Event-o-Rama: 10 Must-Dos in November

There are some amazing events on tap all over the world, all the time. Here’s a taste of what you can see and do in November:

• Do your ears — and stomach — a favor and go whole hog at the Music to Your Mouth Festival (November 19-24) near Hilton Head, South Carolina. Experience a traditional Lowcountry “Kiss the Pig” oyster roast, snag cooking tips from top chefs, and sample world-class wines, spirits, craft beers, and locally roasted coffee — all while grooving to great blues, jazz, and Southern music with a primo view of the May River.
• If you go ape for primates, head to Lopburi, Thailand for the Monkey Buffet Festival (November 25), to see thousands of long-tailed macaques feast on tons — literally tons — of fruits, candies, and other vegetarian fare that have been laid out at a crumbling Khmer temple in their honor. There are plenty of activities for bipedal primates as well, including music and dance, but the monkeys provide more than enough entertainment.
• Pay homage to an important milestone in American history in the “most famous small town in America” at Dedication Day (November 19) — otherwise known as the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Honor the contribution the U.S. Colored Troops made to the union victory at a graveside salute in Soldiers’ National Cemetery, where Lincoln delivered his immortal speech.
• Are you a chocoholic? Now’s a good time to take a pilgrimage to one of Italy’s premier foodie cities, Turin, for their annual Cioccolato (November 22-December 1), a festival devoted to anything and everything chocolate. Make sure to try bicerin (“small glass” in Piedmontese), a chocolate-laden espresso concoction native to Turin, while you’re there.
• Join the living and commune with the dead during the Dia de los Muertos (November 2) festivities in Pátzcuaro, Mexico. While the Day of the Dead is celebrated all over the world, concerts, altar exhibitions, and theatrical shows make this city’s extensive celebration of the dearly departed one of a kind.
• Get your giggle on with some of the biggest names in comedy at the 10th annual New York Comedy Festival (November 6-10). The five-day laugh riot will infuse New York City‘s most prestigious venues with a dose of humor from the likes of Charlie Murphy, Wanda Sykes, Whitney Cummings, and more.
• Celebrate the end of Cambodia’s rainy season and the remarkable reversal of the Tonlé Sap River at the annual Bon Om Touk Festival (November 16-18) in Phnom Penh. The tradition dates back to the 12th century, and includes three days and nights of longboat races, music, dancing, and fireworks.
• Want to immerse yourself in world-class surf culture in a world-class destination? Head to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii to hang loose at the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing (November 12-December 20) and see the best surfers in the world shred it on humongo waves.
• Have a passion for cars? See the history of automobiles — past, present, and future — parade down one of London‘s most famous streets at the Regent Street Motor Show (November 2) at this free-to-see event. More than 300 cars will be on display, representing 125 years of motoring from the earliest 19th-century models to the “super cars” of tomorrow.
• Ready to be wowed? Journey to Delhi, India, to celebrate Diwali (November 3), the Hindu festival of lights. In addition to celebrating the return of Rama and the triumph of good over evil, revelers can attend small carnivals called melas all around the city and take in awe-inspiring fireworks displays at this ancient festival with deeply spiritual roots.

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