September

Each year, Hawai’i celebrates the Aloha Festival with a colorful and lively display of the islands rich cultural history. The festival spans six weeks on all six islands, but the premier event is Aloha Week in Honolulu. (see more)

This boutique festival is bit more trendy and indie than the Isle of Wright festival. The Bestival won the UK festival awards for “best major festival” of 2010, so they must be on to something. (see more)

Each September, men and women climb on top of each other’s shoulders and reach for the sky as part of the “Concurs de Castells,” human towers competition, in Tarragona, Spain during the Santa Tecla Festival. (see more)

Since 1995, Puerto Vallarta’ Festival Gourmet International► has attracted gastronomes from around the world eager to sample the best in international cuisine. (see more)

In the quaint village of Binissalem, Mallorca the end of the grape harvest season brings with it a wild food fight of epic proportions. While this festival was once only open to locals, it’s growing in size as the world has spread about the all out grape throwing extravaganza.  (see more)

Every October, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival takes place in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. A Bay Area native, philanthropist, and music lover Warren Hellman funds the festival as a gift to the city. The concert is free, held in the largest urban park in the US, with 3 days of performances across 5 concert stages by the best acts in rock, folk, bluegrass and pop. The title can be misleading as there’s an impossibly diverse range of genres on display at the festival. (see more)

Travel to Saint-Hilaire du Touvet in the southeast of France to witness an eclectic assortment of flying and falling at the Icarus Cup Free-Flying Festival►. The festival borrows its name from the Greek myth of Icarus, who burned his wings whilst flying too close to the sun, attracting some 8000 human aviators every Fall. (see more)

The Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival dates is one of the most important Chinese holidays of the year.► The festival is spread throughout the country, as well Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. (see more)

The first Techno Parade originated in 1998 as a visual street demonstration of the power of electronic music. French DJ superstar Bob Sinclair has played an integral role in the parade since the beginning. (see more)

Looking for an intimate film festival in a cool northern capital? Check out the Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) during late September every year. It's held in one of the world's smallest capitals so everything is within walking distance. (see more)

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a publicly attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues. In the last few years, total attendance at TIFF has exceeded 260,000, with 287,000 public and industry admissions in 2009, and a further 239,000 from the free programming scheduled at Yonge-Dundas Square. (see more)

The Vancouver International Film Festival occurs during the fall in British Columbia, a beautiful time of the year. Not only is it a showcase event for Canadian and North American filmmakers but the largest Asian film festival outside of Asia. The Dragon and Tiger awards cater towards Asian cinema. (see more)

The Venice International Film Festival (Italian Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia) is the oldest international film festival in the world and considered one of the most prestigious. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the Lido, Venice, Italy. (see more)

The annual Guinness Book of World Records competition takes places in Vienna, Austria each Fall inside the oldest amusement park in the world. Prater Park has hosted the event since 2004. The organizers welcome all as either a witness or participant. You must register in advance if you wish to make or break a world record of your own. (see more)