Need (or rather, want) a reason to travel? Then try one of these fall festivals.
— Becca Hensley
Lucerne Festival PianoLucerne, Switzerland
November 20 to 26
Dedicated to keyboard music and set on the banks of
gorgeous Lake Lucerne, this festival presents today’s top
interpreters of piano. A secondary fest called Piano Off-Stage! takes place in select bars.
www.lucernefestival.chKona Coffee Cultural FestivalKailua-Kona,
Hawaii November 3 to 12
Taste coffee beans, coffee jellies, and coffee itself — and take part in a cupping and picking contest — at Hawaii’s oldest
food festival, which celebrates 178 years of coffee on Hawaii’s engaging
Big Island.
www.konacoffeefest.comStarz Denver International Film FestivalDenver
November 9 to 19
Eschewing premieres and commercial productions, this festival is for film buffs who celebrate the esoteric and intellectual. See approximately 175 films and more than 100 film artists in 10 days.
www.denverfilm.org/festival.cfm San Diego Arts Festival San Diego
November 24 to 26
The premier arts-and-crafts show in
California, this festival (part of a series of California arts festivals) offers 15,000-plus original works and features more than 200 contemporary artists and craftspeople.
www.americanartfestivals.comAutumn Tides FestivalsSouth Walton, Florida
September 1 to December 31
From the Back to Nature Festival (Oct. 20 to 22) to the Autumn Playwright Festival (Oct. 18 to 28), there’s something for everyone at this fall extravaganza, put on by the town’s 13 beach communities.
www.beachesofsouthwalton.comNew York Comedy FestivalNew York City
November 7 to 12
Need a laugh? Get thee to New York to chuckle at a stellar lineup of comedians, including Queen
Latifah, Denis Leary, Howie Mandel, and Brian Regan, performing at legendary venues throughout the city.
www.nycomedyfestival.comNew Crowned Hope FestivalVienna, Austria
November 14 to December 11
Director Peter Sellars asks, “How would Mozart compose today?” and answers with a program of varied first performances across
Vienna, including dance, films, exhibitions, concerts, musical theater, and social projects.
www.newcrownedhope.org