 parade added nearly $100 million to the local Berlin economy. This year, the parade will be held in Dortmund, near the French border.




Lizard Island Resort, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Best Place To Pet A Potato Cod
Luxury lodges, snorkeling right off the beach and huge potato cod so tame divers can pet them are just some of the reasons worldly travelers seek out Australia's northernmost resort. Located smack on the spectacular Great Barrier Reef, Lizard brims with vibrant coral reefs and 24 pristine powder-white beaches. Prefer dry land? Try bushwalking or surrender to the resort's luxurious Azure Spa.




Longitude 131, Ayers Rock
Best Luxury Wilderness Camp This African-style luxury safari camp set in the sand dunes offers total immersion into the wilderness that is Ulur-Kata Tjuta National Park. From under the crisp white sheets of your king-sized bed in your palatial tent, you can watch the sun rise slowly over Ayres Rock. Experience stunning 360-degree views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta while enjoying pre-dinner sparkling wine and canapés, then enjoy a three-course dinner showcasing the best of outback cuisine and Australian wines under the night sky.



Fairmont, Vancouver Airport
Best Place To Take A NapThis ultra-convenient hotel, which offers floor-to-ceiling views of the surrounding mountains and ocean, has been completely soundproofed to block out jet noise. Plus, an entire floor has been earmarked as a "quiet" zone, where housekeeping is deferred during daylight hours. There's more: To get to your flight, you simply take the elevator--no shuttle required.


ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

THE University of Cumbria is to become a joint sponsor of Carlisle’s two academies, it has emerged.

Uni backs new academies

Uni bosses announced yesterday they will offer “educational expertise”, including curriculum development and teaching standards to the Richard Rose Central and Richard Rose West academies, as well as a proposed new academy in Barrow.

The university will partner sponsors Brian Scowcroft, the Carlisle property tycoon, and Andrew Tinkler, chief executive of the Stobart Group, who have invested £4million of sponsorship into the creation of the new Carlisle schools.

Mr Scowcroft said: “This is great news and a tremendous boost for our plans to create world-class educational facilities in Carlisle and Barrow. To have this merging of expertise from the private economic development sector, who are creating the employment opportunities within our county and the further education sector to create an education vision, is unprecedented.

“The University of Cumbria’s involvement takes the opportunities for our youngsters to another level.”

The Richard Rose Central Academy will replace St Aidan’s and the North Cumbria Technology College (NCTC) and is due to open on September 1.

The Richard Rose West centre will replace Morton School and is also due to open in September.

Dr Neil Simco, interim pro vice-chancellor for the University of Cumbria, said: “As a new university we are committed to fully engaging with all schools across the region in many different ways to raise the aspirations of our youngsters.

“We are the largest learning provider in the county and as co-sponsor we can use the expertise of our staff and students to benefit the young people in these areas and beyond.

“These academies will be at the heart of the communities in which they serve, working closely together to ensure our young people have the best educational opportunities available to them.”

Jim Buchanan, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member responsible for children’s wellbeing, said: “Cumbria County Council welcomes the decision of the University of Cumbria to act as co-sponsors of the new academie.

“The University’s involvement can help improve teaching and learning in schools and raise standards.”

Joy of mountains

Joy Grindrod’s Ryvoan SOMETIMES less is more. That’s certainly the belief of artist Joy Grindrod, whose work is currently on show at Rheged, near Penrith.

Joy’s paintings of crags and mountains, whether near her Coniston home or further afield, are what she calls “minimalist”.

She likes to focus on a particular area that catches her eye, believing this to be a truer representation of the moment she so wants to capture. Using a mixture of oils, graphite, paper and other materials, Joy communicates her own experience of her beloved mountains through her art.

She says: “If you only give yourself a certain amount of time you can’t go into detail and you just have to try to get a feel for what you see. You pick out the essence of what you see, so it’s minimalist in that sense.”

Joy lives in the National Trust-owned house where both she and her mother grew up – her grandmother grew up in a village just down the valley – and she was brought up around the mountains.

“I’ve moved away but I’ve always come back,” she says. “I’ve always been drawn to wild places. I was introduced to the hills as a child so it’s like a second nature to me.

“It’s the changing light. It’s never the same – there’s always something new to look at. Even if you’re familiar with a certain area it’s never the same.”

Joy works from photographs and what she calls “spontaneous sketching”, which she does as quickly as possible in an attempt to capture the essence of a mountain: “I don’t paint on the spot as the process changes too quickly. I like to get a feel for the mountain like that. My work has developed from spontaneous sketches in rapidly changing weather conditions that allow the eye to become selective: seeing the key elements that drew me to that particular moment – the essence of the place.

“I enjoy experiencing conditions that create those magical contrasts; watery greys become a wealth of colour when lit by a shaft of sunlight on the side of the fell or highlights the line of a crag.”

Joy loved art at school but decided to drop the subject in her teens for what she thought were more “practical” options.

She says: “I had always been good at art but I didn’t pursue it. I was trying to do what was right rather than following my passion.”

Leaving school at 16, Joy drifted through a series of unsatisfactory jobs for more than a decade before giving in to her instincts and taking a degree in fine art at the University of Central Lancashire.

“Mountain Landscapes” runs at Rheged until February 28. Entry is free.

Fashion Tips From L.A.'s Most Informed sDressers

Los Angeles may be known more for its celebrity than its couture, but at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), curators Sharon S. Takeda and Kaye D. Spilker have been quietly building a collection that highlights today's most creative couturiers, from Christian Lacroix to Alexander McQueen.

In their just-released book Breaking the Mode, Takeda and Spilker present photographs, sketches, drawings and computer renderings that showcase the contributions of these talents. Issey Miyake's pleats, Martin Margiela's split-toe boots and Jean Paul Gaultier's reversible jacket all make an appearance.


When it comes to their own wardrobes, both Takeda and Spilker consider quality of material and construction before examining the name on the tag.

"I favor interesting styles that suit my body type rather than what name is on the label," says Takeda. However, the senior curator and department head of costumes and textiles will admit to preferring designers Miyake and Junya Watanabe over others. Spilker--a curator in Takeda's department--likes Margiela, citing his work as "brilliant," along with Yohji Yamamoto, Gaultier and Miyake.

What's the one piece of clothing you can't live without? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

But practicality is important in a professional atmosphere. That's why both women generally wear pantsuits to work.

"In a suit, I'm ready to meet anyone, yet I'm comfortable for a long workday," says Spilker. Takeda seconds that notion: "I never know when a donor may stop by or if I will be called into a meeting with the director."

And while their occupations require pouring over thousands of historic fashion and textile designs in order to create a distinct collection for LACMA, they spent significantly less time curating their own wardrobes.

"Personal style is important, but not inordinately so," says Spilker. "I used to care about it more when I was younger, but now I'm too busy! I dress according to the event or how I feel in the morning."