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

IN THE ISLANDS

HAWAI'I ISLAND

Kona, Aug. 6-10, 48th Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. Teams from around the world compete to catch the biggest fish — and to enjoy food, drink and fish stories. www.hibtfishing.com; (808) 329-6155.

MAUI

Makawao, Makena, Hana, Lahaina, May 4-12, Maui Classical Music Festival. The 26th year of the festival brings world-renowned musicians to perform at intimate concerts in historic churches throughout the island. The Formosa Quartet, Jasmine Lin, Yitzak Schotten, Jacob Braun and Katherine Collier are among the performers, with music from French masters, Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Brahms. Tickets are $20; students $5. (808) 879-4908, www.maui-cmf.org.

O'AHU

Honolulu, May 19, Diamond Head Crater Celebration. Second annual revival of the '70s tradition; headlined by Earth, Wind & Fire, with Mick Fleetwood's Island Rumour band, Santana's Gregg Rolie, Yvonne Elliman. Tickets ($125, $135, $150, $175) on sale at Waikiki Shell and Blaisdell box offices and via http://ticketmaster.com or (877) 750-4400. www.cratercelebration.com.

Honolulu, June 9-10, Grand Sumo Tournament of Hawaii. Forty top wrestlers from Japan will clash for the Honolulu Mayor's Cup and the Hawai'i Governor's Cup at the Blaisdell Arena. www.sumohawaii.com; (808) 946-1039.

NORTH AMERICA

CALIFORNIA

Monterey, Sept. 21-23, Monterey Jazz Festival. The Monterey Fairgrounds, site of the first festival 50 years ago, will again host the event. Tickets on sale now. 2008 dates: Sept. 19-21. www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

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.

KENTUCKY

Louisville, April 21-May 6, Kentucky Derby Festival. Two weeks of events, many of them free, lead up to the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5, including a fireworks display, sporting competitions, a marathon, concerts and the elegant Derby Ball. www.kdf.org and www.kentuckyderby.com; festival hot line: (502) 540-1127.

TENNESSEE

Nashville, June 7-10, Country Music Association Music Festival and Fan Fair. Annual event allows fans to get up close and personal with country stars who appear at meet-and-greets, and almost constant concerts — day, night and late night. (800) 262-3378; www.cmafest.com.

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.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

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 the capital, 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 (Spanish language site).

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.

ITALY

Venice, June 10-Nov. 21, The Venice Biennale. Extending from early summer into fall in odd years, the Biennale celebrates contemporary arts — the visual arts, dance, theater, film and music, with hundreds of events and performances. www.labiennale.org.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

CHINA

Various cities, Sept. 10-30, FIFA Women's World Cup 2007. Sixteen of the world's best women's soccer clubs compete for the world title. www.fifa.com.

NEW ZEALAND

Christchurch, Nov. 11-18, New Zealand Cup Week. This week of activities kicks off the New Zealand horse-racing season, but horse-racing isn't the only attraction; the rather unusual lineup includes fashion shows, an agricultural fair, food events and more. www.nzcupandshow.co.nz.

MAY 16-19

FIREKNIFE DANCE

MAY 16-19

FIRE-KNIFE CONTEST

Invented in the 1940s by a Samoan paramount chief and dancer who for years was a bit-part movie actor, the late "Freddie" Letuli, fire-knife dancing makes use of the traditional Samoan nifo 'oti, a wicked-looking hooked knife, but it's all Hollywood pyrotechnics. Each year for the last 15 years, the World Fireknife Dance Championship has taken place not in Samoa, but here in Hawai'i, in La'ie at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Entertainers come from throughout the Pacific to vie for the title. The dates this year are May 16-19. www.polynesia.com; (808) 293-3333.

JULY 6-8

FORMULA ONE

This three-day festival of Formula One at Silverstone (in Northhamptonshire, 80 miles from London) attracts the stars of motor racing and is very fan-friendly, with spectator access to the central section of the track and many companion events. Silverstone offers a variety of tours and driving experiences for visitors from off-road 4-by-4 experiences to sitting in the passenger seat while a professional driver screams around the track. The event this year is July 6-8. www.silverstone.co.uk/html/ct.php.

MARCH 20

MAYAN MARVEL

The spring equinox at Mexico's Chichen Itza, the great Mayan city that is a World Heritage Site, is said to be one of the sights of a lifetime, with the sun striking the central temple in such a way to expose a snake frieze that seems to slither down its heights. Thoughts of the rituals that took place here spring to the minds of all the spectators. The 2008 equinox is March 20. turismo@yucatan.gob.mx.