“We are thrilled Madonna has chosen to begin her World Tour in Israel,” said Haim Gutin, Israel Commissioner of Tourism, North and South America, “which will serve as a wonderful addition to the stunning lineup of concerts in Israel this summer.” Madonna’s performance will precede concerts by Bruce Springsteen and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Israel this summer.

KURE BEACH, NC– Booking a family getaway free of work emails and a throng of people ready to break one’s peace of mind shouldn’t be so difficult. At Kure Beach, many vacationers are seeing the zeroes roll off their trip costs without losing the natural charm the coastal town is known for.

Many people find it well worth the short drive to follow U.S. 421 to its southern end and reach the last public beach on its path.

Visitors to Kure Beach (http://www.visitkure.com) often choose to take advantage of spring season deals that make unwinding and reconnecting with friends and loved ones simple and easy.

Fantastic Getaway Rates

Hidden Treasure Inn (http://www.hiddentreasureinn.com/)  lives up to its name, as this unique, four-unit inn is located on a quiet side street just two short blocks from the beach, along with the fishing pier and restaurants. Its rates start at just $100 when you book a 6-night stay minimum.

Three of the four units have kitchens, linens, towels, daily maid service included in all.

It includes an outdoor pool and grill located in a fenced-in yard. To make reservations, call (910) 458-3216.

Dining Delights For One And All
Whether it is a romantic rendezvous at Freddy’s Restaurant (http://www.freddieskurebeach.com/)  or the traditional seafood at the Old Pier House and Big Daddy’s Restaurant (open seasonally), there are many options available to tempt one’s palate while at Kure Beach. Some locations do have reduced hours or are closed during the off¬-season, so check first before venturing out (http://bit.ly/jY4HmZ).

Marry By The Sea

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (http://bit.ly/lQrtWG) is the perfect venue to host an enchanted wedding by the sea. Imagine your guests dining among the dart frogs, shagging with the sharks and conversing with the catfish. The aquarium is open 362 days a year and is available for rental during and after hours, accommodating up to 2,000 guests in a variety of venues or the entire aquarium.

Planning a low-key wedding? Couples come to exchange their vows at Kure Beach for the leisurely pace and natural wonders that complement a lovely ceremony and reception. The townallows weddings on the beach, without requiring a permit, making it a great choice for many couples to hold ceremonies at or near the shore.

However, no chairs or tents are permitted.

If you have a large guest list, be sure to review available parking and plan accordingly. Of the more than 300 free public parking spaces, only 126 are oceanfront at eight public beach access locations, but additional public parking can be found at the town hall, the town community center on 3rd Avenue, and at Joe Eakes Park, where there are such amenities as tennis courts, a basketball court, playground, picnic tables and benches, bike trail and grills.

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and Fort Fisher State Historic Site also have areas available for weddings.

All of these other locations are within a few blocks of the ocean (http://bit.ly/mfTdqO)

If more information is needed, please call the Kure Beach Police Department at (910) 458-7586.

For more information on other escapes you can make at Kure Beach, go to http://www.visitkure.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
N.C. Jazz Festival
Thursday, Feb. 2-Saturday, Feb. 4 (in nearby Wilmington)

Wilmington Wine & Chocolate Festival
Friday, Feb. 3-Sunday, Feb. 5 (in nearby Wilmington)

8th Annual Steve Haydu St. Patricks Lo-Tide Run
Saturday, March 17

Kure Beach Annual Street Festival & 65th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, April 28

The N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher offers a variety of weekly programs and events.

For all event information, visit http://bit.ly/xKgnaf. 

 Kure Beach on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KureBeachNC

Kure Beach on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/KureBeachNC

ABOUT KURE BEACH, N.C.

Kure Beach offers visitors an inviting, small-town seaside retreat on North Carolina’s beautiful coast. This naturally beautiful setting with easy access to the big attractions the area has to offer is the perfect place to bring the family year-round to unplug and unwind, enjoy a more relaxed pace and reconnect with what really matters. For more information, go to http://www.VisitKure.com  or call (800) 631-1460.

According to a new study from the Carnival Krewe Civic Foundation, the economic value of the 2011 Mardi Gras season showed a total contribution to the New Orleans economy of $300.7 million. This season, New Orleans welcomes two new krewes to the Carnival line-up with the Krewe of Nyx and the Krewe of Freret.

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell has also announced its line up for the 2012, seven-day festival.

This year’s performers include the Eagles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bon Iver, Jill Scott, Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen. Jazz Fest is a staple event in New Orleans’ spring festival line up, attracting approximately 400,000 attendees each year and generating nearly $300 million in economic impact.

This year’s festival is April 27 to 29 and May 3 to 6.

Simpson Bay, St. Maarten – These young energetic musicians are no strangers to the island, they actually made their debut on this same stage in 2010 for St. Maarten’s ChildFest. Their funky mix of music seemed an obvious choice to bring back to the island for the 2012 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

NexCyx began in 2004 as a musical experiment on the University of West Indies campus in Barbados. Since then, it has evolved into a celebrated entertainment outfit, with a repertoire of original hit music, and a solid—and growing—fan base.

The Barbadian pop band is an artistic mishmash of a self-taught pianist turned producer (André), a drumming prodigy (Chad), an accidental bass guitarist (Kris), a one-woman dancer-singer-rapper (Mahalia) and a hardcore rocker (Russell).

NexCyx exudes an unmistakable energy—it’s fresh, upbeat, bold and unmistakable.

In 2010, when they welcomed Chad, the drumming wonderchild, to their lineup, they dished out an extra serving of youthful swagger. Together, they’re just what the music industry ordered, it seems. And the fans are eating the group up!!

In under a decade, NexCyx has played at a range of venues throughout North America and the Caribbean region, while holding down a demanding gig schedule in Barbados, where their singles are in heavy rotation at local stations.

“Gossip Girl,” released in 2009, became the band’s breakout single and instantly landed as a fan favorite. Hits like “Queen,” “OnThe Floor” and the socially conscious “Take A Minute,” also followed, etching a place for NexCyx on the international music stage—and ushering in a new era of fandom.

The Band’s favorite memories are: A high school auditorium filled with screaming students belting out the band’s hits word for word tops the cake for Russ, opening for Erykah Badu and Angie Stone to wild applause, hopping on to the SXSW stage two years in a row, and performing to rave reviews at a concert headlined by Jamaican musical duo, Brick and Lace are some other great memories..

NexCyx defines their music as follows:” if it were an icecream, it would be loaded with nuts (lots of them), chocolate, gummi worms and tequila—with a cherry on top.”

That said, there is a distinctive camaraderie that the band shares, which musical groups the world over struggle to achieve.

That NexCyx is on the right track is obvious. There’s an MTV Artist of the Week accolade in their history already—and an Artist of the Month title from Rockwired.com. And now they can add performing at the prestigious St. Maarten Heineken Regatta to their resume.

Be there, Thursday March 1st to experience Nexcyx kick of the 32nd edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

All the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta parties are free and open to the public. Food and drinks are available each night. Parking at Port de Plaisance is easy, safe and free.

For full information on the 2012 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, including entry information, the Notice of Race, photos, videos, party and band information, and much, much more, visit www.heinekenregatta.com

Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to promote horticulture as part of its Green Hong Kong Campaign, the festival runs from March 16th to 25th 2012 and will feature the hyacinth as its theme flower this year.

Potted plants, floral arrangements and landscape displays are being created by exhibitors from around the world for the show, while stalls will be selling flowers and other horticultural products.

A wide variety of educational and leisure activities will also be on offer, ranging from student drawing and photo competitions to floral art exhibits, cookery demonstrations, music shows and cultural performances.

Events will run on each of the ten days from 09:00 to 21:00 local time, with regular tickets costing HK$14 (GBP1.20).

Free entry is available to children, students, senior citizens and people with disabilities during weekdays, though tickets will cost HK$7 for these groups on weekends.

Lovers of plant life can browse a generous selection of Hong Kong hotels at AsiaRooms.com, such as the Kings De Nathan.

Full details about the festival can be found at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/green/hkfs/2012/en/index.php

AYUTTHAYA, THAILAND — Thailand visitors will be able to celebrate one of the world’s most renowned combat disciplines at the upcoming World Thai Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony.

To be held at the Nai Khanom Tom Monument at the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Stadium from March 15th to 17th, the event will see more than 300 boxers from 30 nations participating.

It features a martial arts tournament, in which fighters from the UK, Canada, Russia, Korea and other parts of the world compete in various weight categories for cash prizes, while exhibitions and educational sessions will also be held.

Of particular significance is the Wai Khru ritual, an integral element of Muay Thai training that involves the assembled fighters paying respect to their masters and taking part in initiation rites in order to prove themselves as true Muay Thai fighters.

The event is held in honour of Nai Khanom Tom, a legendary Thai warrior from the 1700s, who Muay Thai practitioners venerate to this day.

Combined with opportunities to purchase traditional handicrafts and sample Thai cuisine, the festival is set to offer a fascinating cultural experience for all.

Find out more about the event at http://www.tatnews.org

The documentary features Americans Sameer and Divya Sharma from Massachusetts, who were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary, and 18-year-old Amanda Warrick, another Massachusetts resident, who had never been to Europe and was traveling with her older brothers.

“At first there was a tilt and a shake of the ship, that’s when tables and glasses started crashing,” Warrick says. “I was kind of in shock, I remember immediately standing up and looking at my brothers. I was just kind of speechless and silent.”

The show outlines the chaos of the day, including the passengers’ calls to the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard’s calls to the ship, the ship’s response that there was a blackout but that it was under control, and the continued announcements that everything was fine. Nearly one hour after the impact, the captain calls an emergency on board.

The fun-filled signature events will feature more than 250 wines from across the West Coast. Regularly priced at $235, guests who book in advance can lock in the discounted ticket price of $199 for all three events.

Each event can also be purchased separately for full price the day of the event.

The festival kicks off on April 13 with a poolside champagne and wine reception from 8 to 10 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to mingle with winemakers, owners and fellow wine enthusiasts while listening to smooth jazz at the property’s pool and shark aquarium, The Tank. Tickets to this event can be purchased individually for $35.

The Grand Tasting starts April 14, where enthusiasts can sample over 200 wine selections from 60 of California, Oregon and Washington’s most prestigious wineries.

The event will be held in The Grand events center from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and feature library selections, current vintage releases, live jazz and food from the Golden Nugget’s award-winning chefs. Tickets to this event can be purchased individually for $100.

April 15 is the Champagne and Jazz Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the property’s event center, The Grand. Guests will enjoy live jazz while brunch offerings are paired with sparkling wines from Domaine Chandon and Domaine Carneros. Brunch will be followed by a live auction featuring wine lots, large format collector’s bottles and more. Tickets to the brunch and auction can be purchased individually for $100.