Summer heats up in August with the hottest in music and mayhem, from the Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Virginia and London’s Notting Hill Carnival to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota and Zurich’s Street Parade, a party for hundreds of thousands of techno fans.
Aug. 1-2: Navajo Festival of Arts & Culture, Flagstaff, Ariz., http://www.musnaz.org. 55 Navajo artists and hoop dancers whoop it up at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
Aug. 2-15: Folklorama, Winnipeg, Manitoba, http://www.folklorama.ca. Three thousand entertainers from 150 groups fill 43 pavilions.
Aug. 3-8: Old Fiddlers’ Convention, Galax, Va., http://www.oldfiddlersconvention.com. String zinger turns 80.
Aug. 3-9: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Sturgis, S.D., http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com.
Hog heaven in the Black Hills, 75th anniversary.
Aug. 6-9: Glier’s Goettafest, Newport, Ky., http://www.goettafest.com. Goetta as you like it, in sushi, in gumbo or on a roll.
Aug. 5-9: National Hobo Convention, Britt, Iowa, http://www.hobo.com. Boxcar riders hop off for music and mulligan stew.
Aug. 7-9: Abbotsford International Airshow, Abbotsford, British Columbia, http://www.abbotsfordairshow.com. The ultimate aviation buzz, with B-25 rides and F-22 Raptor demos.
Aug. 8-23: Qingdao International Beer Festival, Qingdao, China, http://www.thatsqingdao.com/qingdao-international-beer-festival. Asia’s biggest “gambei gala.”
Aug. 9: Pops by the Sea, Hyannis, Mass., http://www.artsfoundation.org/pops-by-the-sea. Charlie Gibson, Connie Chung and Maury Povich strike up the band.
Aug. 13-14: Jersey Battle of Flowers, St. Helier, Jersey, http://www.battleofflowers.com. Festooned floats parade day and night in the Channel Islands.
Aug. 13-16: Flowertime, Brussels, http://www.floralientime.be. Botanical artworks put Town Hall in bloom.
Aug. 14-30: Helsinki Festival, Finland, http://www.helsinkifestival.fi. At Finland’s largest arts fest, the Middle Kingdom takes center stage.
Aug. 15: Middletown Olde-Tyme Peach Festival, Middletown, Del., http://www.middletownpeachfestival.com. It’s hardly the pits, with parades, pies and a car show.
Aug. 20-29: GlobalFest, Calgary, Alberta, http://www.globalfest.ca. Pyrotechnic showdown with teams from China, Spain, the U.S. and the Philippines.
Aug. 22-Sept. 13: Vuelta a Espana, Spain, nationwide, http://www.lavuelta.com. Twenty-one-stage international bike race turns 80 on its way to Madrid.
Aug. 27-Sept. 7: Alaska State Fair, Palmer, http://www.alaskastatefair.org. Last blast of summer up north features Garrison Keillor, Skillet and Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Aug. 27-Sept. 7: Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul, http://www.mnstatefair.org. New treats for fairgoers include mac and cheese cupcakes and Sriracha balls.
Aug. 29: Street Parade, Zurich, http://www.streetparade.com. Techno party on Lake Zurich pumps its sounds through 30 Love Mobiles.
Aug. 29-Sept. 13: Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, http://www.hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com. Ming Tsai, Michelle Bernstein and other celebrity chefs serve it forth island by island.
Aug. 30-31: Notting Hill Carnival, London, http://www.thelondonnottinghillcarnival.com. Caribbean-style street party and parade cover three miles in West London.
Aug. 30-Sept. 7: Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nev., http://www.burningman.com. Radical fest’s monumental art installations include “Dreamland,” “Fire in Balance” and “Church Trap Organ.”
Dates may change; always check in advance to confirm.
