A guide to events worth planning a trip around. Events are listed by location first, and then date.

For a comprehensive calendar, see www.honoluluadvertiser.com/travel.

HAWAI'I

BIG ISLAND

Kohala Coast, June 14-17, Dolphin Days. This year, the annual event in celebration of marine life — and the good life — features two of the finalists from Bravo's "Top Chef," the final episodes of which were shot at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, which hosts Dolphin Days. Events include dinners, golf and tennis tournaments, dolphin education programs and more. www.dolphindays.com.

O'AHU

Waikiki, May 28, Lantern Floating Ceremony. Thousands gather annually for this Buddhist rite in which paper lanterns, lighted in memory of those who have died, are sent out to sea, and there's music and entertainment, too. Of course, lots of merriment surrounds the event with nightly parties and fishing tales. www.gohawaii.com.

U.S. MAINLAND

CALIFORNIA

Monterey, Calif., Sept. 21-23, Monterey Jazz Festival, 50th anniversary. The Monterey Fairgrounds, site of the first festival 50 years ago, will again host the event, for which tickets go on sale March 30. The 2008 dates: Sept. 19-21. www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

San Francisco, June 24-25, Gay Pride festival and parade www.sfpride.org.

Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, Tournament of Roses, 119th annual parade (8 a.m.) and 94th annual Rose Bowl football game (2 p.m.) is themed "Passport to the World's Celebrations." Find out about tickets and tour packages at www.tournamentofroses.com.

TENNESSEE

Nashville, June 7-10, Country Music Association Music Festival and Fan Fair. Annual event allows fans to get up close and personal with country stars who appear at meet-and-greets, and almost constant concerts — day, night and late night. (800) 262-3378; www.cmafest.com.

CANADA

Toronto, Ontario, Aug. 17-Sept. 3, Canadian National Exhibition. Affectionately known as TheEx, this annual, family-friendly event is part carnival, part expo, part circus bringing together an aerial acrobatics and ice-skating show, performances by "The Human Cannonball" military displays, an air show, a daily parade and a dog show. (416) 393-6300; www.thex.com.

EUROPE

BRITAIN

Cheltenham, March 11-14, 2008, Cheltenham National Hunt Festival. Considered the "Olympics of Steeplechasing," this series of horse races offers the best horses and riders in Europe. Cheltenham, a fashionable spa, additionally is of historic interest and many events surround the races. www.cheltenham.co.uk/festival/index.html.

ITALY

Siena, July 2 and Aug. 16, The Days of Il Palio. Twice every summer since 1656, riders elected by the city's districts compete in a death-defying two-minute bareback horserace around the Piazza del Campo; for days before and after, the city has a carnival atmosphere, with parades to celebrate the winning riders. www.ilpalio.org/index_english.htm.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

JAPAN

Chichibu-shi, Dec. 2-3, Yomatsuri (nighttime festival). Thousands make the pilgrimage to this small town near Tokyo, known for its 300-year-old festival featuring a parade of oversized floats and children performing kabuki drama and folk dances. www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/history/traditional events/a63_fes_chichibu.html.

ELSEWHERE

Ficksburg, South Africa, Easter weekend, Rustler's Easter Festival. Held at a gorgeous mountain retreat popular with the alternative set, this annual four-day event is many events rolled into one, from religious ceremonies to musical concerts and lots of partying, all going on at once in the various folds in the canyon where Rustler's Valley Mountain Lodge is. www.rustlers.co.za.

GET IT LISTED

If you've experienced a festival, celebration or annual event that was well worth planning travel around, we'd like to hear about it. Write: Travel, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: travel@honoluluadvertiser.com.