EDINBURGH

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, puts 3,300 shows spanning theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret and more on the stages of the beautiful Scottish capital. edfringe.com

LONDON

AUGUST 26–27 Two million revellers attend the Notting Hill Carnival, London’s answer to the Rio Carnival, for two days of Caribbeanstyle partying and parades by costumed dancers and floats. visitlondon.com

NEVADA

AUGUST 26–SEPTEMBER 3 Themed “I, Robot” this year, the Burning Man festival returns to the Black Rock Desert complete with live performances, DJS, art installations, bonfire rituals and atmospheric dust storms. burningman.org

SPAIN

AUGUST 29 The residents of Buñol, Valencia, know how to paint the town red. Some 150 tonnes of ripe tomatoes will be hurled by 22,000 revellers during the world’s messiest La Tomatina war. latomatina.org