Events worth traveling for

The largest hot-air balloon gathering on earth — 500+ balloons at dawn.

NYC's free holiday market and ice rink in Midtown Manhattan.

Elaborate masks and Baroque costumes fill the canals and piazzas of Venice.

A traditional German-style Christmas market in the heart of the Loop.

Two desert weekends of headliners, art installations, and palm-lined stages.

Marigolds, ofrendas, and candlelit cemeteries in the heart of Mexico.

Theater, opera, and music staged among the walls of the Pearl of the Adriatic.

The old town glows with silk lanterns and floating candles each full moon.

India's festival of colors — clouds of powder and pure joy each spring.

"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" — 500 miles at the Brickyard on Memorial Day weekend.

"The most exciting two minutes in sports" — big hats, mint juleps, and Churchill Downs.

A Bavarian alpine village aglow with lights in the Washington Cascades.

Weeks of parades, beads, and king cake building to Fat Tuesday.

Washington's spring bloom around the Tidal Basin — a sea of pink cherry blossoms.

The world's largest folk festival — beer tents and lederhosen in Munich.

The world's biggest party — samba, sequins, and the Sambadrome parades.

A whole month of Halloween in America's witch city.

The biggest pop-culture convention in North America — 130,000 fans every July.

Colossal snow and ice sculptures fill the streets of northern Japan.

Southeast Europe's biggest film festival, born out of the siege of Sarajevo.

Sawdust carpets and solemn processions through colonial Guatemala.

The world's largest marathon — 50,000 runners across all five boroughs.

The world's most elaborate electronic music festival, in the Belgian countryside.

North America's largest cross-country ski race, through the Wisconsin Northwoods.

One of the world's largest barbecue competitions, in the KC barbecue heartland.

Military jets over the Boardwalk and beach on the Jersey Shore.

Two October weekends of music in Zilker Park, in the live-music capital.

A fast, flat World Marathon Major through 29 Chicago neighborhoods.

Colombia's biggest folkloric carnival — cumbia, color, and coastal joy.

The "world's greatest collector car auctions" under the Arizona sun.

One of the country's largest motorcycle rallies, in the Arkansas Ozarks.

Four days of camping and music on "the Farm" in rural Tennessee.

A joyfully messy beach party built around mineral-rich mud, in South Korea.

The world's oldest annual marathon — Patriots' Day from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

The world capital of tango celebrates with concerts, classes, and a world championship.

A temporary city of radical art and self-reliance in the Nevada desert.

The world's largest Latin street party, in Miami's Little Havana.

The world's most prestigious film festival, on the French Riviera.

A vibrant celebration of South African culture beneath Table Mountain.

Bolivia's spectacular Andean carnival of the Diablada devil dance.

"The Daddy of 'em All" — the world's largest outdoor rodeo, in Wyoming.

The largest free show of its kind — jets over the Lake Michigan lakefront.

"The Great American Race" — NASCAR's biggest day, kicking off the season in February.

Atlanta's sprawling, fan-run pop-culture marathon over Labor Day weekend.

Connecticut's largest agricultural fair, in a classic New England town.

The world's greatest aviation celebration — for one week Oshkosh has the busiest airport on earth.

The world's largest arts festival takes over Scotland's capital every August.

North America's largest EDM festival — three neon nights under the Vegas sky.

A July celebration of Black music and culture in New Orleans.

Key West's wild 10-day adult Halloween costume carnival.

Sacred sounds from across the globe in an ancient Moroccan medina.

San Antonio's 11-day citywide party of parades, food, and culture.

A high-altitude weekend of celebrity chefs and grand tastings.

Tampa's giant pirate invasion and parade along Bayshore Boulevard.

The largest powwow in North America, in Albuquerque each spring.

Kyoto's grand thousand-year festival of towering float processions.

Thousands of American beers under one roof in Denver.

The largest free hot-air balloon event in the world, at dawn in Reno.

A festival right on the white sand of the Alabama Gulf Coast.

A glowing city built of ice, on a frozen river in northeast China.

The world's largest rowing regatta, on Boston's Charles River.

The world's largest livestock show and rodeo — plus huge headliner concerts.

"The Last Great Race on Earth" — a thousand miles across the Alaskan wilderness.

The Inca Festival of the Sun, re-enacted above Cusco in the Andes.

The quintessential American state fair — butter cow, corn dogs, and everything on a stick.

Millions of tulips bloom across the city where the flower was cultivated.

Music and performance among the towering Roman ruins of Jordan.

Sri Lanka's grand procession of caparisoned elephants, dancers, and fire.

A weekend of tastings and distillery culture in the bourbon capital, Bardstown.

The whole of Amsterdam turns orange for a canal-side street party.

The world's biggest food fight — a town square drenched in tomatoes.

The country's oldest motorcycle rally, in New Hampshire's Lakes Region.

Four days of music in Chicago's Grant Park, skyline and all.

Five days of fresh lobster on the Rockland waterfront.

A 16th-century English village of jousting, ale, and revelry near Annapolis.

"The Super Bowl of Swine" — the world's biggest pork barbecue contest.

College baseball's championship finale, a June tradition in Omaha.

Hawai‘i's most prestigious hula competition, honoring King Kalākaua.

"The Great Minnesota Get-Together" — one of the largest state fairs in the U.S.

Free roots music on the hill in historic Butte, Montana.

West Virginia's oldest festival, celebrating Appalachian heritage in Elkins.

Philadelphia's raucous New Year's Day tradition of feathers, sequins, and string bands.

Mongolia's ancient games of wrestling, horse racing, and archery.

A Labor Day weekend of a million-plus wings in the city that invented them.

A week of cherries, air shows, and lakeside fun in Traverse City.

Two weekends of music, food, and culture at the Fair Grounds.

The East Coast's biggest pop-culture convention, at the Javits Center.

The world's largest Halloween parade, marching up Sixth Avenue in the Village.

The legendary seaside jazz festival at Fort Adams in Rhode Island.

North America's largest Scandinavian festival, in Minot, North Dakota.

Azaleas in full bloom, a grand parade, and garden parties in coastal Wilmington.

Monster parades on the eve, then an island-wide day of total silence.

A "Run to Remember" through the heart of Oklahoma City each spring.

America's largest Oktoberfest, in Cincinnati's German-rooted riverfront.

A months-long repertory theater season in a charming southern-Oregon town.

The largest overlanding gathering — rigs, gear, and skills in the high country.

The world's largest Pacific Islands cultural festival, in Auckland.

Mississippi's largest arts festival, in the Gulf Coast art colony of Ocean Springs.

The nation's largest and oldest flower show, blooming each spring.

"The Race to the Clouds" — a flat-out sprint up a 14,000-foot Colorado mountain.

Thousands of glowing lanterns rise into the night sky above Taiwan.

Portland's century-old civic celebration — the Grand Floral Parade and waterfront fun.

The Triple Crown's middle jewel — Black-Eyed Susans and infield revelry in Baltimore.

The world's largest winter carnival, with Bonhomme in old Québec City.

Pamplona's daredevil dawn bull runs and nonstop fiesta.

"The Coolest Celebration on Earth" — ice sculptures and winter fun in Minnesota.

One of the world's largest Pride celebrations — a massive parade down Market Street.

The world's largest Native American arts market, on the historic Plaza.

One of the nation's largest St. Patrick's Day parades, under the oaks of Savannah.

The world's largest cycling festival — races, demos, and a huge expo at Laguna Seca.

A Halloween beach party of costumes, parades, and pooches in Rehoboth Beach.

Blue Angels overhead and hydroplanes on Lake Washington all summer.

Apple orchards in bloom and grand parades in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

Cebu's giant, joyful street dance honoring the Santo Niño.

Thailand's New Year becomes the world's biggest water fight, in Chiang Mai.

Celebrity chefs, beachfront tastings, and glamour in Miami Beach.

17 days of opera, theater, and music across historic Charleston.

Ireland goes green — a giant parade and days of celebration in Dublin.

Country music's biggest festival, in the California desert.

Big Tex, fried everything, and 24 days of Texas-sized fair at Fair Park.

The legendary Black Hills motorcycle rally — hundreds of thousands of riders.

Milwaukee's lakefront "World's Largest Music Festival."

Spring's big aviation gathering — airshows and thousands of aircraft in Florida.

America's premier independent film festival, in snowy Park City.

A week-long "Island of Freedom" music festival on a Danube island in Budapest.

A secretive, prestigious film festival in a stunning box-canyon mountain town.

The largest Renaissance faire in the U.S. — nine themed weekends in the piney woods.

New England's great state fair — six states under one roof for 17 days.

White-robed processions and sacred water celebrate Epiphany in Ethiopia.

The New Year's Day parade of flower-covered floats in Pasadena.

Thousands of sheep parade through Sun Valley in a celebration of herding heritage.

"The Greatest Show on Earth" — soca, steelpan, and dazzling mas in the Caribbean.

The world's largest gem, mineral, and fossil showcase, across Tucson.

Millions of tulips and Dutch heritage in Holland, Michigan.

A sweet celebration of the maple harvest in St. Albans, Vermont.

The harbor city lights up with projections, ideas, and music each winter.

Kansas's biggest festival — nine days along the Arkansas River.

The world's largest one-day classic-car cruise, on Detroit's Woodward Avenue.