Horses and their jockeys round the final lap at the Palio di Siena. (Photograph by Andrea Guarneri, My Shot)

Event-o-Rama: 12 Must-Dos in July

July 02, 2012
3 min read

There are some amazing events on tap all over the world this summer. Here’s just a taste of what you can do and see in July:

  • Kick it old school. Don’t miss Wimbledon (June 25-July 8), the oldest (and arguably the most prestigious) tennis tournament in the world, held at the All England Tennis Club since 1877.
  • Get a Taste of Chicago (July 11-15). In addition to celeb chefs, wine gardens, and live cooking demos, 70 of the best local restaurants will be setting up shop in Grant Park. This is Chicago’s biggest event!
  • Witness a spectacle that dates back to the 1600s. Attend the Palio di Siena (July 2) and see jockeys riding bareback around the Piazza del Campo. This isn’t your average horse race. Trust us.
  • Jazz it up. Check out the Montreal Jazz Festival (June 28-July 7), the Montreux International Jazz Festival in Switzerland (June 29-July 14) or the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam (July 6-9).
  • If you love music, but jazz isn’t your thing, try Copenhagen’s Roskilde Festival (July 5-8), Tokyo’s Fuji Rock Festival (July 27-29), Scotland’s T in the Park  or hit the beach for Croatia’s Soundwave Festival (July 19-23).
  • Get messy at the Boryeong Mud Festival (July 14-24) in South Korea. Wrestle and slide in the mud, get a mud massage — go nuts. You might even be crowned “mud king.”
  • Give back. Admire (and buy) distinctive art that expresses the world’s diverse cultures at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Festival (July 13-15). More than 150 artists will take their earnings back to their home countries.
  • Get ready for your close up — in Tanzania. Check out the Zanzibar International Film Festival (July 7-15), East Africa’s largest film and arts festival.
  • Watch 2011 winner Cadel Evans defend his title in the 99th Tour de France (June 30-July 22), which kicked off last week in the Belgian city of Liège and ends on the Champs-Élysées.
  • Culture yourself. Soak up literature, comedy, street art, theatre, music, and more at the Galway Arts Festival (July 16-29), or get “lit” at the FLIP festival in São Paulo, Brazil (July 4-8).
  • Sail away (on a boat made of beer cans). You won’t want to miss the Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta (July 15) in Australia’s Northern Territory. Don’t worry about having too much fun — most of the proceeds go to charity.
  • Get out your flag and wave it. Watch the world’s best athletes go for the gold at the summer Olympics in London, England later this month (July 27-August 12).

What would you add to the list? Let us know what we’re missing by leaving a comment.

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