On your marks, set -- go out!

Consider the weekends you lost in 2004 to activities that were merely necessary. Visiting in-laws. Studying for an exam. Painting the bathroom.

In 2005, you have 53 opportunities to do better; a quirk of the calendar gives the year one extra weekend.

To help, we’ve selected a promising activity for each and every weekend -- rooting for the Dodgers, tanning at Coachella or appraising King Tut’s stash at LACMA, for starters.

We had to choose between ballet and baseball. Even then there was no room for “Imelda” the musical. No slot for Barney’s warehouse sale. (OK, it starts Feb. 10.) Nor could we squeeze in the Huntington’s odd exhibit about orchid obsession.

But we did our best. Because a weekend is a terrible thing to waste.

Weekend 1: Jan. 1 and 2

If you got up before dawn to stake out your Rose Parade spot, well, good for you. Those of us who slept in will be paying $7 to see the flower-and-seed floats parked along Sierra Madre and Washington boulevards in Pasadena from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. tournamentofroses.com

Weekend 2: Jan. 8 and 9

The Palm Springs International Film Festival always lives up to its name. This year, 41 of the 50 films under consideration for the Oscar for best foreign-language film will be screened. Sure to be among the hot tickets are Oscar contenders such as “Kontroll” from Hungary and Japan’s “Nobody Knows,” neither of which has yet been released in L.A. The festival runs Jan. 6-17. psfilmfest.org

Weekend 3: Jan. 15 and 16

You never know when it might be your last chance to see Cher. It might be Jan. 16. The pop superstar’s “Farewell Tour 2005” has the added attraction of a road trip to Bakersfield’s Centennial Garden. chertickets.com

For a diva of a different stripe, opera superstar Renee Fleming -- who’s on her own North American tour -- sings in recital Jan. 15 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown L.A. los angelesopera.com

Weekend 4: Jan. 22 and 23

If you missed it in 2003 at South Coast Repertory, Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer-winning “Anna in the Tropics” comes to the Pasadena Playhouse Jan. 7-Feb. 13. Life begins to imitate art when the workers at a cigar-making plant in 1920s Florida start listening to a reading of “Anna Karenina.” scr.org

Weekend 5: Jan. 29 and 30

Get your Greene & Greene on during a one-day symposium at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, presented in conjunction with the exhibition “The Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, 1880-1920: Design for the Modern World.” 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jan 29. The exhibition ends April 3. lacma.org

Weekend 6: Feb. 5 and 6

It’s the 39th Super Bowl -- or XXXIX, if you buy into the NFL’s Roman numerics. So place your bet, make your Chex mix and hope that this year’s halftime show headliner, Paul McCartney, doesn’t have a “wardrobe malfunction.” Kickoff is 3 p.m. Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, Fla., on Fox television and CBS Radio. superbowl.com

Weekend 7: Feb. 12 and 13

Too early to start talking about album of the year candidates? Bright Eyes’ “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning,” to be released in January, is already picking up support. Conor Oberst and his band will make their case with concerts Feb. 12 and 13 at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre. laorpheum.com

Or, ring in 4703 at the New Year Festival in Chinatown, where the Golden Dragon Parade will be Feb. 12. Mark the year of the rooster with some Szechwan chicken at Yang Chow. chinatownla.com

Weekend 8: Feb. 19 and 20

You may not know Yeardley Smith’s face -- that’s surely part of her problem -- but there’s no doubt you know her voice. “MORE,” the one-woman show by Smith (Lisa on “The Simpsons”), explores how her insatiable hunger for fame was starved by self-doubt. After a monthlong run off-Broadway, Smith brings her show to the Falcon Theatre Feb. 18. (Previews start Feb. 9. Ends March 6.) falcontheatre.com

Weekend 9: Feb. 26 and 27

Get to a cineplex -- now. This is your last chance to judge the Oscar nominees, and thus win big in your office pool. The 77th annual Academy Awards begin at 5 p.m. Feb. 27 on ABC. If host Chris Rock can keep the show moving as fast as his patter, it might even be over before 9 p.m. But don’t count on it. oscars.org

Weekend 10: March 5 and 6

Limber up for the Los Angeles Marathon. The race starts at Figueroa and 6th streets at 8:30 a.m. March 6 and ends in front of the Central Library on Flower Street. The 26.2 miles in between will wend runners through Leimert Park, Little Ethiopia, Koreatown, Hancock Park and downtown. You’ve been training, right? Well ... there’s always the pre-race Acura Bike Tour leaving USC at 6 a.m. Or the Emerald Nuts 5K Run/Walk leaving Staples Center at 9:30 a.m. Or, maybe just cheering from the side of the road. lamarathon.com

Weekend 11: March 12 and 13

Sit up close to the stage, if you can, when the Keith Jarrett Trio plays Royce Hall on March 12. You might catch Jarrett, a virtuoso pianist and first-rate improviser, also singing a little improvisation to himself. He plays with his longtime trio partners, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette. uclalive.org

For something a little less -- shall we say? -- relaxing, catch comedy hellion Sandra Bernhard, whose U.S. tour settles in for a March residency at the Silent Movie Theatre. She’ll do scathing comedy and rock ‘n’ roll March 10-14, 17-20, 24-26. silentmovietheatre.com

Weekend 12: March 19 and 20

In 2004, October showers meant December flowers in the desert. What that will mean for the spring bloom -- which is highly sensitive to weather -- remains to be seen. The peak of the wildflower bloom at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in eastern San Diego County is typically mid-March. That’s the perfect time to hike some of its 110 miles of trails. www.anzaborrego.statepark.org

Weekend 13: March 26 and 27

No one moves size 12 1/2 shoes faster than Savion Glover. From his Broadway debut at age 12 in “The Tap Dance Kid” to his Tony-winning choreography for “Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk,” Glover has become to tap dancing what Michael Jordan was to basketball: someone who redefined the game. He brings his show “Improvography 2005” to the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on March 22-26. www.kodaktheatre.com

Weekend 14: April 2 and 3

March Madness reaches a fever pitch the first weekend in April, when the college basketball tournament field of 64 has been whittled down to the NCAA Final Four. St. Louis plays host, with the semifinals April 2 and the title game April 4 on CBS -- just in time for the major league baseball season to get underway. ncaasports.com

Weekend 15: April 9 and 10

Take in a preview of Matthew Bourne’s “Play Without Words” at the Ahmanson Theatre on April 8-10. Bourne, who gave us an all-gander “Swan Lake” and a 1960s take on “Carmen” called “The Car Man,” takes his company in a more narrative direction in “Play Without Words.” It’s based on the Joseph Losey movie “The Servant” about flirtations between a man, his girlfriend and his valet, and runs through May 29. taperahmanson.com

Or, completely switching gears: One of the jewels of American auto racing, the 31st Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, returns April 8-10 as turbo-powered Champ Cars race 180 mph down Shoreline Drive, and Paul Tracy goes for three wins in a row. longbeachgp.com

Weekend 16: April 16 and 17

The players may not look familiar, but those are our boys in blue out there in Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers first weekend home stand is April 15-17 against the San Diego Padres. (The Angels, the boys in red, open their home season against Texas on April 5.) dodgers.com or angelsbaseball.com

Interested in another type of diamond? The new Los Angeles International Antiques, Fine Art and Jewelry Show wraps up its second weekend at the Convention Center with dealers from New York, London, Paris and beyond exhibiting their wares. lpmevents.com

Weekend 17: April 23 and 24

Who says reading is dead? The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books drew 130,000 fans to the UCLA campus last year. Among the dozens of novelists luring readers to 2005’s 10th annual festival will be T.C. Boyle (“The Inner Circle”) and Sue Grafton (“R Is for Ricochet”) as well as nonfiction writers Thomas Frank (“What’s the Matter With Kansas?”) and Evan Wright (“Generation Kill”). www.latimes.com/fob

Weekend 18: April 30 and May 1

All rock roads lead to Indio, where the Empire Polo Field is the site of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Since its 1999 start it has grown into the premier rock gathering in the nation, if not the world. Last year, Radiohead and the Cure headlined. No acts have been confirmed yet for 2005, but check in early February for details. coachella.com

Weekend 19: May 7 and 8

We may live in the 21st century, but the hottest looks in interior design are so last century. The Los Angeles Modernism Show, May 6-8 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, is one-stop shopping for designs from the 1900s to the ‘70s. Most of the show focuses on midcentury modern pieces: Think sleek Noguchi coffee tables, Eames lounge chairs and Nelson Marshmallow sofas. lamodernism.com

Weekend 20: May 14 and 15

It’s “Chinatown,” Jake. And “Sunset Boulevard.” The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s “Soundstage LA” concerts feature music from iconic L.A. movies, including Jerry Goldsmith’s “Chinatown” score, Franz Waxman’s jazzy “Sunset Boulevard” music, Alan Silvestri’s retro “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” songs and David Raksin’s music for “The Bad and the Beautiful.” wdch.laphil.com

Weekend 21: May 21 and 22

Finally, the last sequel of the prequel trilogy. “Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith” is slated for release May 19. If you thought the Force was everywhere before, wait until you see how ubiquitous this movie will be. starwars.com

The same week, E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, touches down at the Convention Center. It’s an industry-only trade show May 17-20, but the cool-to-be-a-gamer events spill over into the entire city. e3expo.com

Weekend 22: May 28 and 29

You can surf or get sunburned any old day, but Memorial Day weekend is the official start of the beachgoing season. Pack up a cooler and join the craziness as millions hit the sand, go boating or clog up the bike path (remember, look both ways before crossing!). beaches.co.la.ca.us and www.ocparks.com

Or for something a little more highbrow, baritone Bryn Terfel, who made London swoon with his Don Giovanni and knocked ‘em dead in Chicago as Sweeney Todd, makes his Los Angeles Opera stage debut in the title role of Verdi’s “Falstaff” on May 28. Ends June 15. losangelesopera.com

Weekend 23: June 4 and 5

Hard to say exactly what you’ll see during “Split Sides,” the fluid creation from dance legend Merce Cunningham. Each night, the lights, costumes and sets are determined by a roll of the dice. But here’s what you’ll hear: rock bands Radiohead and Sigur Ros, who joined forces to create music for the show. It gets its West Coast premiere June 2-5. musiccenter.org

Weekend 24: June 11 and 12

The days are long and the music festivals plenty. At the Hollywood Bowl, the Playboy Jazz Festival moves its date up to June 11-12 to avoid Father’s Day. Featured artists include George Benson, Boney James and Gilberto Santa Rosa. (Pops and classical concerts at the Bowl start June 24.) hollywoodbowl.com

Up at the Libbey Bowl, composer Oliver Knussen has taken the helm as music director of this year’s Ojai Music Festival. The four-day event, June 9-12, will feature the Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Franz Welser-Most. ojaifestival.org

Weekend 25: June 18 and 19

Since the IFP folks took over in 2001, the Los Angeles Film Festival has earned a reputation as a filmmaker-driven event. It’s also great for audiences, who have the opportunity -- in some cases, the only opportunity -- to see a wide variety of terrific independent and foreign films. Among 2004’s screenings: “Garden State,” “Before Sunset” and “Maria Full of Grace.” Runs June 16-26. lafilmfest.com

Weekend 26: June 25 and 26

The tale in the play “I Am My Own Wife” is one that’s so odd it has to be true. Jefferson Mays stars as Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, an East German transvestite who outlasts the Nazis and the Communists. Doug Wright’s drama won a Tony and Pulitzer in 2004, and Mays picked up a Tony for best actor. Previews start June 14 for a June 22-July 10 run at the Wadsworth Theatre, presented by the Geffen. geffenplayhouse.com

The Eclectic Orange Festival culminates with the West Coast premiere of Philip Glass’ multi-culti, evening-long piece “Orion,” performed by an orchestra of world music stars. It’s June 24 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. (Festival begins Jan. 1.) eclecticorange.org

Weekend 27: July 2 and 3

Not only will fireworks be going off in honor of the Fourth of July, but the real ear-blasting will be at the Vans Warped Tour. The merchandising-saturated conflagration of high-energy punk, metal and emo bands will feature the Transplants, My Chemical Romance, Thrice and Fall Out Boy. Tentative dates are July 3 and 6, at a location to be announced. warpedtour.com

Weekend 28: July 9 and 10

In a city where film festivals are multiplying like cable channels, the 23-year-old Outfest is the granddaddy of them all. Or maybe the fabulous gay uncle. Rare is a screening that isn’t packed, even for shorts and foreign films, at venues across L.A. July 7-18. outfest.org

Weekend 29: July 16 and 17

It will be weird, and it will star Johnny Depp. What else would you expect from Tim Burton’s remake of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”? Freddie Highmore, who stars with Depp in “Finding Neverland,” plays Charlie to Depp’s Willie Wonka. In theaters July 15. chocolatefactorymovie.com

Weekend 30: July 23 and 24

Die young, leave a beautiful corpse. Die a young pharaoh, leave a beautiful treasure. For the first time in 25 years, artifacts from the tomb of King Tut will tour the U.S., starting at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” contains 50 objects, including his crown, from Tut’s tomb, and 80 more items from the Valley of the Kings. June 16-Nov. 15, but book early: Tickets go on sale to the general public in March. kingtut.org

Weekend 31: July 30 and 31

The Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts first took place in 1932, capitalizing on spillover tourism from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Among the festival hits: living pictures. This year, the “Pageant of the Masters” theme is “On the Road.” July 7-Sept. 1. foapom.com (While you’re in Laguna, check out “Surf Culture” at the Laguna Art Museum -- a salon-style reprise of the popular 2002 exhibition. It runs July 3-Oct. 2. lagunaartmuseum.org)

Weekend 32: Aug. 6 and 7

David Rambo’s “The Lady With All the Answers” gets its world premiere at the Old Globe in San Diego. Drawn from the life and letters of advice columnist Ann Landers, the play is as much about the nation that asked the questions as the woman whose answers shaped American mores. Previews start Aug. 3 in the Cassius Carter Centre Stage. Ends Sept. 11. oldglobe.org

Weekend 33: Aug. 13 and 14

Avast, matey. If you don’t know a brigantine from a bark, here’s your chance to learn, as a fleet of tall ships from the last 100-plus years pulls into the Port of Los Angeles for the Festival of Sail. Traditionally rigged vessels foreign and domestic will be open for free tours and perhaps will engage a mock cannon battle or two Aug. 11-14. lamitopsail.org

Weekend 34: Aug. 20 and 21

Marking its 20th year, the Los Angeles African Marketplace & Cultural Faire in Exposition Park celebrates all things African. You can groove to the sounds of jazz, blues, reggae, gospel and Afrobeat. Or sample gumbo, falafel, fou-fou and barbecue. Or check out the arts and crafts. It all starts Aug. 20-21 and runs weekends through Labor Day. africanmarketplace.org

Weekend 35: Aug. 27 and 28

The Sunset Junction Street Fair is an odd hybrid -- part punk and indie-rock music festival, part kiddie rides and part neighborhood marketplace. But it’s where Silver Lake’s yuppies, leather men and hipsters come out to play. Three stages are booked day and night with local bands. (Last year, that included the Donnas and X.) sunsetjunction.org

Weekend 36: Sept. 3 and 4

NASCAR champion Kurt Busch, four-time champ Jeff Gordon and poster boy Dale Earnhardt Jr. are among those trying to unseat defending race winner Elliott Sadler as they position themselves for the 10-race chase for the Nextel Cup in Southern California’s biggest night race, at California Speedway on Sept. 4. californiaspeedway.com

Weekend 37: Sept. 10 and 11

Planning, people. It’s all about planning. If you haven’t bought your season tickets by now, get on it.

This weekend marks the opening of Los Angeles Opera’s 20th anniversary season and the 2005-06 season at the renovated Geffen Playhouse, which is adding a 120-seat theater in addition to its face-lift. Michael Ritchie, the new artistic director of the Centre Theater Group, will have his first shows hitting the stage at the Ahmanson and Taper. UCLA Live will come back in session in October, and the next thing you know the L.A. Phil will be returning to Disney Hall, and you won’t be able to get a ticket.

Weekend 38: Sept. 17 and 18

Always dreamed of being on the red carpet at the Academy Awards? If you don’t mind waiting until 2006, you can get in the running for the 78th annual Academy Awards by entering your name in the random online drawing for a red carpet bleacher seat. Entries and drawing are done via the website in mid-September. oscars.org

Weekend 39: Sept. 24 and 25

A new reason to brave the Santa Ana Freeway: to check out the made-over Citadel Outlet Mall, which in 2005 is nearly doubling in size and adding Puma, Nautica, Guess and Anne Klein stores. citadeloutlets.com

Weekend 40: Oct. 1 and 2

Maybe you’ve heard that downtown -- seriously, downtown L.A. -- is undergoing something of a renaissance. See for yourself. A great introduction is the L.A. Conservancy’s walking tours. Every Saturday, volunteers lead groups through the movie palaces on Broadway, the old banking district or past the Art Deco gems of the historic core. www.laconservancy.org

Weekend 41: Oct. 8 and 9

EdgeFest took it easy in 2004 with only two shows, but it was only resting up. The Edge of the World Theater Festival hopes to grow from a showcase for the best in L.A. theater to a showcase that brings world theater to L.A. Oct. 6-23, see if the plan worked. edgeoftheworld.org

Weekend 42: Oct. 15 and 16

Robert Frost used apple picking as a poetic metaphor for life and death. Those of us with more literal minds tend to think of it as a fun fall activity. Either way, the town of Oak Glen -- an hour and a half’s drive east of L.A. -- is ripe for the picking in mid-October, when apple season is in full swing. The Los Rios Rancho and Riley’s Log Cabin Farm both let you pluck your own. oakglen.net

Weekend 43: Oct. 22 and 23

It’s fitting that a city with such big Craftsman houses would have the largest Craftsman celebration in the western United States. Pasadena Heritage’s annual Craftsman Weekend, Oct. 21-23, offers lectures, walking and house tours, furniture and decor exhibitions, lectures and special evening events at historic sites. pasadenaheritage.org

Weekend 44: Oct. 29 and 30

The Halloween dance music festival Monster Massive had one of its biggest years in 2004, when DJs Paul Van Dyk and Roger Sanchez drew about 15,000 to the Sports Arena. The people-watching -- with revelers dressed as angels, athletes, police, lingerie models, etc. -- is second only to the dancing to techno, house, drum & bass and more. monstermassive.com

Weekend 45: Nov. 5 and 6

Combining the glitz of Hollywood with a global beat, AFI Fest is often a sneak peek at the year’s Academy Awards contenders. In 2004, L.A. audiences had their first chance to see “Beyond the Sea,” “Bad Education,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Woodsman” and “The Sea Inside.” Nov. 3-13. afi.com/onscreen/AFIFEST

Weekend 46: Nov. 12 and 13

Surrealism, modernism, abstraction -- so many themes in 20th century art course through the work of Lee Mullican. The late painter, who worked in L.A. and taught at UCLA for 30 years, gets his first major retrospective at LACMA. The show, tentatively titled “Lee Mullican: An Abundant Harvest of Sun,” will run Nov. 13 to March 19, 2006. lacma.org

Weekend 47: Nov. 19 and 20

Decades before people were e-mailing the FCC about risque TV, the medium pushing America’s cultural buttons was comics. “Masters of 20th Century American Comics,” a joint exhibition from the Hammer Museum and MOCA, looks at 15 of the most influential artists, from Charles M. Schulz to R. Crumb. The two museums will show more than 500 original drawings, progressive proofs and vintage-printed Sunday comics pages -- pre-1950 at the Hammer, post-1950 at MOCA. Nov. 20 to March 12, 2006. www.moca-la.org or www.hammer.ucla.edu

Weekend 48: Nov. 26 and 27

The must-see movie of Thanksgiving 2005? Our money’s on “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” set to be released the previous week. Alfonso Cuaron has handed off the director’s baton to Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Mona Lisa Smile”), perhaps appropriate as Harry meets his first love. Oh, and as Harry competes in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament and frets about the return of the evil Voldemort. warnerbros.com

Weekend 49: Dec. 3 and 4

This is why Southern California is fabulous: On Dec. 3, the average temperature is 60 degrees, just about perfect for football. And that’s when the USC-UCLA football game will be at the Coliseum. lacoliseum.com

Weekend 50: Dec. 10 and 11

This is also why Southern California is fabulous: On Dec. 10 the average temperature will still be about 60 degrees, perfect to go skate at the Downtown on Ice rink in Pershing Square without so much as a wool sweater. Skate season is mid-November to mid-January. laparks.org/pershingsquare/pershing.htm

Weekend 51: Dec. 17 and 18

Peter Jackson did Middle-Earth up right with his three “Lord of the Rings” films. So let’s give him the benefit of the doubt that we need another remake of “King Kong.” We can all judge for ourselves, most likely on Dec. 16. universalpictures.com

Weekend 52: Dec. 24 and 25

Fall 2005. That’s all the Getty will say about plans to reopen the Getty Villa in Malibu. So we figure it’ll be open after Dec. 21, the first day of winter, and will make a nice holiday outing. The former home of the Getty art collection will reemerge as a museum and scholarly center dedicated to the art and culture of Greece, Italy and Etruria. getty.edu/museum/home.html

Weekend 53:

Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2006

It’s nearly impossible to consider ringing in 2006 when you haven’t even experienced the first hangover of 2005. But Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Walt Disney Concert Hall? That’s a New Year’s gig worth toasting. wdch.com

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Contributors

Robin Rauzi, Scott Sandell, Kevin Bronson, Alice Short, Martin Henderson, Mark Swed, Lewis Segal, Richard Cromelin, Kevin Crust, Rene Lynch, Don Shirley and Don Heckman.