List: A Festive Year.

JANUARY

Sundance Film Festival >> U.S.A.
Pack your sexiest thermals and electric socks and head to snowy Park City, Utah for the annual Sundance Film Festival. Featuring the best indie flicks from across the U.S., plus a spattering of international offerings, Sundance screens for 10 days in the middle of January. Should you bump into George Clooney, flash those thermals, baby!

Festival Nacional De Folklore >> Argentina
In late January, the town of Cosquin (NE of Cordoba) comes alive with the Festival National de Folklore. A nine-day folk music event that has reached iconic levels, the festival features numerous artists—new & old—from all around the county and globe.

FEBRUARY

Tet >> Vietnam
The Tet (Vietnamese New Year) holiday to the Vietnamese is a lot like the 1906 S.F. quake to native Friscans: It’s generally regarded as THE BIG ONE. As such, expect Tet to bubble into a week-long event. Particularly popular with Vietnamese settled into the mountainous north, the 2008 Tet festivities kick-off February 7th.

Punakha Domchoe >> Bhutan
The sacred festival of Punakha Domchoe will teach you a thing or two about sleight of hand. Amid much drama and dancing, the festival reenacts the Bhutanese 17th-century cunning that conned a Tibetan army into leaving empty-handed. The ancient capital of Punakha comes alive February 11-15.

MARCH

Fiesta of Camellia >> Montenegro
Stop and smell the…Camellias. The three-week fiesta celebrates the day in 1780 when a sailor brought Camellia flower seeds to Montenegro from Japan—complete with a reenactment. Plant yourself in Montenegro beginning March 25th.

Frozen Dead Guy Days >> U.S.A.
Freezing water “Polar Plunges,” coffin racing and “Frozen Dead Guy”-flavored ice cream are just a few of the attractions at this bizarre festival. Dedicated to the cryogenically frozen, this funky festival is also completely FREE! “Head” to Nederland, Colorado usually the second or third weekend in March.

APRIL

Genocide Remembrance Day >> Armenia
To pay respect and remember the past, observe the somber day—April 24th—all Armenians commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide. A solemn procession leads from the capital, Yerevan, to the memorial at Tsitsernakaberd Hill. A rare and powerful experience to witness and share a Nation’s grief.

Trento Film Festival >> Italy
To be awarded here is the summit of all cinematic recognition—as long as your film is about mountain-climbing, adventure or exploration. Over 10-days in late April or early May, the city of Trento & its festival host a veritable who’s who of the mountaineering world. Listen in awe to tales of frostbite and jungle rot.

MAY

Espirito Santo >> Azores
Espirito Santo (Pentecost) is celebrated seven-weeks after Easter in every village on the islands. Festivities include brass bands, processions, feasting and fireworks. Sweetbreads, soups and other traditional plates make up the standard celebratory cuisine. Street bullfights often draw the festival to a close—so leave that red shirt at the hotel. Join the spirit this year on May 11th.

Chelsea Flower Show >> England
Take in 11 acres of blossoms at London’s Chelsea Flower Show, traditionally trumpeting the arrival of summer. Set in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea Flower Show is an annual celebration of the English Garden, and has been since 1913. Stop and smell the roses May 20-24, 2008. And maybe double-up on your allergy medication.

JUNE

Dragon Boat Festival >> Malaysia
From May to June, traditional dragon boat competitors battle it out at various events throughout the Malaysian peninsula. The vivid festival and its boats (some up to 10m long boasting 20 paddlers) are particularly notorious on the island of Penang. Wear something bright and colorful!

Independence Day >> Samoa
Prepare yourself for loads of South Pacific feasting, dancing, sporting events and fun to commemorate Samoa’s independence from *New Zealand. Be sure to mark the date—June 1st—but not to worry if you’re flight’s delayed: in true Samoan style, celebrate on the following day. *Kiwis welcome.

JULY

Salmon Festival >> Canada
Tell your boss you’re going to honor the annual migration of the Atlantic salmon. Why you’re really going? Why, to stuff yourself silly on The Great Pink Fish, party hard and rock out to big names like Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams, of course! Catch a flight to Grand Falls-Windsor in mid-July, and expect your cat to love you a little bit more when you get home.

Vardavar >> Armenia
“You look hot!” Should you happen to find yourself in Armenia on the third Sunday in July (July 20, 2008), and a stranger utters these words in your direction…run. It’s not what you think, merely Vardavar: The national day for randomly drenching a stranger with water! Save yourself the Airport security check: Buy your water guns upon arrival.

Carnival of San Ignacio de Moxos >> Bolivia
Indigenous fiesta in a rainforest? SIGN ME UP! See three-days of colorful costumes, plenty of music and booze, dancing and processions all within the unspoiled rainforest village. Bonfires are lit and dancers walk over burning embers to show their devotion to Saint Joseph. Let the cultural fun rain down upon you, beginning July 31st. Leave the fire-walking to the natives.

Milamala Festival >> Papua New Guinea
Yam it up the Trobriand Islands way, where the tuber’s annual harvest serves as the backdrop for myriads of cultural song, dance, food and (naturally) plenty of discussion about their beloved yam. The Milamala is celebrated mainly by the inland villages of the main island, Kiriwina, around late July-early August.

AUGUST

Stockton International Riverside Festival >> England
Take to the streets of Northeast England’s Stockton-on-Tees in the first week of August for the UK’s largest celebration of street art and performance. Wander among the finest outdoor theatre, street entertainment, circus, music and dance by artists from all over the globe. A chance to sport that fake nose ring you bought a couple years back.

Herceg Novi Film Festival >> Montenegro
Formerly know as the Yugoslavian film festival, the Herceg Novi Film Festival provides a great opportunity to catch-up on feature films from Serbia and Montenegro. A beautiful week-long extravaganza, the HNFF is usually held in the first or second weeks in August. All screenings are held outdoors (day and night) in the historic walled seaside town of Herceg Novi on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. Bring sweaters.

SEPTEMBER

Teuila Festival >> Samoa
Samoa’s largest festival each year is its annual Teuila Festival, which takes place in early September. Don’t miss the traditional dancing, Samoan-sized food, fautasi (long paddling canoe) racing, kilikiti games (Samoan cricket) and, of course, the crowning of Miss Teuila.

Goroka Show >> Papua New Guinea
Join thousands of people from all over PNG for their year’s biggest singsing (festival). Head for the Highland town of Goroka for this cultural gem, including traditional regalia and bilas (finery). This is your best chance to see and be immersed in pure tribal culture.

OCTOBER

Dia de la Hispanidad >> Nicaragua
Celebrate with Nicaragua’s Spanish-speaking community as their honor their heritage on Spain’s national day, October 12. Spanish food, culture and entertainment all permeate the day which is deeply saturated in cultural pride and joy.

Divali >> Réunion
Divali, Hinduism’s answer to Christmas, consists of several days of presents and parades in major cities along the eastern coast of the island, home to an important Indian community. Divali fall in late October in 2008.

NOVEMBER

Thessaloniki International Film Festival >> Greece
Catch some work from the best new and upcoming auteurs in the region at Greece’s 10-day festival in mid-November. Over 150 films are screened in the largest film festival in southeastern Europe, held in Thessaloniki (Greece’s second largest city).

March to Peace & Tranquility >> Philippines
Stop by REI before heading to the Philippine island of Luzon on November 30th. Make sure those new hiking boots are sufficiently broken in before your trek up to the new summit of Mt. Pinatubo with the locals. The March (or, trek) is held to commemorate the dramatic 1991 eruption that blew off the top 300m of the peak and left a 2.5km-wide caldera in its place.

DECEMBER

Christkindlmärkte >> Austria
Wear your best wool for a stroll through Vienna’s legendary Christmas markets. Between the Glühwein (mulled wine), Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes), and kitschy gifts…what’s not to like?! Christkindlmärkte runs from mid-November to just after Christmas, every year. Be sure and bring Dad back those lederhosen he’s been wanting.

King Mango Strut >> U.S.A.
Strut down the neighborhood of Coconut Grove in Florida on the last Sunday of the year. In keeping with their slogan, “Putting the nut into Coconut Grove since 1982,” this festival has got to be the wackiest way to ring out the year. Expect avant-garde street performances and parades, loads of satire and utter silliness. Bring your kazoo.