Should you find yourself in Brussels from the 20-24 of March, I have a remarkable event to tell you about, the Passa Porta Festival. As an avid blog writer, I’m jealous of anyone who gets the opportunity to attend this incredible event.
The event will include inspirational encounters coupled with readings and debates with writers from all over the world. The festival will conveniently be held near many of the city’s centre hotels. Brussels is delighted to host the five-day event that is being organized with the support and collaboration of dozens of partners.
While I have never had the pleasure of attending the festival myself, I’ve heard plenty of good press. Everyone who attends the Passa Porta Festival seems to find it an incredible experience filled with moving literature as well as fantasy and imagination.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about this event, which, to my mind, unifies some of the most amazing things about literature. Here, people, stories, politics and passion come together as one in an international celebration of the written word.
The opening event alone is something to be excited about. The Algerian author Boualem Sansal will be appearing to appeal on the importance of a more imaginative society, and everyone’s need to dream. I’ve been a fan of Sansai for some time now, and his work’s impact has been undeniable. The critical, controversial nature of his work has rendered him “exiled in his own country”, and his work has been banned in Algeria since 2006.
On the second day of the festival, Sansal will join Liao Yiwu, one of China’s world-class authors and peace campaigners. In 1990, Yiwu became an important voice in the country’s struggle for democracy. Both Sansal and Yiwu have been recipients of the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
Day three has been called “Arab Spring: Writers in Revolution” and was included into the festival to portray the human dignity and freedom, resistance movements in Tunisia, Egypt and Lybia that brought down their countries’ dictators.
Five Arab authors will talk about their convictions in an open discussion with journalist Beatrice Delvaux and Moroccan author Mohammed Berrada.
The fourth day of the festival will be dedicated to storytelling. World-famous authors from across the globe will gather together to present their best short stories. This enchanting evening will enable the audience to go on a journey both strange and recognizable with the author’s characters as their guide.
Eccentric stories will be told by American author Lydia David and Dutch writer Arnon Grunberg. Anne Enright and Gerard Donovan, both Irish authors, will tell tales of contemporary Ireland and Belgian authors Kristien Hemmerechts and Pierre Mertens will bring fantasy to life with their stories.
On the fifth and final day of the festival, a celebration will take place. Literature aficionados including Julian Barnes, Alain Badiou, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Laurent Binet and many more will be speaking in an auditorium near many centre hotels. Brussels is highly anticipating this culturally enriched event and is going to be a memorable experience for all in attendance.







Given how busy our modern day lives are, I thought I would highlight an energetic event which after watching, you may well want to go back to your hotel in Yokohama and have a lie down! The wonderful Yamashita Park in the Japanese city on May 11-12 will be hosting one of the legs of [...]
Fancy appreciating one of the most influential art figures of her generation while staying at your boutique city hotel? Frankfurt, then, is the place to be for a special exhibition celebrating the life of Yoko Ono. Famous for her relationship with Beatles’ John Lennon, Ono is an artist in her own right and I am [...]
From coast to coast the US is putting its best foot forward to dominate the technology industry and start-up tech firms.
An untimely death robbed the world of famed American artist Mike Kelley in early 2012; however his memory will live on forever through his brilliant works of art. From 15 December, 2012 the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam will present a retrospect of his work spanning from the beginning of his career in the 1970s all [...]
If you’re not up to the full length of the London Marathon, you might be interested in the
Fleming’s Hotel Frankfurt-Hamburger Allee is an ambient hotel located in the popular Bockenheim district, very close to the Frankfurt exhibition grounds, making it one of the best Frankfurt city hotels for exhibition visitors as well as other business and leisure travelers.
Fleming’s Conference Hotel Frankfurt is one of the top located city hotels. Frankfurt is an international financial centre, and the hotel puts business visitors conveniently close to the action with the new Stock Exchange a stone’s throw away.
The Einstein St Gallen is a jewel among St Gallen hotels. A luxurious retreat by Lake Constance with the historic cathedral and monastery nearby, the Einstein St Gallen hotel is your gateway to the charms of St Gallen, celebrated for its fine textiles.
With a history dating back to its construction in 1346 as monastery, the Grand Hotel Karel V Utrecht offers a luxury experience in historic buildings. Set in beautiful gardens in the city centre, a stone’s throw from Utrecht Centraal railway station, it is a truly unique Utrecht hotel.
Just 30 minutes from Shanghai city centre, Le Camélia Hotel is nestled in the seaside Fengxian District. Close to the port of Ningbo, Le Camélia offers a soft Mediterranean ambience in the most breathtaking luxury hotel Shanghai has to offer.

At Worldhotels we understand that life is busy and your weekends are too valuable to waste. Our unbeatable rates for weekend breaks during Spring allow you to enjoy downtime with a loved one, discover a new city or indulge in unforgettable cultural events.
Why not browse our weekend rates and see which new cities you might explore next.