JULY

GATHERING OF TALL SHIPS

For a week in July, San Francisco will be home port to more than 15 tall ships and other vessels from around the world when the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association and its partner, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, present the Festival of Sail, transforming the city's piers into an international nautical attraction.The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the only active commissioned sailing vessel in the U.S. military service, will sail in from New London, Conn., for the event. Also planned: a parade of sail, dockside tours, concerts, fireworks, wine-tasting cruises, educational programs, bay cruises, family boat-building competitions, maritime-related exhibits and three themed "villages" complete with food, crafts, displays and nautical-themed activities along the waterfront from Aquatic Park to Pier 40. www.festivalofsail.org.

SEPT. 20-JAN. 11

ON (AND BELOW) THE SURFACE

If you're into "surfaces" — silky, nubby, patterned, plain and everything in between — the place to be in the fall will be Honolulu. The Bishop Museum will launch a new and ambitious textile exhibition, "'Ili Iho: The Surface Within," displaying rare treasures from the museum's collection and new work inspired by ancestral creations Sept. 20 to Jan. 11. The opening coincides with the 11th Biennial Textile Society of America Symposium, "Textiles as Cultural Expressions," Sept. 24-27, an international event with exhibitions and displays planned around the city — at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Shangri La, the University of Hawai'i, Mission Houses Museum, Queen Emma Summer Palace and other locations. 'Ili Iho: 847-3511; www.bishopmuseum.org. Textile symposium: www.textilesociety.org.

APRIL 5-20

AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL TRUST HERITAGE FESTIVAL

In Australia, April means the National Trust Heritage Festival, with more than 250 events planned in urban and country New South Wales, ranging from architectural discovery tours to art exhibitions, guided history walks to an online photography competition and a series of community fairs. The event, organized 28 years ago by the country's cultural preservation agency, is set for April 5-20 with the open-ended theme, "Our Place." Usually falling around the time of ANZAC Day (April 25, a national holiday), this year the event is a bit earlier due to Easter's early date. www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/events/festival.