February

Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival

Feb 17-19. South Korea. www.buriburi.go.kr
Not only a favorite resort island for Koreans, Jeju is also a great place to enjoy age-old folk traditions. Every year, almost 350,000 people participate in a fire ceremony to pray for good health and a good harvest in the coming spring. There are also a number of hands-on events tourists can easily participate in throughout the three-day festival, the highlight being the setting on fire of the old grass on the hill, which everyone does together, in order to banish harmful insects and bad luck and to prepare the land for the coming cultivating season.

39th Hong Kong Arts Festival

Feb 17-Mar 27. Hong Kong. Various prices. www.hk.artsfestival.org
39 days, 15 venues and more than 200 performances covering music, dance and theatre make the 39th edition of the Hong Kong Arts Festival even larger than previous years. The 2011 line-up is headlined by Tristan und Isolde performed by the Leipzig Opera from Germany, The Halle Orchestra from Britain, Hiroko Kouda and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Carnations by Tanztheater Wuppertal from Germany, The Golden Lotus by Beijing Dance Theater, the Threepenny Opera by Berliner Ensembler and An Ordinary Man by Poon Chan-leung.

Hadaka Matsuri at Saidai-Ji Temple, Okayama

Feb 18. Japan. http://tiny.cc/fcxyx
Hadaka means naked, so you know what to expect from this festival. Nearly ten thousand Japanese men roam the streets in their traditional fundoshi underwear in search of the one fully naked man hidden among them. The one to find and touch the naked man will have good luck throughout the year. After a winner is declared, the mass moves to the Saidai-Ji Temple, where monks have a blessing for good luck at midnight. Sound fun enough for you?

Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras

Feb 19-Mar 6. Australia. www.mardigras.org.au
When the Asia Pacific gay headquarters organizes a festival, you can rest assured it won’t be small. The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is the region’s largest and most famous LBGT festival. The 11th edition of two-week long event is packed with a line-up of highlights like parties on the beach and at poolsides, art events, stage shows, a film festival organized by Queerscreen, a sports festival and, on Mar 5, a grand parade involving thousands of LBGT and non-LGBT citizens dressed up in some outrageous costumes.

Cricket World Cup

Feb 19-Apr 2. India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. www.www.cricketworldcup2011.co.in
The thwack of leather willow can only mean one thing, cricket. Held every four years it doesn’t get any bigger than this, especially as the tournament is being held in the cricket’s spiritual home, where fanatical crowds should be as much of a spectacle as what takes place out on the crease. Fourteen teams will compete in a series of one day matches over two months and across three countries for the right to be crowned champions.

MARCH

The Lion King

Debuts Mar 3. Singapore. S$65-240.
www.marinabaysands.com/entertainment
The Marina Bay Sands sees the Southeast Asian debut of the world-famous musical stage show The Lion King. Based on Disney’s 1994 animated movie about the story of an African lion with music by Elton John and Tim Rice, the Southeast Asian version will be staged with a new cast selected from around the world and promising the same levels of performance and amazing sets you might have seen on Broadway or the West End.

Mosaic Music Festival

Mar 11-20. Singapore. Various prices. www.mosiacmusicfestival.com
Started in 2005, this is one of Singapore’s largest music festivals and one not to miss for world music and jazz lovers. The ten-day line-up covers everything from folk and R&B to hip hop and electronic rock. Judging from previous years, nearly 100,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to enjoy the extensive list of artists headlined by Angelique Kidjo, Jamie Lidell, Michel Camilio Trio, The Manhattan Transfer, Joanna Newson, Charlie Hadan & Quartet West, Thailand’s T-Bone and Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist Common. Best of all, most of the shows are free.

Japan Fashion Week

Mar 18-25. Japan. www.jfw.jp/en
For its twelfth year, the fashion week of Asia’s hippest dressers features creations by 30 Japanese fashion entrepreneurs. Highlights include araisara, fur fur, Theatre Products, Yuki Torii and Somarta, famous for the extravagant bodysuits they created for Lady Gaga. And Japanese fashion is not all harajuku, so don’t expect every show to be full of avant-garde designs and manga. Pre-registration is required.

Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Mar 20-Apr 5. Various prices. www.hkiff.org.hk
One of Asia’s oldest film festivals is now fighting back against the influx of Korean films with an array of flicks ranging from indie films to multi-million productions. While details have not yet been confirmed, we’re expecting the world premiere of Quattro Hong Kong 2, an omnibus project featuring short films by four award-winning directors: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Brillante Mendoza, Ho Yuhang and Stanley Kwan.

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens

Mar 25-27. Hong Kong. HK$1,250 for a three-day pass. www.hksevens.com
No matter who you’re supporting—All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies, Lions, or Dragons—this is one of the world’s premier rugby events and a great warm up for the World Cup in New Zealand in Sep. The tickets for the seats Hong Kong stadium run out fast so make sure to grab the early-bird promotion that ends Jan 31.

April

Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix

Apr 8-10. Malaysia. RM500-1,600.
www.malaysiangp.com.my
Started in 1999, the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit has long been recognized as Southeast Asia’s first F1 racing event with international standards. Be an early bird and reserve seats to see international racers from world-famous teams, including Ferrari, Renault, and Mercedes, racing over 5.543 km with 15 turns and eight straights in front of 130,000 spectators.

Taipei Flora Expo

Through Apr 25. Taiwan. One-day NT$150-300, three-day NT$600, unlimited entry NT$2,500. www.2010taipeiexpo.tw
Last chance to walk through an array of 25 million flowers and plants in every color, covering an area of more than 90 hectares in the city center. Highlights are the diagram garden from The Netherlands, a zen garden from Japan and a Buddhist garden from Thailand as well as eco-gardens and cultural events.