EVENTS: JANUARY
A loving squeeze for Florida citrus
The theme of the Florida Citrus Festival, Jan. 16 to 26 in Winter Haven, is “Embracing Our Heritage.” The fair pays tribute to citrus, the state’s cash crop, with displays, exhibits, citrus cooking competitions and a Miss Florida Citrus contest. Also planned: karaoke contests, aerial artists, clowns and magicians.
Contact the Florida Citrus Festival, P.O. Box 30, Winter Haven, FL 33882; (863) 292-9810, www.citrusfestival.com.
NEVADA
Poetry, the cowboy way
The 19th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, will focus on man’s relationship with horses. Western enthusiasts will gather to hear top cowboy poets and musicians and the winner of the Australian bush poetry contest. Workshop topics include poetry writing, Basque cooking, floral leather carving and photography.
Contact the Western Folklife Center, 501 Railroad St., Elko, NV 89801; (888) 880-5885, www.westernfolklife.org.
PENNSYLVANIA
Mummers the word in Philly
More than 15,000 people will march in Philadelphia on Jan. 1 at the wacky Mummers Parade, where the only rules are no live animals, no ads and no throwing water on the crowd. The participants will compete for prizes in four categories: comics, fancies, string bands and fancy brigades (such as the Downtowners and the Strutters, who perform at the Convention Center). Philadelphia’s first Mummers Parade was in 1901, but the tradition of masks and satire dates to the Roman feast of Saturnalia.
Contact the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., 123 S. Broad St., Suite 2180, Philadelphia, PA 19109; (888) 467-4452, www.mummers.com.
BAHAMAS
Whistles and bells in Nassau
Bahamians will start the New Year with Junkanoo, a street celebration in Nassau and on the islands of Freeport and Eleuthera. The parade will begin at 2 a.m. Jan. 1, when hundreds of crepe-paper-costumed dancers, singers and musicians start marching to goatskin drums, whistles and cowbells. The colorful event began during slave times, when slaves were given three days off for the holidays. Some reserved bleacher seating is available.
Contact Bahamas Tourist Center, 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1204, Los Angeles, CA 90010; (800) 439-6993, www.bahamas.com.
NEW ZEALAND
In Christchurch, stars of the street
The 10th annual World Buskers Festival, Jan. 15 to 26 in Christchurch, will bring in street performers -- mimes, acrobats, jugglers and more -- from all over the globe, including a duo from the Venice boardwalk, the Blackstreet Boys. The festival, the largest in Australasia, draws more than 100,000 spectators.
Contact Tourism New Zealand, 501Santa Monica Blvd., No. 300, Santa Monica 90401; (866) 639-9325, www.purenz.com.
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