A traveler’s calendar

JANUARY
Jan. 11-13: Liverpool, England -- Cultural Capital Opening Weekend. Starring Ringo Starr, with a little help from his friends. (liverpool08.com)
Jan. 17-27: Park City, Utah -- Sundance Film Festival. The pick of indie flicks. (sundance.org/festival)
Jan. 20-27: St. Paul, Minn. -- U.S. Figure Skating Championships. America’s sharpest blades battle on the ice. (xcelenergycenter.com/saintpaul2008)
Jan. 24-27: Quesnel to Wells, British Columbia -- Gold Rush Trail Dog Sled Mail Run. Trailblazer for B.C.’s 150th anniversary. (dogsledmailrun.ca)
Jan. 25-Feb. 5: New Orleans -- Mardi Gras. America’s ultimate street party. (neworleanscvb.com)

FEBRUARY
Feb. 1-10: Saranac Lake, N.Y. -- Saranac Lake Winter Carnival. “Hooray for Hollywood” in snow and ice. (saranaclakewintercarnival.com)
Feb. 2-24: San Francisco -- Chinese New Year Festival & Parade. Blocklong golden dragon clears the way for the Year of the Rat. (chineseparade.com)
Feb. 7-10: Plaster Rock, New Brunswick -- World Pond Hockey Championships. Four-on-four teams face off on 20 rinks. (worldpondhockey.com)
Feb. 17: Daytona Beach, Fla. -- Daytona 500. 50th running marks start of NASCAR season. (daytona500experience.com)
Feb. 21-23: Cable to Hayward, Wis. -- American Birkebeiner Race. Traditional togs set the style at 35th annual ski marathon. (birkie.com)

MARCH
March 14-30: Budapest, Hungary -- Budapest Spring Festival. Puccini takes center stage. (btf.hu)
March 20-April 5: Savannah, Ga. -- Savannah Music Festival. A full spectrum of sounds, from country to classical. (savannahmusicfestival.org)
March 25-May 17: Greensboro. N.C. -- Greensboro Bicentennial Celebration. Town toasts its past and future. (greensboro200.com)
March 29-April 13: Washington -- National Cherry Blossom Festival. Our nation’s capital is in the pink. (nationalcherryblossomfestival.org)
March 30-April 5: Hilo, Hawaii -- Merrie Monarch Festival. Topped off by “World’s Largest Hula Competition.” (merriemonarchfestival.org)

APRIL
April 5-13: Grand Forks, S.D. -- World Men’s Curling Championship. Twelve teams with brooms romance the stone. (worldmenscurling2008.com)
April 12: Oslo -- Opening of New Opera House. King Harald heralds Norway’s answer to Sydney. (oslooperahouse.com)
April 19-27: Virginia, statewide -- Historic Garden Week in Virginia. The 75th anniversary of “America’s Largest Open House.” (vagardenweek.org)
April 25-27: Nebraska City, Neb. -- Arbor Day Celebration. Parade and tours in the town where Trees “R” Us. (nebraskacity.com)
April 25-Sept. 28: Belgium, nationwide -- The Art of Folon in Belgium. Cover artist Jean Michel Folon is the focus of widespread exhibits. (visitbelgium.com)

MAY
May 11-18: St. Paul, Minn., and statewide -- Minnesota Statehood Week. The 32nd state turns 150. (mn150years.org)
May 13: Echternach, Luxembourg -- St. Willibrord 1,350th birthday. Medieval hopping procession honors local saint. (www.willibrord.lu)
May 23-26: Somerville, N.J. -- Tour of Somerville. Bicyclists get in gear for four days of racing. (tourofsomerville.org)
May 24-25: Decatur, Ala. -- Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic. Sixty-five pilots on the rise. (ballooningal.com/jubilee.htm)
May 31-June 22: Amsterdam -- Holland Festival. Chinese opera and French drama keynote 60th anniversary. (hollandfestival.nl)

JUNE
June 7-29: Austria and Switzerland, eight cities -- UEFA Euro 2008. European soccer’s sweet 16 take the road to Vienna. (uefa.com)
June 12-22: Owensboro, Ky. -- International Mystery Writers’ Festival. Unveils U.S. premiere of “Chimneys,” Agatha Christie’s lost play. (newmysteries.org)
June 13-21: Bartlesville, Okla. -- OK Mozart International Festival. Mozart and more, indoors and out. (okmozart.com)
June 14-Sept. 14: Zaragoza (Saragossa), Spain -- 2008 World Expo. World’s fair zeros in on “Water and Sustainable Development.” (expozaragoza2008.es)
June 28-July 6: Kutztown, Pa. -- Kutztown Festival. A potpourri of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art and crafts. (kutztownfestival.com)

JULY
July 3-6: Quebec City -- Happy birthday, Quebec City! The 400th anniversary celebration features opera for 100,000. (myquebec2008.com)
July 11-13: Butte, Mont. -- National Folk Festival. The 70th annual get-together focuses on Western traditions. (nationalfolkfestivalbutte.com)
July 12-13: Rockland, Maine -- North Atlantic Blues Festival. Chick Rodgers, Lurrie Bell shake up Penobscot Bay. (northatlanticbluesfestival.com)
July 16-19: Fairbanks, Alaska -- World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. Miss Weio presides over knuckle hop, blanket toss. (weio.org)
July 25-Aug. 3: Stockholm -- Europride. Sweden stages a rainbow of events for annual gay celebration. (stockholmpride.org)

AUGUST
Aug. 8-10: Britt, Iowa -- National Hobo Convention. Hobo King Tuck and Hobo Queen Son Shine pass along the crown. (hobo.com)
Aug. 8-24: Beijing -- Games of the XXIX Olympiad. The 12,000 athletes converge on China’s no-longer-forbidden city. (en.beijing2008.cn)
Aug. 20-30: Shelbyville, Tenn. -- Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. The 70th edition of world championships for state’s native breed. (twhnc.com)
Aug. 29-Sept. 1: Denver -- A Taste of Colorado. Labor Day extravaganza rocks Mile-High City. (atasteofcolorado.com)
Aug. 30-Sept. 1: Seattle -- Bumbershoot. Music and arts festival spreads out under the Space Needle. (bumbershoot.org)

SEPTEMBER
Sept. 4-7: Bismarck, N.D. -- United Tribes International Powwow. Showcase of Native American culture. (unitedtribespowwow.com)
Sept. 4-7: Stone Mountain, Ga. -- Yellow Daisy Festival. Near Atlanta, 40th annual crafts show blooms with 500 artists and artisans. (stonemountainpark.com)
Sept. 5-8: Winnipeg, Manitoba -- Canadian Country Music Week and Awards. The hottest and newest sounds roll in from the prairie. (ccma.org)
Sept. 10-14: Reno, Nev. -- National Championship Air Races. Vintage and sport aircraft go wing-to-wing. (airrace.org)
Sept. 26-28: Springfield, Ill. -- International Route 66 Mother Road Festival. Road warriors of yesteryear meet and mingle. (route66fest.com)

OCTOBER
Oct. 2-12: Kelowna area, British Columbia -- Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Harvest celebration at western Canada’s premier vineyards. (owfs.com)
Oct. 4-5: Sedona, Ariz. -- Sedona Arts Festival. Visual, culinary and performing arts work their magic. (sedonaartsfestival.org)
Oct. 10-18: Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario -- Oktoberfest. Canada’s “Great Bavarian Festival” turns 40. (oktoberfest.ca)
Oct. 15-18: Circleville, Ohio -- Circleville Pumpkin Show. Tons of pumpkins and “the world’s largest pumpkin pie,” 14 feet across. (pumpkinshow.com)
Oct. 18: Fayetteville, W. Va. -- New River Gorge Bridge Day. 500 BASE jumpers take a flying leap. (officialbridgeday.com)

NOVEMBER
Nov. 12-Dec. 20: Stavanger, Norway -- Norwegian Wood. Innovative wooden architecture on display in one of Europe’s two Cultural Capitals. (stavanger2008.no)
Nov. 21-23: Milwaukee -- Holiday Folk Fair International. Art and traditions from 65 cultures. (folkfair.org)
Nov. 22-Jan. 6: Natchitoches, La. -- Festival of Lights. Seventy-two tableaux light the way along Cane River Lake. (christmasfestival.com)
Nov. 28-30: Elk Horn and Kimballton, Iowa -- Julefest. Danish to-do christens new Viking house. (danishwindmill.com/celebrations.asp)
Nov. 28-30, Dec. 5-7, 12-14: Mount Vernon, Va. -- Mount Vernon by Candlelight. “Martha Washington” hosts 18th-century Christmas. (mountvernon.org)

DECEMBER
Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 19-21: San Antonio -- Fiesta de las Luminarias. Illuminated River Walk embraces the season. (thesanantonioriverwalk.com)
Dec. 6-7: Maysville, Ky. -- Frontier Christmas. Village museums stage old-fashioned Christmas. (washingtonky.com)
Dec. 13: Ft. Lauderdale -- Winterfest Boat Parade. Decorated yachts festoon the Intracoastal Waterway. (winterfestparade.com)
Dec. 25: Washington Crossing, Pa. -- Washington Crossing the Delaware. The 55th annual re-enactment recalls Revolutionary Christmas 1776. (ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing)
Dec. 31: Berlin -- New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate. Street gala and fireworks open the doors to 2009. (cometogermany.com)

NOTE: Dates are subject to change. Always check in advance to confirm dates and details.