Wednesday, July 7, 2010

T in the Park - Live!

Main Arena and stage at Balado, Scotland for T in The Park Festival

As the UK festival season continues apace, attention this weekend turns towards Balado in Scotland for the annual T in the Park event.

T in the Park is a major music festival that has been held annually in Scotland since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. T in the Park was originally a two-day festival but since 2007 has taken place over three days, and introduced in 2008 was the chance to upgrade a weekend camping ticket to allow camping access on the Thursday - the day before any musicians performed. The festival is promoted by Big Day Out. It takes place on the same weekend as Oxegen in Ireland and shares a very similar line-up each year.

My World Webcams has a feed at the event, with views of the main arena and stage.

Pamplona - The Running of the Bulls!

Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona. San Fermin festival, site of 'el encierro', The Running of the Bulls

The running of the bulls in Pamplona, in the Navarre region of Spain is one of the most famous, exciting and controversial festivals in the world.

The Pamplona encierro is the most popular running of the bulls in Spain and is broadcast live by two national television channels. It is the highest profile event of the San Fermin festival, which is held every year from July 7–14. The first bull running is on July 7, followed by one on each of the following mornings of the festival, beginning every day at 8am.

Being over eighteen and entering the itinerary before 7:30 are the main requirements to participate. Other prohibitions are to run under the influence of alcohol, run in the opposite direction of the running or inciting the bulls.

My World Webcams have a webcam view of the centre of Pamplona for this event.

Live Webcam at the Munich Oktoberfest Festival

Wiesn Beer Tents at the Munich Oktoberfest Festival

Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to early October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3 (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Top 10 Webcams

A brand new addition the the webcam directory - the current My World Webcams top 10 webcam listings from around the world, compiled from our visitor numbers over the last 7 days.

This is the top 10 for June 2010:

My World Webcams Top 10 Webcams

The list will be updated every month with the latest favourites.


London 2012 Olympics - Construction Webcams

London 2012 Olympics Webcams

2012 may seem a long way away, but with less than 2 years to go now it will be with us before we know it. Work is well underway on the various facilities that will be required for London to deliver on it's promise of hosting the best Olympic games ever.

There are a series of webcam views providing live views on construction progress, including the London Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Village

Live webcam on The Royal Mile, Edinburgh

The Royal Mile, scene of Edinburgh Festival

The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.

As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock down to Holyrood Abbey. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castle Esplanade, Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh Old Town's busiest tourist street, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town. During the annual Edinburgh Festival, the High Street becomes the city's central focus, and is crowded with tourists, entertainers and buskers. On the left is the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland's supreme criminal court. On the right, about one-third of the way down from the Castle toward the Palace is Parliament Square, named after the old Parliament House which housed both the law courts and the old Parliament of Scotland between the 1630s and 1707 (when it was adjourned by the Act of Union) Parliament House is now the home of the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court. St Giles Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, also stands in Parliament Square.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Zugspitze Summit View, towards Alpspitze, site of the Alpspix viewing tower

Summit of the Zugspitze, towards Alpspitze, site of the Alpspix viewing tower

One of the more popular ski resorts in the alpine region on Bavaria, the Zugsptize and Alpspitze mountains have been enhanced by a new attraction.

Visitors can enjoy a mountain experience with a difference from the observation deck AlpspiX. At the foot of Alpspitze steel arms extend both in the form of an "X" 13 meter free-floating over the abyss - once prone and once down the sky towards the direction of the Zugspitze.

There is a series of webcam views of the area, allowing remote viewing of this dramatic scene.

Sarasota Bay Live Webcam View

Sarasota Bay and downtown Sarasota, Florida from Siesta Key

At a time when many are growing concerned that tourism numbers to Florida, and the coastal areas in particular, will be severely affected by the oils slick form the ongoing spill in the Gulf of Mexico, My World Webcams brings a live webcam feed directly form the coast at Sarasota Bay:

The view from Siesta Key, one of the famous Florida Keys, shows a tranquil and peaceful scene, with no sign of the tar balls that have been appearing elsewhere. In fact, local tourism officials have been quick to point out that this area had been largely unaffected, and hope that visitors will continue to arrive in large numbers, as the local bars and restaurants of the tourist industry are heavily dependent on their arrival.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

T4 On The Beach - Webcam at Weston-Super-Mare

Grand Pier and Beach at Weston-Super-Mare

T4 On The Beach is a British one day music event which is held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised for Channel 4. The day consists of a number of major contemporary pop and rock music acts from the UK and overseas, performing short sets in front of an audience of over 40,000 predominantly 16-24 year olds. In addition to the main stage a smaller 4Music stage has provided a platform for newer upcoming bands.

The following acts have been confirmed for this year's event:

Dizzee Rascal
Ellie Goulding
Tinie Tempah
Professor Green
Chipmunk
Scouting for Girls
The Saturdays
Basshunter
Pixie Lott
Jason Derulo
Alexandra Burke
Iyaz
Kids in Glass Houses
N-Dubz
Faithless
Taio Cruz
Kelis
Dom Vincent

My World Webcams have been able to provide a live view from Weston-Super-Mare, a camera view of the famous Grand Pier and beach where the event will be taking place:

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Independence Day on Capitol Hill

It's that time of year again, when the whole American nation stops to celebrate their independence - the 4th of July is here!

Where better to celebrate Independence Day than in the US capital. After a parade featuring 100 marching units along Constitution Avenue, the popular music begins. There's a programme of renowned performers, before the day ends with a firework display.

Watch the bands, balloons and flamboyant floats pass by in the National Independence Day Parade, starting at the National Archives Building on Pennsylvania Avenue and heading down Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Streets. Bring an American flag and admire cheerleaders dressed from head to toe in red, white and blue chanting until their voices are hoarse.

The open-air concert on the West Lawn of the iconic US Capitol Building is a real show business affair, the line-up reading like a Who's Who of who's hot. Expect anyone from Olympic champions to chart-topping singers. Past guest performers have ranged from Dolly Parton and Ray Charles to Elmo, America's beloved fluffy red Muppet.

My World Webcams provides a live webcam view of events, so you can watch remotely form wherever you are in the world:

Washington DC Capitol Hill, the Washington Monument, Union Square, and the Capitol Mall.

It's the next best thing to being there yourself, and you won't have to sit in the traffic jams to get home afterwards.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Swimming with Sharks!

An increasingly popular holiday activity is to get in a cage and swim with sharks, well at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota they have a safer alternative - the ability to view the sharks in their natural habitat remotely via their underwater webcam:

Mote Marine Aquarium Shark Tank Cam located on Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida

In an area that many are concerned will be affected by the oils slick and tar balls starting to wash up all along the Gulf of Mexico shore as a result of the recent BP oil spill, it also affords an opportunity to view the state of the ocean and see for yourself how clear the waters still are, a boost for tourism in the area.

Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent not-for-profit marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, Fla. Mote is dedicated to advancing the science of the sea through the study of marine and estuarine ecosystems, through the public Mote Aquarium and through an education division that provides programs for all ages.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Cardiff Festival 2010 - Webcam View

View of Cardiff Bay and the Wales Millenium Centre

Cardiff Festival gets off to a storming start with The Tempest, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men returning to perform Shakespeare's masterpiece at Cardiff Castle on 1 - 2 July 2010.

One of the highlights of the festival is the MAS carnival. Cardiff Bay waterfront is brought to life during this Caribbean-inspired Carnival. This culturally diverse celebration features flamboyant ostumes, giant puppets, headpieces and masks, all moving to samba beats, steel drums and Punjabi and African street drumming.

Webcam at Canada Day Celebrations in Vancouver

Canada Day Carnival at the Port of Vancouver

Vancouver's waterfront turns into a seething patriotic mass of smiley faces and fluttering red and white flags on 1 July, Canada Day, every year. Head to Canada Place to watch polished dance shows on stages and the passing Canada Day Parade.

We have a live webcam view over the Port of Vancouver, enabling you to keep track of the festivities live.

Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day, is Canada's national day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united two British colonies and a province of the British Empire into a single country called Canada. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

New Webcam at the Port of Vancouver

Port of Vancouver, Gastown, Burrard Inlet and the Second Narrows Bridge

The Port of Vancouver was the name of the largest port in Canada, the largest in the Pacific Northwest, and the largest port on the West Coast of North America by metric tons of total cargo, with 76.5 million metric tons. The port amalgamated with the Fraser River Port Authority and the North Fraser Port Authority in 2008 to form Port Metro Vancouver.

In terms of container traffic measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), the port ranked in 2006 as the largest port in Canada, the largest in the Pacific Northwest, the fourth-largest port on the West Coast of North America, and fifth-largest in North America overall.

Monday, June 28, 2010

New Webcam - London City Streets around Covent Garden

London City Streets around Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden. The area is dominated by shopping, street performers, and entertainment facilities, and it contains an entrance to the Royal Opera House, which is also widely-known simply as "Covent Garden", and the bustling Seven Dials area.

The area is bounded by High Holborn to the north, Kingsway to the east, the Strand to the south and Charing Cross Road to the west. Covent Garden Piazza is located in the geographical centre of the area and was the site of a flower, fruit and vegetable market from the 1500s until 1974, when the wholesale market relocated to New Covent Garden Market in Nine Elms. Nearby areas include Soho, St James's, Bloomsbury, and Holborn.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Swimming Pool in the Sky! Marina Bay Sands Resort, Singapore

Featured in the news today, the opening of the Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore, featuring a massive swimming pool suspended in the air above the city - we have a webcam view looking right at it:

Singapore city skyline, looking at the Marina Bay Sands Resort and Casino


Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$5.7 billion), including cost of the prime land.

When complete, the resort will feature a 2,560-room hotel, 120,000 sq-meter convention-exhibition center, The Shoppes mall, six restaurants, an Art & Science museum, two Sands Theatres, two floating pavilions, a casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 340m-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a a 150m swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 67m. The 51-acre resort was designed by Moshe Safdie.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Canary Island Webcam - Lanzarote Beach Live!

Playa de Las Cucharas Beach, Costa Teguise Resort

Lanzarote is the easternmost island of the Canary Islands and has volcanic origin. It was born out of fiery eruptions and has solidified lava streams as well as extravagant rock formations. Lanzarote, a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands. The first recorded name for the island, given by Angelino Dulcert, was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. The island's name in the native language was Titerro(y)gatra, which may mean "the red mountains"

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Albena Webcam - Bulgaria Beach Scene

Albena Beach and Black Sea, Varna

Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in Northern Bulgaria, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, and 92th-largest in the European Union, with a population of 364,292 (503,999 in the metro area).

Commonly referred to as the marine (or summer) capital of Bulgaria, Varna is a major tourist destination, business and university centre, seaport, and headquarters of the Bulgarian Navy and merchant marine, as well as the centre of Varna Province and Bulgaria's North-Eastern planning region (NUTS II), comprising also the provinces of Dobrich, Shumen, and Targovishte.

Glastonbury Live - Festival Webcam

Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm, home of the Glastonbury Music Festival

The Glastonbury Festival 2010 will take place between 23 and 27 June 2010. Tickets went on sale on 4 October 2009, with the £50 deposit scheme introduced at the previous festival being continued. Unlike the previous two years and more in common with earlier festivals, the tickets for the 2010 Glastonbury had sold out in less than 24 hours from being released for sale. U2 will no longer headline the Pyramid Stage on Friday night at Glastonbury 2010, due to Bono sustaining a back injury early May 2010. According to the media, Bono was "gutted", even having written a song especially for the festival. Muse and Stevie Wonder will play the other two headline slots, with Muse playing on Saturday and Wonder on Sunday. The following day the replacement to U2 was confirmed as Gorillaz. It would be Damon Albarn's second headlining act in 2 years.

My World Webcams - Guest Blogger!

We were very pleased to be asked to provide a guest blog post for the popular travel blog Cheapoair, and wrote the following feature:

Thailand – Sand, Sea and Mai Tai’s Galore!

A holiday in Thailand is a holiday like no other, exotic, exciting and, in the grand scheme of things, incredibly cheap. I’ve spent many a happy holiday there, and still check out the live views on the beach webcams every day.

If you’re thinking of heading to Thailand, I can highly recommend Phuket as a location to base yourself. Staying in Karon Beach is a perfect base for venturing out, exploring and making the most of your time there.

In the mornings you can jump in a tuk tuk to Kata Bay to sunbathe on one of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see and partake in some of the many water sports available. I’ve spent many a leisurely day just soaking up the sun and swimming in the Andaman Sea, then taking in some shade whilst feasting on iced sticks of pineapple sold by the lovely Thai lady who wonders down the beach selling her wares.

In the evenings you can head into Patong which is only a short ride from Karon and has a lively environment with a multitude of bars, restaurants and night clubs.

Make the most of the excursions available as well, there are too many to choose from, but here are some that I have been on myself:

- A speed boat ride out to Coral Island, where we went snorkeling – brave of me as I’m terrified of the water but it’s something you just can’t miss out on!

- A boat trip out to Phang Nga – You get to visit James Bond Island and Koh Panyee (the floating village) where we stopped for lunch which was delicious.

- A weekend stopover in Kho Phi Phi where we took a long tail boat out for some more snorkeling and had a picnic on a deserted island.

- A night out at Simon cabaret – an excellent show and I still can’t believe that they weren’t women!

- A night out watching an authentic Thai Boxing match

- Elephant trekking – another amazing experience!

Another thing not to miss is a sunset at Prom Thep cape (about 15 minutes drive from Karon). It is really most dramatic and something you’ll remember for a very long time.

Don’t forget there is also Phuket town to see and enjoy some serious shopping (favourite pastime!) Although the clothes sizing can make one feel a bit on the big side as the Thai women are a lot smaller than a robust Scottish lass!

The Thai people are incredibly friendly and it’s easy to get embroiled in a competitive game of Jenga whilst indulging in some very strong Mai Tai cocktails – I think it’s their game plan!

An experience to remember.