New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
April 25–27 and May 1–4, 2008
New Orleans, Louisiana
Sure, I was mugged five minutes after I arrived at our rented bungalow on Bourbon Street my first time, but this annual festival is keeping this city on the map. Po’ boys, étouffée, and other culinary delights keep your stomach packed while you knock back your third Hurricane. I recommend going the week between the weekends in order to catch jazz greats at more intimate venues, like Preservation Hall. The night I danced to Charlie Hunter in an empty bar across the Mississippi in Algiers marked one of my top ten music moments.
Glastonbury Festival
June 27–29, 2008
A sunburned bloke with his shirt off is how I’ve always visualized Glastonbury, but this massive event spans the ages and musical spectrum. Camping on rolling green hills between multiple stages is the perfect weekend away with friends or the family. Kidzfield will keep the wee ones entertained while Mommy or Daddy steal away for a beat session at the main stage before hitting the Theatre & Circus Field at sunset.
Roswell UFO Festival
July 3–6, 2008
Roswell, New Mexico
So you believe? Then you better gather with your fellow Close Encounters fans in Roswell to commemorate the 61st Anniversary of the 1947 UFO incident. While the U.S. government vows it involved a top-secret research balloon, others believe that a UFO crashed in their desert warranting a government conspiracy. No matter what side of the spaceship you fall on, parading through town and attending talks dressed as a Conehead is just fun.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
August 3–25, 2008
Edinburgh, Scotland
When my friends in London told me about watching a family of three (with the ten-year-old son banging the drums) pound out their brilliant concoctions, and a play they had to follow through the alleyways of Edinburgh, I knew I had to get to the Fringe Festival some day. When I get there, I’ll follow each morning performance with a lunch picnic in the park and end my day with a pint in the pub.
