Event: Honduras - Tela

Fiesta of San Antonio

When:	10 - 15 Jun 2008 (annual)
Where:	Tela
Costs:	Free
Opening Hours:	4am

As well as being famous for bananas, the town of Tela in Honduras also has a fine beach and the riotous week-long Fiesta of San Antonio every June. Don't miss the main carnival on 14 June.

The madness that is the fiesta erupts at four o'clock in the morning, with people running out in the streets, setting off firecrackers, shouting and generally making sure that no living soul in the city could possibly sleep their way through the inauguration of the festival.

The events of the rest of the week start off with a solemn celebratory mass and a spectacular parade, led by the fireman's corps and the year's Queen of the festival, just to embody the dichotomy between the earthly and the divine, between pleasure and solemnity. Later events involve more special masses in the church of San Antonio, the coronation of the Queen of the Festival, carnivals and exhibitions, eating contests, races, football games and snooker competitions, in short, everything you need in order to feel that you've experienced a whole eventful year of living in the town in one short week of exhilaration.

Please note: ahough you may be tempted to let yourself be swept along by the excitement, you should proceed with some caution. The political situation in Honduras is somewhat volatile and some parts of the country have been known to be dangerous.