A globe-trotter’s guide to 2019
A globetrotter’s guide to the world’s big events in 2019
Where in the world do you think you’re going?
The coming year’s celebrations, commemorations and festivals will entertain journeyers to every corner of North America, as well as to Asia, South America and Europe.
Check out our annual calendar for some of the best pairings of place and event in 2019.
January
■ 16-24: Berlin — 100 Years Bauhaus: The Opening Festival. Art movement jump-starts centennial with 100 artists at the throttle.
■ 19-20: Matera, Italy — European Capital of Culture Opening Ceremony. Two thousand band members set the beat for a year of festivities at Matera (sharing its reign with Plovdiv, Bulgaria).
■ 19-27: Detroit — North American International Auto Show. The future of motor vehicles charges up in Motor City.
■ 24 to Feb. 3: Park City, Utah — Sundance Film Festival. The spotlight is on independent cinema with awards from the jury and audience.
■ 31 to Feb. 11: Sapporo, Japan — Sapporo Snow Festival. Millions chill out at showcase of ice and snow sculpture, 70th edition.
February
■ 3: Atlanta — Super Bowl LIII. Gridiron gladiators grapple for glory at goal-line gala.
■ 15-24: Indio, Calif. — National Date Festival. Ostrich races are just one of 1,001 Arabian Nights-themed delights.
■ 16 to March 2: Nice, France — Carnival of Nice. French Riviera forecast: intermittent parades and heavy showers of confetti.
■ 21-24: Cable to Hayward, Wis. — American Birkebeiner Cross-Country Ski Race. Long-distance skiers, inexhaustible bicyclists and even some very determined dogs test their endurance in the snow.
■ 26: Grand Canyon, Ariz. — Grand Canyon National Park 100th Birthday. Natural Wonder hosts party with a view.
March
■ 1-9: Rio de Janeiro — Carnival. The ultimate street party beguiles upward of 2 million revelers a day.
■ 2-10: Philadelphia — Philadelphia Flower Show. This year’s infusion of “Flower Power” knocks the edge off winter.
■ 8-17: Austin, Texas — South by Southwest. Breakthrough artists and speakers cover the future, from blockchain to cannabusiness.
■ 16-24: Maastricht, Netherlands — European Fine Art Fair. Two hundred sixty dealers push museum-quality pieces into the marketplace.
April
■ 5-7: Norman, Okla. — Medieval Fair. “King Arthur” presides over a roundtable of feasts and follies.
■ 13 to Sept. 2: Seattle — “Destination Moon — The Apollo 11 Mission.” The traveling exhibit touches down with relics and displays from the first moon landing 50 years back.
■ 21-27: Hilo, Hawaii — Merrie Monarch Festival. Big Island stages “world’s largest hula competition.”
■ 26-28: St. Albans, Vt. — Vermont Maple Festival. The sweet events stick with you.
May
■ 4-11: Seville, Spain — April Fair of Seville. Andalusian arts and antics prevail.
■ 19: San Francisco — Bay to Breakers. “World’s largest footrace” leads to post-race “Finish Line Festival.”
■ 24 to June 9: Charleston, S.C. — Spoleto Festival USA. Performers of opera, drama, theater and jazz bedazzle crowd of 80,000.
■ 24 to Oct. 13: London — “Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing.” Bucking-
ham Palace presents 200 masterpieces on the 500th anniversary of the artist’s demise.
■ 26: Speedway, Ind. — Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Drivers do laps at the Brickyard for a bottle of milk, 103rd running.
June
■ 1-2: Monterey, Calif. — Castroville Artichoke Festival. “Artichoke Center of the World” sizzles with thistles, California’s state vegetable.
■ 7 to July 7: Nine cities in France — FIFA Women’s World Cup. “Largest women’s sporting event on Earth” features 23 soccercrazed nations, plus defending champion USA.
■ 26-30: New York — WorldPride NYC/Stonewall 50. WorldPride makes its first U.S. visit to mark 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
■ 26-30; July 3-7: Washington, D.C. — Smithsonian Folklife Festival. “Social Power of Music,” especially in Benin and Brazil, is this year’s theme.
■ 27 to July 6: Montreal — Montreal International Jazz Festival. 40th rendering of “world’s largest jazz festival” enthralls 2 million listeners.
July
■ 4-7: New Orleans — Essence Festival. This “party with a purpose,” addressing African-American issues and experiences, turns 25, with 500,000 on hand.
■ 12-14: Veneta, Ore. — Oregon Country Fair. Counterculture chic takes charge for the 50th (not so) straight time.
■ 18-21: San Diego — Comic-Con International. Comics and pop culture get serious consideration by 130,000 devotees.
■ 19-21: Baltimore — Artscape. Free festival is all art: performed, photographed, sounded, sculpted and seen.
■ 26 to Aug. 11: Lima, Peru — Pan American Games. Athletes of the Americas compete in 39 sports, including BMX cycling and Basque pelota.
August
■ 2-26: Edinburgh, Scotland — Edinburgh International Festival. High art performance fest coincides with city’s earthier Festival Fringe.
■ 8-18: Chengdu, China — World Police and Fire Games. Olympics for firefighters and police covers archery, angling, darts and dragon boat races.
■ 9-11: Huntington Station, N.Y. — Walt Whitman Bicentennial Birthday Celebration. Hear America singing at a big party for America’s bard.
■ 9-11: Abbotsford, British Columbia — Abbotsford International Airshow. Feats of flight are performed by Thunderbirds, Snowbirds and CF-18 Hornets.
■ 17-18: Santa Fe, N.M. —Santa Fe Indian Market. Ten thousand shoppers buy authentic Southwest treasures from 1,000 artists on the Plaza.
September
■ 6-10; 13-16: Bad Durkheim, Germany — Wurstmarkt. Six-century-old festival is to wine what Oktoberfest is to beer.
■ 7-8: Hoylake, England — Walker Cup. Great Britain and Ireland’s amateur golfers take on the U.S. team, captained by Nathaniel Crosby (Bing’s son).
■ 11-15: Reno, Nev. — National Championship Air Races. “World’s fastest motorsport” draws 150,000 fans of aerobatics.
■ 16-22: Bardstown, Ky. — Kentucky Bourbon Festival. 50,000 visitors take a sip, then watch the bourbon barrel-rolling races.
■ 20 to Nov. 2: Twelve cities in Japan — Rugby World Cup. “World’s thirdlargest sporting event” scrimmages from Tokyo to the samurai town of Kanazawa.
October
■ 5-13: Albuquerque, N.M. — Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Mass ascensions and the Special Shape Rodeo add up to “the world’s largest hot-air balloon gathering.”
■ 11-19: Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario — Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest. Bavarian bash boasts beer halls, polka stages and a Canadian Thanksgiving Day parade.
■ 16-19: Circleville, Ohio — Circleville Pumpkin Show. Orange is the color for this banquet of pumpkin weighins, parades and pie-eating contests.
■ 17-20: Plovdiv, Bulgaria — European Capital of Culture, “100% Plovdiv.” Stage play continues Plovdiv’s reign as the co-Cultural Capital of Europe with Matera, Italy.
■ 26-28: Galway, Ireland — Galway Aboo Halloween Festival. Ireland’s most haunting event materializes on the medieval streets of Galway.
November
■ 2: Terlingua, Texas — Terlingua International Chili Championship. Granddaddy of all chili contests fires up in Big Bend country.
■ 16-24: Lucerne, Switzerland — Lucerne Piano Festival. Nine days of keyboard wizardry zip from classical to jazz.
■ 16 to Dec. 31: Copenhagen — Christmas in Tivoli. Holiday season culminates in parades, fireworks and rides at Denmark’s landmark amusement park.
■ 23: Plymouth, Mass. — America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration. The nation’s story struts its stuff in a chronological history-book parade Saturday.
■ 28 to Dec. 31: Coos Bay, Ore. — Holiday Lights at Shore Acres. Lighted sculptures of whales and puffins illuminate seaside gardens.
December
■ 1-12: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration. Aztec and Christian motifs mesh, as thousands parade through the streets nightly.
■ 4: New York — Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Midtown Manhattan.
■ 8: Honolulu — Honolulu Marathon. Over 26 miles in paradise, take in the sights, from Waikiki Beach to Iolani Palace.
■ 14: Montgomery, Ala. — Alabama’s Bicentennial. Parade, cake and dedication of Bicentennial Park mark big birthday for 22nd state.
■ 26-31: Sydney — Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Diamond edition attracts scores of yachts, mainly sloops, to the devilish Tasmanian Sea.
Dates are subject to change. Always check in advance to confirm dates and details.