In the midst of all of this Labor Day weekend fun--complete with a blue moon, cookouts, and warm weather--autumn is definitely in the air.  The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and Halloween candy is already in the grocery store aisles.  (Too soon, in our opinion).


In case you are beginning to feel the end of summer blues, or haven't managed to squeeze in a vacation yet, we are here to help.  Each year, Lonely Planet publishes a list of the best September festivals around the world, which includes the very distant and exotic (such as the Reed Dance, performed by 30,000 women in Swaziland), and the popular destination attraction (such as the Historic Regatta in Venice, Italy), and the more local music festival (such as Farm Aid).  You can check out the full list here!

Personally, we'd most like to check out the Egremont Crab Fair in England.  It is one of the world's oldest festivals, created in a charter by King Henry II in 1267.  Highlights include wrestling competitions, climbing a greasy pole, and a gurning competition--held to see who can contort their face into the most unnatural shape.  What more could you ask for in a harvest festival?