5 must-do travel experiences in March

Bright spring festivals and bold gardens start to blossom in March, bringing plenty of excuses to get outdoors. From celebrating Holi in East Africa to dancing an Irish jig in Argentina here’s what to experience and where to do it.

Party for Purim in Israel

March 6 | Tel Aviv, Israel | In Israel’s cosmopolitan seaside city, Tel Aviv Street Party Rave marks the Jewish holiday with live music, dancing in the streets, and food stalls offering up local treats, such as hamantash, a stuffed cookie filled with jam, chocolate, or dates. Crafts and fashion for sale and wildly dressed locals up the party vibe.

Color your world in East Africa

March 9-10 | Mauritius, East Africa | With its cerulean waters and biodiverse landscape, Mauritius makes a color-drenched backdrop for Holi. On the eve of the Hindu holiday, locals light a bonfire to symbolize the triumph of good over evil. The next morning, everyone lets loose, dancing with abandon, flinging fistfuls of bright, powdered dye, and drenching each other with jets of water from pichkaris (water guns).

What is Holi? Here are nine things you should know about the colorful event.

Toast the Persian New Year in Los Angeles

March 8 | Los Angeles, California | “The City of Angels” is home to the largest population of Persians outside of Iran, making it one of the best places to celebrate Nowruz (Persian New Year). One of the country’s biggest celebrations, the Farhang Foundation’s Nowruz Festival offers up dancers, musicians, and puppeteers performing centuries-old arts form. And be sure to sample nan-e berenji, traditional cardamom-flavored rice cookies studded with poppy seeds.

Find the luck of the Irish in South America

March 17-18 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Argentina’s lively capital gets an Irish accent for El Día de San Patricio (St. Patrick’s Day). Street parties mix and match cultures with Latin-infused Irish fare and dance sessions combining tango and jig steps. Don’t forget to stick around for the annual parade down the wide, tree-lined Avenida de Mayo, where locals dress as fairies and leprechauns and local bands perform.

Find out where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day around the world.

Count tulips in the Netherlands

March 21–May 10 | Lisse, Netherlands | Less than an hour outside Amsterdam, Keukenhof Gardens shows off nearly 80 acres of tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths—check the website for what’s in bloom and when. Hilltop trails above the plots offer views and photo ops of the splendor. Other attractions include an indoor pavilion with petal-themed art and more flowers plus tours of the grounds via bike or canal barge.

Need more spring blooms? Here are nine more iconic spots for flowers.