A guide to events worth planning a trip around. Events are listed by location first, and then date.

IN THE ISLANDS

HAWAI'I ISLAND

Kona, Aug. 6-10, 48th Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament. Teams from around the world compete to catch the biggest fish — and to enjoy food, drink and fish stories. www.hibtfishing.com; (808) 329-6155.

KAUA'I

Po'ipu, March, 2008, Prince Kuhio Festival. The Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Resort and Spa hosts a cultural festival in honor of Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole with ceremonies and pageantry, hula, entertainment, concluding lu'au. www.kauaifestivals.com; (808) 240-6369.

NORTH AMERICA

CALIFORNIA

Monterey, Sept. 21-23 Monterey Jazz Festival. The Monterey Fairgrounds, site of the first festival 50 years ago, will again host the event. Tickets go on sale March 30. 2008 dates: Sept. 19-21. wwwmontereyjazzfestival.org.

FLORIDA

Key West, Oct. 19-28, Fantasy Fest. Themed "Gnomes, Toads and White Rabbit Tea Parties," this campy multiday, multi-event metrosexual celebration includes a costume parade sponsored by Captain Morgan rum, a headdress ball, a street fair, a pet masquerade (featuring cross-dressing animals and their look-alike owners), a fancy dress party, a toga party and more. www.fantasyfest.net.

CANADA

Toronto, Ontario, Aug. 17-Sept. 3, Canadian National Exhibition. Affectionately known as TheEx, this annual, family-friendly event is part carnival, part expo, part circus bringing together an aerial acrobatics and ice-skating show, performances by "The Human Cannonball," military displays, an air show, a daily parade and a dog show. (416) 393-6300; www.thex.com.

ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

CHINA

Various cities, Sept. 10-30, FIFA Women's World Cup 2007. Sixteen of the world's best women's soccer clubs compete for the world title. www.fifa.com.

NEW ZEALAND

Christchurch, Nov. 11-18, New Zealand Cup Week. This week of activities kicks off the New Zealand horseracing season, but horseracing isn't the only attraction; the rather unusual lineup includes fashion shows, an agricultural fair, food events and more. www.nzcupandshow.co.nz.

EUROPE

GREAT BRITAIN

Wimbledon, England, June 25-July 8, Wimbledon Tennis Fortnight. The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club hosts the queen of tennis tournaments in Wimbledon, 20 minutes outside London. www.wimbledon.org.

ITALY

Venice, Today-Nov. 21, The Venice Biennale. Extending from early summer into fall in odd years, the Biennale celebrates contemporary arts — the visual arts, dance, theater, film and music, with hundreds of events and performances. www.labiennale.org.

JUNE 22-23

KAMEHAMEHA HULA COMP

Sponsored by the State Council on Hawaiian Heritage, the King Kamehameha Hula Competition is perhaps the most varied and democratic of the annual hula pageants, with competitors from around the world; both traditional and contemporary styles and male-, female- and mixed-group categories; as well as chanting and a division for "kupuna wahine" (women of a certain age). The 34th annual competition will be at 6 p.m. June 22 and 23 at the Blaisdell Arena. Tickets ($8.50-$12, plus fees): 591-2211. Information about the festival is at www.hulacomp.com.

AUG. 2-5

SATCHMO SUMMERFEST

Honoring one of the Big Easy's favorite sons, Louis Armstrong, the Satchmo Summerfest is held each summer around the time of Armstrong's birthday, at the Louisiana State Museum: Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans. This year, the Aug. 2-5 festival will feature four stages: traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, brass band and children's, plus Red Bean Alley (food stations), a New Orleans-style Second Line Parade and — in a contrast that characterizes New Orleans' rich cultural mix — both a nightclub crawl and a jazz Mass at the St. Augustine Cathedral in Jackson Square. Information at French Quarter Festivals: fqfi.org.

AUG. 5

BOOK FAIR

In the Netherlands medieval city of Deventer, where the first book ever was printed (in 1477, by Richard Pafraet), the Deventer Book Fair celebrates all things literary with an annual book market with 850 stalls along the River Ijssel, books in a dozen language and dealers in rare and collectible books from all over Europe and the U.S. There's street entertainment, too. The date this year is Aug. 5; it's free (unless, of course, you go crazy and buy a bunch of books). www.vvvdeventer.nl/engels.