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January
Dresden’s Semper Opera ball
provides a glamorous start to the
New Year on 20 January. Some
2,200 lucky ticket holders inside
the opera are joined by 10,000
locals and visitors on Theatre
Square outside to enjoy one of
the best concerts of the winter.
Moulin Rouge dancers from
Paris open the festivities with a
wild can-can. They’re followed
by an all-star cast of opera
singers and pop stars who’ ll keep
the guests entertained with a
mix of classical and pop.
The ball, now in its seventh
year, maintains traditions
including the debutantes’ waltz
and the presentation of the St
George’s Medal for outstanding
achievement to one special guest
each year. Past recipients have
included Hans-Dietrich
Genscher, Lothar de Maizière,
Til Schweiger and Bob Geldof.
It’s a lively evening of music,
dancing and glitz.
www.semperopernball.de
February
Between 11 and 21 February,
Slovenia’s oldest city, Ptuj, hosts
the colourful Kurentovanje. The
carnival ’s main draw is the
Kurents, horned giants with
long red tongues dressed in
sheepskin and jangling
cowbells, who dance through
the medieval alleyways, driving
out winter with their wooden
clubs. They’re followed by
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brightly dressed masked
dancers, singers and musicians
withmischievous devils and
witches hot on their heels. In the
evening, actors and audience
party together in the city’s pubs.
This year will see visitors
from 13 countries, including
Senegal, Brazil, Bolivia, Japan,
the US, Australia and the
Philippines, take part in the
festivities. The dancing revellers
will join the processions dressed
in their home country’s
traditional masks and costumes.
As well as street carnival and
dance performances, the
festivities will include a carnival
ball and numerous shows.
www.kurentovanje.net
March
Leave your breathable ski suit,
high-tech helmet and mirrored
shades at home, and travel back
in time at the Berchtesgaden
Charivari on 10March. For one
day, the slopes around Jenner
andMitterkaser are
transformed into a vintage-
skiing paradise, with skiers
donning breeches, woollen
tights, long coats, fur hats and
ancient ski gear.
The race is open to anyone
brave enough to take on the
pistes without modern ski
equipment. Charivari kicks of at
Mitterkaser at 12pm, with
identification numbers handed
out at the Jennerbahn base
station. Spectators canwatch
participants show of their
authentic outfits in their full
glory before they race of
downhill. The event closes with
an awards ceremony at 4pmwith
cups for the three fastest skiers.
www.berchtesgadener-land.com
April
Between 17 and 22 April, 1.3
million visitors will visit the
Salone Internazionale del
Mobile inMilan, the world’s
biggest and most glamorous
furniture fair. The fun isn’t
restricted to the Fiera Milano’s
impressive exhibition halls;
you’ ll find inspiring events all
around town, where local stores
host installations in an attempt
to draw in the Prosecco-quafng
crowds. A number of exhibitions
are open to the public, including
the Zona Tortona, the former
industrial district, a great place
to have a stroll and pick up a few
original pieces to take back
home. It’s also worth checking
out the Via Durini in the city
centre, then hit the tourist spots:
the famous Duomo and La Scala.
www.cosmit.it,
www.tortonadesignweek.com
May
Love music festivals but sick of
getting rained on? Swap wellies
and mud for non-stop sunshine
and dance music at the
Sunsplash festival. Held at
Antalya on the Turkish Riviera
between 27May and 3 June, this
exclusive week-long event sees
up to 400 festivalgoers descend
on the chic Hillside Su hotel to
divide their time between pool,
bar, dancefloor, DJ booth and
the sea. The soundtrack to this
Mediterranean paradise is a
mixture of dance, soul and jazz
classics. This year’s line-up
includes pioneering London DJ
Norman Jay, Kenny Dope from
Masters at Work, as well as live
performances from legendary
jazz artist Gilles Peterson. A day
ticket costs just €40, and if you
want to party all week, it’ ll set
you back just €189. Who needs
Glastonbury?
www.sunsplash-antalya.com
June
From8 June to 1 July, Polandwill
be one of the two countries
hosting Euro 2012 . If you’re
going to see thematches, sample
somewhere newwith your
football – somewhere like
Krakow, for example. Although
there are no games planned in
the old royal city, it so impressed
the Dutch football team that they
decided tomake it their base for
the duration of the games.
Krakow is a fairy-talemetropolis,
full of fascinating historical sites.
Stroll aroundWawel Castle, St
Mary’s Basilica, the winding
alleyways of the Jewish quarter
and the 13th-century ClothHall,
and experience the hustle and
bustle of Rynekmarketplace.
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