A guide to events worth planning a trip around. Events are listed by location first, and then date.

IN THE ISLANDS

O'AHU

Honolulu, April 20-21, 'Iolani School Fair 2007. The eagerly awaited event, with its food sales and craft fair, helps juniors pay for senior-year activities. 943-2339

MAUI

Lahaina, April 21, Lahainaluna 176th anniversary celebration. Downtown parade, campus tours, historical displays and lu'au celebrate the oldest high school west of the Rockies and its famous alumnus, David Malo. (808) 662-4000, www.lahainaluna.k12.hi.us

KAUA'I

Po'ipu Beach, April 21-28, Life in Balance, A Journey into Healing. Weeklong Ayurvedic yoga retreat and workshop, plus field trips to Waimea Canyon and Kaua'i north shore. (310) 452-7799; www.magicofhealing.com/hawaii.html

U.S. MAINLAND

CALIFORNIA

Newport Beach, Feb. 14-17, Newport Beach Jazz Party. Four days and nights of mainstream jazz. www.newportbeachjazzparty.com

FLORIDA

Key West, Oct. 19-28, Fantasy Fest. Themed "Gnomes, Toads and White Rabbit Tea Parties," this campy multiday, multi-event metrosexual celebration includes a costume parade sponsored by Captain Morgan Rum, a headdress ball, a street fair, a pet masquerade (featuring cross-dressing animals and their look-alike owners), a fancy-dress party, a toga party and more. www.fantasyfest.net

INDIANA

Indianapolis, May 5-27, Indianapolis 500. From the practice rounds, beginning nearly a month before the event, through qualifying rounds to the big day, May 27, the Indy 500 is a race-lover's dream, with dozens of associated events including concerts, family days and street fairs. (800) 822-4639; www.indy500.com

LOUISIANA

New Orleans, Mardi Gras, Feb. 5. Mardi Gras, the pre-Lent party that has come to characterize New Orleans, includes parades, balls, tours of Mardi Gras World, where the parade floats are constructed and lots of great music, food and drink. Dates vary for Mardi Gras, but it always falls 47 days before Easter. www.mardigrasneworleans.com

MINNESOTA

St. Paul, January (dates vary), St. Paul Winter Carnival. The nation's largest and oldest winter carnival features 10 days of cold-weather enjoyments including sled-dog mushing, snow sliding, a display of ice sculptures, a fitness festival and showcases the Midwest's famed "hot dishes." www.winter-carnival.com

NEW YORK

New York City, July 10-29, Lincoln Center Festival. Three weeks, 100 performances, various sites around New York, including a staging of the Kirov Ring Cycle. (212) 362-6000; www.lincolncenter.org

CANADA

Toronto, Ontario, Aug. 17-Sept. 3, Canadian National Exhibition. Affectionately known as TheEx, this annual family-friendly event is part carnival, part expo, part circus, bringing together an aerial acrobatics and ice skating show, performances by "The Human Cannonball," military displays, an air show, a daily parade and a dog show. (416) 393-6300; www.thex.com

Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, April 3Oct. 28, 45th annual Shaw Festival. Productions at three theaters of 10 plays by Shaw and others are the centerpiece of this event, which takes place in the area's wine country (more than 40 wineries, most offering tours) which features country inns, spas and historic sites. (800) 511-7429; www.shawfest.com

MEXICO

Mexico City, May 15-31, Festival de Mexico en el Centro Historico. Annual celebration of theater, music, dance and other arts, including the gastronomic arts, takes place in Mexico City's historic center near the Zocalo (main city plaza) with performances and exhibits in the city's squares, patios, palaces, cloisters and temples; one of the largest festivals in Latin America. www.fchmexico.com

EUROPE

BRITAIN

Wimbledon, England, June 25-July 8, Wimbledon Tennis Fortnight. The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club hosts the queen of tennis tournaments in Wimbledon, 20 minutes outside London. www.wimbledon.org

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

AUSTRALIA

Adelaide, Oct. 13-20, Tasting Australia. Held biannually in Adelaide, South Australia, this lavish award-winning event combines eight days of cooking classes, food-and-wine events, culinary competitions, discussions and exhibits. Headlining this year is Indian cooking expert Madhur Jaffrey. www.tasting-australia.com.au

JAPAN

Chichibu-shi, Dec. 2-3, Yomatsuri (nighttime festival). Thousands make the pilgrimage to this small town near Tokyo, known for its 300-year-old float festival featuring a parade of oversized floats and children performing kabuki drama and folk dances. www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/history/traditionalevents/a63_fes_chichibu.html

ELSEWHERE

TURKEY

Konya, Dec. 10-17, Whirling Dervishes Festival. Numerous performances of the sema, or whirling ceremony, a Sufi spiritual dance, are given during this annual event, which honors the poet-saint Rumi. Throngs visit to see the dance (a sort of meditation both for dancer and watchers), shop in the bazaar and visit the mosque. www.turkeytravelplanner.com