Events September 2009

Sept. 4-19
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe
PHILADELPHIA

With local and international groups performing dance, drama, puppetry, music and every other performing art under the sun, this festival features the cream of the cutting-edge crop. Philly Fringe, which runs in conjunction, has more than 200 artists performing self-produced shows in traditional and unlikely spaces around the city. www.livearts-fringe.org

Sept. 18-26
Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival
BOSTON

At Boston's largest outdoor festival, some of the genre's biggest names will be blowing their horns, like Grammy Award-winning saxophonists Branford Marsalis and David Sanborn. www.beantownjazz.org

Sept. 13 through Jan. 3
"Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea"
HOUSTON

This exhibit focuses on the vast amount of work from Vietnam's pre-colonial era, a time unfamiliar to many Westerners. None of the 100-plus works on view has been shown in the US before, and many have never left Vietnam. www.mfah.org

Sept. 16-20
YachtFest San Diego
SAN DIEGO

Live luxuriously - or at least pretend to - for a few days. This is a rare opportunity to gawk at the interiors of some of the world's grandest yachts. Much of the $100 million worth of boats, cars, aircraft and jewelry will be on sale - so the high life can be yours for the right price. www.yachtfest.com

Sept. 19-20
Autumn Moon Festival
SAN FRANCISCO

According to Chinese legend, the immortal Chang-e, who embodies the feminine principle of yin, lives on the moon with a woodcutter and a rabbit. Celebrate her story by watching dancers performing hourly lion dances, drummers playing traditional rhythms and costumed dragons parading down the street. www.moonfestival.org

Sept. 25-27
Castleberry Hill Loft Tour
ATLANTA

Get a look inside the spaces where artists live and work in this historic neighborhood. Starting with an art stroll on Friday evening, the tour explores lofts and galleries, all featuring the best in local contemporary art, while performance art and concerts take place throughout the area. www.castleberryhill.org/lofttour

Oct. 1-4
History of Speed
MILLVILLE, NJ (36 MILES FROM ATLANTIC CITY)

Vintage sports cars like the Ferrari Formula 2, Porsche 356 and the Jaguar E-Type will take turns around the track at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. Don't miss the Historic Grand Prix, with more than 50 authentic Formula One machines, originally driven by racing legends like Mario Andretti and Jackie Stewart. It's enough to get any classic car fan's heart racing. www.njmp.com

Sept. 26-27
Germantown Hunsrucker Oktoberfest
GERMANTOWN, WI (22 MILES FROM MILWAUKEE)

With its German heritage, nobody does beer, brats and lederhosen better than Wisconsin. Where else could you drink beer, watch a dachshund race and dance to traditional music by local group Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt? www.germantownhistoricalsociety.org

Oct. 2-5
Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair
CHICAGO

Find that Asian tea chest or Victorian barometer in the haystack at one of the premier antique shows in the Midwest. More than 100 national and international dealers of antiques and fine arts will be exhibiting everything from 20th-century designs and Americana to tribal and folk art. www.merchandisemartantiques.com

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

…at these top food and wine festivals.

At Disney's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (www.disneyworld.com) in ORLANDO, Sept. 25 to Nov. 8, taste cuisine prepared by renowned chefs while catching shows by Richard Marx and Kool & The Gang, among others. You can also attend book signings with chefs and authors and visit the welcome center to purchase a copy of the festival's collectable cookbook.

While they may not reveal their recipes, Wolfgang Puck and Nobu Matsuhisa will let you try their signature dishes at the 27th annual American Wine & Food Festival (www.awff.org), Oct. 2-4 in LOS ANGELES. When you're done with the main course, retire to The Lounge for cocktails, dessert and dancing.

Still more stars are coming out for the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival (www.nycwineandfood.festival.com), in NEW YORK CITY from Oct. 8-11. This benefit for hunger-relief organizations features cooking demonstrations from luminaries like Martha Stewart and Alton Brown, and interviews with celebrity chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay. You can even learn how to make Alicia Silverstone's favorite vegan dishes.