2012 marks the 64th Virginia Highlands Festival and will be held from July 28 to August 12. Appalachian culture showcased in crafts, art and music.
The festival was started in 1948 by Robert Porterfield, founder of the Barter Theatre, as a simple one-week festival to showcase Appalachian arts and crafts. The festival has now grown into a 16 day event offering a variety of venues. Every year hundreds of volunteers work to create exciting new events for our festival for you to enjoy. The 2012 theme, "Carved from Our Past." Our 2012 signature art is a wood carving by this year's Signature Artist, John Dickens and will be unveiled soon. Please enjoy our beautiful mountains, forests, and streams while here and all the activities planned for you throughout Southwest Virginia. There is something everyone, old and young alike. An endless variety of activities and performances are planned for this year, July 28-August 12, in Abingdon, VA

As one of the Plano / Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex's most proven family events and Texas' largest balloon event, The 2006 ViewPoint Bank Plano Balloon Festival has a tremendous amount to offer its advertisers, sponsors and the community.

September/October - Baltimore Book Festival! The mid-Atlantic's premier celebration of the literary arts features 200+ nationally known and local authors, poetry readings, cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs/cookbook authors, children's writers and activities, live music, food and more than 75 exhibitors and book sellers.
Located in Mount Vernon Square, the Washington Monument overlooks the festival site and offers the perfect location for a weekend outing.

For only second time in history the United States Golf Association will stage its national championship on a public golf course when the 2008 U.S. Open is conducted at Torrey Pines' South Course outside San Diego, Calif. In joining New York's Bethpage State Park's Black Course on the exclusive public course list, Torrey Pines also marks the first time the season's second major will be held in southern California since 1948.

America's most decorated Battleship is now the area's most exciting museum, open for tours, events and overnight encampments. Exploring “BB62” is experiencing history in a whole new way. Not only do you see exhibits of artifacts from the ship’s past, but you are put into the exhibit as you go through the tour route. Sit in the chair from which Admiral Halsey commanded the fleet. Stretch out on the bunks where the sailors slept. Climb into the 16” gun turret and learn how the projectiles were loaded.

October - Current foreign fare from around the entire globe is featured in this weeklong event with films from many countries. All films are previously unreleased in the market and may not otherwise be seen in the Phoenix area. ( www.festivals.com)

First full moon between Jan 21 and Feb 19 A noisy, colorful occasion celebrated from noon to sunset around Mott St. Though dragons still dance in the street, firecrackers no longer chase away evil spirits because former Mayor Giuliani banned them for most events. The chances of getting a meal anywhere in Chinatown at this time are slim.

November - Paying homage to the annual migrating Canada geese flying overhead, Easton closes colonial streets, decorates historic buildings with natural greens, and recruits 1,500 volunteers to greet 18,000 visitors and 400 of the nation's finest wildlife artists, craftsmen and vendors with a ready smile and a helping hand. Excitement radiates throughout the town and neighboring St. Michaels, Oxford and Tilghman Island. Enjoy the 36th annual Festival, the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, fine restaurants, and quaint shops lining historic streets.

The Calgary International Film Festival Society was established in 1999 as a non-profit organization providing an annual world-class cinema event for the citizens of Calgary and area. We aim to showcase the best of national and international film to Calgary audiences. The Festival has brought numerous Canadian film premieres and world caliber filmmakers to our city. Your support is needed to continue bringing quality films to Calgary.

February. Snow and ice sculptures, canoe races on the frozen St. Lawrence, Queen's Ball, parades.

July-August. Caribbean-style carnival with parties, music and parade.

A lo largo de sus veinte años de existencia, el Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara se ha consolidado como un espacio privilegiado para la exhibición del cine de calidad. Desarrollado en un ambiente que favorece el diálogo entre los creadores y el público, el Festival ha sido también un lugar de reunión de cineastas, actores, fotógrafos, funcionarios, distribuidores y críticos, nacionales y extranjeros. Así, este encuentro anual ha servido para dar a conocer jóvenes valores e impulsar sus carreras, al mismo tiempo que ha reconocido y revisado la obra de los ya consagrados.

Septermber/October. Just a couple hours drive from the glorious Rocky Mountains, Edmonton is known for its big sky and endless sunshine. Located east of Vancouver and west of Toronto, Edmonton is in the heart of the Canadian Prairies and our city is often called upon to be the set for independent and Hollywood movies. With a population of one million people, Edmonton is a city that loves movies. It's reported that the number one, per capita, movie rental city in Canada is Edmonton. Need we say more? Oh yes, and we have the world's largest shopping mall -- West Edmonton Mall.

- Has been in existence since 1989. What was initially a three-day festival is now a nine-day event.
- Festival attendance in 2005: 27,500
- Audience: approximately 50/50 males vs. females; ethnically diverse; majority of patrons range in age from 35 to 60 years, but youth do attend; proven consumers of media arts

September/October - This year we introduce a new event program at the VIFF. As part of our hospitality and networking initiatives, the festival is hosting a regular series of receptions at our spacious new Vancouver International Film Centre.

Sunday, July 4, 2004