NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
Frieze New York gathers the best of the world's leading galleries and enhances their collections with talks by leading artists, critics, curators and historians.
Visitors can browse and buy a curated selection of art publications and eat at pop-up stalls set up by the city's delis and restaurants.
They can also view the Frieze Projects, comprising artist commissions curated by Ms Cecilia Alemani, director of the city's High Line art programme, which this year will explore the possibilities of artistic intervention through sculptures and live impromptu performances.
When: May 5 to 8
Info: www.frieze.com/fairs/frieze-new-york
ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO
Once a year since 1998, the small, sleepy 18th-century fishing town of Essaouira, located on the country's Atlantic coast, comes alive as music lovers gather to enjoy the spiritual sounds of the Gnaoua.
They are an ethnic group with origins in Western and Central Africa who adopted Islam centuries ago through the course of trade with Northern Africa, mixing Islamic Sufism with pre-Islamic African traditions.
They are known as mystics and healers, and the Gnaoua World Music Festival celebrates the hypnotic rhythm of their trance-like music, which is predominantly performed with castanets, drums and the lute. The festival draws close to 500,000 people every year.
When: May 12 to 15
Info: www.festival-gnaoua.net/en/
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
The Wiener Festwochen started in 1951 to reclaim the Austrian capital as a city of culture in the aftermath of World War II.
Vienna has since re-established itself as a centre of classical music, art, architecture and theatre and, these days, the festival aims to supplement the city's regular cultural offerings by providing a more avant-garde programme.
The Festwochen favours risky, even scandalous art, aiming to open visitors' eyes to new ideas, cultures, modes of expression or perspectives through installations, theatre, concerts, debates and performance art.
When: May 13 to June 19
Info: www.festwochen.at/en
UCHISAR, CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY
The Cappadox festival of music, food, contemporary art and spirituality returns for its second year in Uchisar, a romantic town carved out of a rocky hill and the highest point in Cappadocia.
Last year's festival offered 24 concerts, 10 contemporary art performances and installations, 10 gastronomy events and 21 outdoor activities in three days, and this year's event promises much of the same.
There will also be guided nature walks, valley cycling tours, outdoor pranayama breathing meditation sessions, food tastings and jazz, classical, electronic and folk music concerts.
When: May 19 to 22
Info: www.cappadox.com/en
HAY-ON-WYE, WALES
Every year, the Institute of Art and Ideas organises a festival to foster discussion and intellectual progress in Hay-on-Wye.
The philosophical, cross-discipline event draws on psychology, economics, politics, medicine, ethics, literature, art, metaphysics and language to address issues.
This year, the theme is The Known, The Strange And The New and the dozens of talks have titles such as The Chemistry Of Desire, What Machines Can't Do, Emotion Vs Reason, The Strangeness Of Work and Conditions Of Creativity.
Attendees are by no means grey- haired, tweed-wearing academics pondering the meaning of life. This is a fun festival of ideas, where thinkers, artists, musicians, comedians, performers and DJs gather to participate in debates, exhibitions, film screenings, performances and dance parties.
When: May 26 to June 5
Info: howthelightgetsin.iai.tv
Lydia Vasko
