The circus troop Flash at the Montreal High Lights Festival, a celebration of arts, debauchery, and silliness.
Destinations
Savannah Music Festival
SAVANNAH, Ga. March 20-April 5
It's a little bit country, a little bit bluegrass, a little bit classical, a little bit . . . you get the idea. The wide-ranging Savannah Music Festival pulls disparate genres into a tidy package with big-name artists such as Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, and the Blind Boys of Alabama headlining the festivities. Event tickets are sold individually, and a full schedule can be found on the festival website.
savannahmusicfestival.org, 912-525-5050, 912-234-3378.
Caprices Festival
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland March 26-30
This posh ski resort's annual music gathering continues to gain momentum in its fifth year, pulling in names such as Wyclef Jean, Nouvelle Vague, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, and Laurent Garnier. The Alpine event hosts artists on three stages around the slopes and features acts from scratch DJ Kid Koala to reggae legends Toots and the Maytals. Passes start at $142. Packages including resort accommodations and festival tickets start at $632.
capricesfestival.ch, 011-41-27-485-2174.
Noise Pop
SAN FRANCISCO Feb. 26-March 2
It may be more pop than noise, but despite the misnomer, this year's edition boasts some of indie pop's most impressive names. Among the performances set for some favorite San Francisco venues, a show with the Magnetic Fields is already sold out; the only way to gain entrance is to buy a festival badge ($175). Other acts include the Mountain Goats, Tilly and the Wall, Fu Manchu, and British Sea Power. Tickets for individual shows $10 to $18.
Eat, Drink, Be Literary
BROOKLYN March 13
This Brooklyn Academy of Music series features a combination of live music, food, and authors such as George Saunders, Deborah Eisenberg, Peter Carey, and Charles Simic. But the highlight of the series is a mid-March reading from erudite New York writer Fran Lebowitz, author of "Metropolitan Life" and "Social Studies." The events start with dinner at 6:30, select wines, and live music. After the plates are cleared, Lebowitz will take questions from the audience, and read from and sign copies of her book. Tickets are $48.
Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, bam.org.
Montreal High Lights Festival
MONTREAL Feb. 19-March 2
At the end of February, spending time in Quebec can be about as much fun as sitting in a bathtub full of ice cubes. To help entice tourists and pull residents out of hibernation, Montreal throws a big party that includes dining, theater, concerts, nightclub events, and a fun run through the crazy maze of underground malls. The High Lights Festival is a bit of a sprawling free-for-all, but some of the highlights (pun intended, thank you), include concerts from Francophonie Jane Birkin and horn player Chris Botti, flamenco dancing, and something called "Houdini, the Musical." The festival also includes the Montreal All-Nighter, an entire night devoted to arts, debauchery, and silliness. It includes the North American premiere of Silent Disco!, an event where revelers put on wireless headphones to listen to DJs spinning into the wee hours without disturbing a soul. It's a big, quiet dance party. Naturally, all that activity is bound to leave revelers hungry. So the All-Nighter ends with a giant omelet, made from 10,000 eggs. Tickets to individual events are sold separately; many events are free.
montrealenlumiere.com, 888-477-9955.
Events are sometimes canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call or check online to confirm. Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
