20 Gorgeous Places to See Ultra Violet — Pantone's Color of the Year — Around the World

By Andrea Romano
February 12, 2018
Credit: SOPA Images/Getty Images
We all had a good run with the bright, yellow-green Pantone Color of the Year for 2017, "Greenery." We could find the happy hue just about anywhere, and not just in fashion and home goods. That bright green is an easy color to spot anywhere you go: it’s the color of the grass, leaves, trees, and even some animals you find in nature.

But for 2018, Pantone is giving us all a much cooler, more serene color to obsess over: "Ultra Violet."

The gorgeous, bright purple is described as “dramatically provocative and thoughtful” and “communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us toward the future” on the Pantone website, which is something we all need in 2018. It invokes deeply calming feelings of sunsets, fields of flowers, far-off galaxies, or even well-lit dance floors.

“Enigmatic purples have also long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance. Musical icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality,” Pantone wrote.

It’s also a gorgeous color to find while you’re on a worldly adventure. As much as you can find blue skies, green grasses, or red brick buildings, there’s something special about finding a wash of bright purple in any given setting while you’re traveling.

This color is also “often associated with mindfulness practices, which offer a higher ground to those seeking refuge from today’s over-stimulated world,” according to Pantone. What a perfect excuse to get away from the office with just a backpack and passport in hand.

Well, you may also want to bring your camera phone, just in case you want to post on Instagram to show all your friends the incredible view.

If you’re not convinced there are countless places to find this beautiful purple, we rounded up some places all over the globe where you can spot some pretty violet hues.
Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Sydney, Australia

Credit: James D. Morgan/Getty Images

A jacaranda tree in full bloom with purple flowers on McDougall Street in Kirribilli.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 20

Kars, Turkey

Credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

These snow statues are illuminated with green and purple lights to commemorate the Sarikamis martyrs in Kars, Turkey.

3 of 20

Portland, Maine

Credit: Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

Purple cauliflower that can be found at the Portland Farmers’ Market at Deering Oaks Park.

Advertisement

4 of 20

Atacama Desert, Chile

Credit: MARTIN BERNETTI/Getty Images

People stroll though the purple-pink flowers, in full bloom in the Huasco region of Chile.

5 of 20

Juhu Beach, Mumbai, India

Credit: SOPA Images/Getty Images

People gather on a beach, where a purple sunset can be seen.

6 of 20

Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England

Credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

The seaside resort town in North Yorkshire is an Ultra Violet sight to see when the sun goes down.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 20

Van, Turkey

Credit: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Children play in a field of purple wildflowers.

8 of 20

Armenia

Credit: De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images

This purple grape hyacinth grows wild in Armenia.

9 of 20

New Zealand

Credit: De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images

You can find flowers like this showy hebe, also known as showy speedwell, growing wild in New Zealand.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 20

Leesburg, Virginia

Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images

This Purple Monster coral can be found off the coast of Virginia.

11 of 20

Berlin, Germany

Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images

These bright purple moon jellyfish practically light up the Berlin Zoo Aquarium.

12 of 20

Cuba

Credit: Barcroft Media/Getty Images

There are an estimated 60,000 candy-colored vintage cars, like this bright purple one, owned in Cuba, including classic Fords, Chryslers, and Chevrolets.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 20

Iceland

Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/Getty Images

Nooka lupines, a free growing purple flower, help prevent erosion in Iceland. They also make the landscape very colorful.

14 of 20

Tokyo, Japan

Credit: John S Lander/Getty Images

Wild wisteria flowers provide a beautiful setting at Kameido Tenjin Shrine.

15 of 20

Monte Cervino, on the border of Italy and Switzerland

Credit: Frank Bienewald/Getty Images

You can see both the north and south faces of the mountain sticking out against the purple sky.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 20

Pueblo Rico, Colombia

Credit: VW Pics/Getty Images

This purple-throated Woodstar, a species of hummingbird, is marked with brilliant purple feathers on its neck.

17 of 20

Kathmandu, Nepal

Credit: Frank Bienewald/Getty Images

People gather for the Holi Festival, the Hindu “festival of colors,” and “paint” each other with bright pigments of blues, reds, yellows, greens, and of course, purple.

18 of 20

Kashmir, Nepal

Credit: Barcroft Media/Getty Images

Saffron is associated with rich yellow, but the flowers, which are picked in this particular town, are a bright purple.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 20

Bangkok, Thailand

Credit: David Longstreath/Getty Images

Not all purple hues are in natural settings. These purple seats provide comfort for commuters as they wait for their trains.

20 of 20

Ankara, Turkey

Credit: Barcroft Media/Getty Images

A man is picking purple flowers in this rare, natural field in the middle of the city before it gets destroyed for a construction site.

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Andrea Romano