ASIA

Ubud, Indonesia April 5-15 GALUNGAN AND KUNINGAN

Galungan is an auspicious Balinese holiday that celebrates the triumph of dharma (good) over adharma (evil). It falls on the 11th week of the 210-day “pawukon” calendar. It is during this ten-day festival when ancestral spirits are believed to visit Earth. All of Bali gets busy prepping for religious rituals and ceremonies to welcome and worship the presence of these spirits. Roads are lined with iconic bamboo poles as a from of offering. The last day of the fest, Kuningan, marks the end of the ten-day long visitation and their return to the universe. wonderfulbali.com

Shanghai, China April 9 FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINESE GRAND PRIX

The race track is shaped like the Chinese character “shang” — straight lines and sharp turns, almost at 90 degrees. The challenging circuit has a length of 5.4km and promises to deliver a thrilling race, as is apparent in its shape. The main grandstand can accommodate 29,000 spectators and offers about an 80 per cent view of the circuit. formula1.com

Tygarah, Australia April 13-17 BYRON BAY BLUEFEST

The festival originated in 1990 and has since grown each year with an increasing number of music lovers gathering here from around the world. Bluffest that has won a number of global music festival awards has a good mix of blues, soul, folk and rock by old-time musicians who have the crowds swaying to every beat. Visitors can shuffle between seven stages for varying styles, genres and performances. Musicians this year include the likes of Nas, Neil Finn, Mary J Blige, Doobie Brothers, Madness, Buddy Guy, Bonny Rait, Santana, Jummy Buffett and so on. bluesfest.com.au