DEC. 1-2

MERRY TAMALES TO YOU

Rated by TV's Food Network as one of the Top 10 American Food Festivals, the annual weekend-long Indio Tamale Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors for a celebration of Hispanic culture with music and dancing, a tamale-making contest, kids' activities and — of course — sampling multiple varieties of the stuffed corn husk dish that, for many Latinos, characterizes the holiday season. This year's event is set for Dec. 1 and 2. Indio is off I-10 southeast of Los Angeles, not far from Palm Springs, about a two-hour drive. Information: www.tamalefestival.net; 760-391-4175; e-mail tamfest@indio.org.

DEC. 1

WAIMEA WREATHS

The fifth annual Big Island Bounty Wreath Contest is a feature of this year's Upcountry Christmas Fair in Kamuela on Dec. 1 — the kind of folksy event that manages to incorporate both the warmth of the holidays and the need to shop. The fair incorporates art, craft and gift sales, free live music, a couple of chances to visit with Santa (at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.), keiki craft events and the annual Twilight Parade at 6 p.m. on Church Row. Wreaths will be on display from noon to 2 p.m. with judging to follow at 3 p.m. Information: 808-933-9772.

MARCH 21-29

SOUTHERN STYLE

Lovers of art in weird or wacky contexts (Burning Man and Biennale types) may wish to check out South Africa's Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees — KKNK, for short — the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival in Oodtshoorn, in the Eden district of the Western Cape of South Africa. This is a promising tourist area also known for its ostrich farms (the odd-looking bird is something of a symbol of the event). The 12-year-old week-long celebration, set for March 21-29 next year, is gaining an international reputation as a place to experience a wide range of new music, drama and dance from South Africa as well as Europe. The majority of productions are in Afrikaans, but there are some English-language options — and, of course, the language of music and dance is universal. Information: www.absakknk.co.za