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THE BUZZ | TRAVEL NEWS<br />
8–22 MAY<br />
6–9 JULY<br />
Ironman Lanzarote<br />
LANZAROTE<br />
Most visitors to the Canaries<br />
settle for sitting on the beach<br />
and taking the occasional dip<br />
in the sea, but how would you<br />
fancy swimming 3.8km, cycling<br />
180km and running 42.2km<br />
around Lanzarote? Widely<br />
regarded as one of the toughest<br />
triathlons in the world – and<br />
it’s not as if the easiest one is<br />
a synch – Ironman Lanzarote<br />
30 | TRAVELLER | MARCH 11<br />
Optimus Alive!<br />
LISBON<br />
Named after its sponsor<br />
– a telecoms company,<br />
not a Transformer – this<br />
Portuguese music festival<br />
takes place from 6–9 July<br />
in Oeiras, just outside<br />
Lisbon, and has something<br />
for everyone, however<br />
eccentric. Its inaugural<br />
year saw Pearl Jam and<br />
the Beastie Boys partying<br />
like it was 1997 rather<br />
than 2007; 2008 pitted<br />
(race day is 21 May) is an<br />
incredible feat of endurance<br />
that takes at least nine hours<br />
to complete. If you can live<br />
without the kudos, sunburn and<br />
$75,000 prize money, there<br />
are enough ancillary treats –<br />
a pasta party to build up those<br />
essential carbs, fi reworks, even<br />
Ironman Kids – to tire out the<br />
most dedicated spectators.<br />
ironmanlanzarote.com<br />
Bob Dylan against Rage<br />
Against The Machine; The<br />
Prodigy scared the pants<br />
off the Dave Matthews<br />
Band in 2009; and 2010<br />
went (comparatively)<br />
underground with Skunk<br />
Anansie and Biff y Clyro.<br />
With Coldplay, Foo Fighters<br />
and Chemical Brothers<br />
(pictured) all confi rmed,<br />
<strong>2011</strong> should be huge – all<br />
the more so since ticket<br />
prices remain comparatively<br />
tiny at €129 for a four-day<br />
pass. optimusalive.com<br />
BOOK<br />
AHEAD<br />
Planning something<br />
diff erent over the next<br />
few months? Make<br />
a note in your diary<br />
and get to one of<br />
these events<br />
3–18 JUNE<br />
Holland<br />
Festival<br />
AMSTERDAM<br />
Eclecticism is the watchword at this<br />
citywide celebration of music, theatre<br />
and dance, a fi xture on the local cultural<br />
calendar since 1947. Previous alumni<br />
range from opera singer Maria Callas<br />
to avant-garde composer Frank Zappa,<br />
and the pick-and-mix programming<br />
shows no sign of abating this year.<br />
The festival opens with Christoph<br />
Schlingensief’s Mea Culpa, an opera<br />
inspired by its composer’s terminal<br />
cancer. Things get more upbeat with<br />
Fela! (pictured), a Tony award-winning<br />
tribute to political activist and Afrobeat<br />
pioneer Fela Kuti (produced by Jay-Z<br />
and Will Smith, no less), and Human<br />
Music Box, a pop-tinged homage to<br />
1920s German cabaret infl uenced by<br />
Kurt Weill and Kate Bush. Talk about<br />
a variety show. hollandfestival.nl<br />
PHOTO REX | WORDS MATT GLASBY
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