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JANUARY 16

National Tulip DayAMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

For one day only, Dam Square comes alive with a giant carpet of 200,000 tulips. Thousands of visitors show up to pick a free flower as a reminder of the legendary Dutch tulip season, at its most beautiful

in nearby Keukenhof Gardens. iamsterdam.com

JANUARY 22-31

Mozart Week 2016

SALZBURG, AUSTRIANow in its 60th year, Salzburg's

popular Mozart Week celebrates the great composer’s birthday

with a series of performances of his

work by international names in classical music. Among the smaller concerts

this year sits a major choral and orchestral

production of Mozart’s adaptation

of Handel’s masterpiece,

Acis and Galatea. mozarteum.en

EUROPE

MENTON LEMON FESTIVAL

Feb 1-March 2Every year, Menton goes wild for citrus art in this parade

of giant sculptures, studded with locally grown oranges and

lemons. The festival is an offbeat alternative to the Riviera carnival

season.fete-du-citron.com

FEBRUARY 15 – 17

BINCHE CARNIVAL

BINCHE, BELGIUMNo feathered

dancing girls at this carnival: Binche’s UNESCO-listed

Shrove traditions are far more original.

Every day features a different set of events

including confetti battles, parades and the handing out of oranges. Residents dress in handmade

pierrot and harlequin costumes that must

never leave the town's boundaries.

carnavaldebinche.be

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AMERICAS

JANUARY 25-30

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

ELKO, NEVADA The spirit of the Wild West is still alive and well here,

where ranch dwellers and cowboy culture aficionados share music, dance the two-step and try to one-up each other with tall tales of life on the land. Pick up traditional

skills or settle down with a brew as both professionals and amateurs share their love of the cowboy life at open-mic

poetry night. westernfolklife.org

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Trinidad Carnival

XXXXXXXXXXCelebrate the February freeze with ice slides,

snow rafting, snow baths and outdoor dance

parties. If you’d rather stay rugged-up, you can feast your dance parties.

If you’d rather stay rugged-up, you can feast your eyes on the night-

timr dance parties. If you’d rather stay rugged-

up, you can feast your eyes asd adsa dsathe city’s streets and the

main event: a gruelling canoe race across the

partially-frozen St Lawrence River. carnaval.qc.ca

JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 14

Carnaval de Quebec QUEBEC CITY, CANADA

Celebrate the February freeze with ice slides, snow rafting and outdoor dance parties as well as night-time parades, dog-sled races through the streets and a gruelling canoe race across the

partially-frozen St Lawrence River. carnaval.qc.ca

FEBRUARY 8-9

Trinidad Carnival

TRINIDADOne of the most dazzling

events in the whole of the Caribbean, Trinidad's

annual spectacular involves two days of

parades, lavish costumes, pulsating music and giant masquerade

marching bands, some of them 5,000-strong. The best news is, anybody

can join in, unlike other carnival parades where visitors are mere spectators. Sign up in advance, pick up your

costume and 'play mas' (dance along) with the

locals. gotrinidadandtobago.

com

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FEBRUARY 2-3

Setsubun FestivalVARIOUS CITIES, JAPAN

Japan marks the first day of spring by the lunar calendar with bean-throwing, traditional dances, ‘demon chases’ and fire festivals. What you’ll see depends on where you go: big temples in Tokyo

and Kyoto will have the most memorable displays, but no two celebrations are alike.

japanspecialist.co.uk

In the season for

Lunar New Year parties the Vietnamese mark

their celebrations by decking their cities in flowers, with the best displays in the once-a-year Tet Flower Market. On the big night, locals set off firecrackers and make as much noise as possible to ensure that the evils of the

previous year are left behind.

vietnamtourism.com

JANUARY 22

Losar (New Year)

KATHMANDU, NEPAL A speech by the

Dalai Lama, monks performing a masked

dance and pilgrims singing and throwing barley flour all form part of the colourful

Tibetan Buddhist New Year celebrations

in Nepal.intrepidtravel.com

ASIA

MARCH 9

Total Solar Eclipse

INDONESIA Indonesia will be the

only place that lies fully in the shadow of this eclipse, with totality predicted to last two to three minutes. The best vantage points to catch this rare event

will be on Sulawesi, but any beach with a good view of the sky will do

nicely as daylight fades to darkness.

regent-holidays.co.uk

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AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

MARCH

Sounds of JerusalemJERUSALEM, ISRAEL

This music festival adds an extra dimension to a walk through the Old City, with ensembles on stages and

street corners in each district playing traditional music tied to its history. Wander through the Armenian,

Muslim and Christian quarters for a spellbinding trip into the sounds of the past.

itraveljerusalem.com

APRIL 1-2

Cape Town International Jazz Fest

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICAThis is one of the world’s top jazz festivals, with over 40 artists

lined up for two jam-packed autumn days. Previous headliners including Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse and Courtney Pine.

capetownjazzfest.com

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FEBRUARY 26 – MARCH 20

New Zealand FestivalWELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

The 10th edition of this popular biennial arts festival, with more than 300 events, will welcome New Zealand’s top

producers and artists as well as international names, including a dance choreographed by Pina Bausch and luminous walk-through art experiences. festival.co.nz

AUSTRALASIA

MARCH 9 – 13

Inaugural World Science Festival

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIAFresh from New York, the WSF moves down under,

showcasing the intersection of science and performing arts with interactive experiments, outdoor performances,

original theatre works and debates between some of the best minds in science, held throughout Australia’s

‘garden city’.worldsciencefestival.com.au

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