festivals

March is the month for Melbourne magic. Find out why hundreds of thousands of people come to this trendy city during the southern autumn. We can offer five reasons: they have to do with food, fashion, Formula One, funny things — and fish!

A festival in Reno, Nevada, called Hot August Nights celebrates cars, trucks and 1950s rock 'n' roll. This year, on the festival's 25th anniversary, 800,000 visitors are expected to admire the classic cars and other vehicles as well as enjoy the free entertainment.

The Burren Slow Food Festival starts with a tasting of smoked salmon and beer from a local brewery. The fun continues with cookery demonstrations, talks and tastings by hotel chefs and food experts, and an all-day market run by farmers and artisans.

From Harrogate to Harvard, participants in this summer's writing festivals eat, sleep, drink and breathe books. In Dublin, Hay-on-Wye and Iowa City, authors and instructors cheer on the would-be writers, encouraging them word by word.

Travelogs May: Visit Hay-on-Wye

Archdeacon Gary Harch will be working in the Irish Club Hotel in Toowoomba on Easter Sunday. "I enjoy a drink or two, and so do a lot of people; and I think some people will enjoy the more informal-style mass." The church is coming to the pub.

Edinburgh may be the capital, but Glasgow has the capital. Well, that's what Glaswegians say. The fierce rivalry between the two cities is based on the contrast between Glasgow's working-class traditions and Edinburgh's ruling establishment.

The horses must jump when racing downhill and then have the energy to race uphill to the finish. That's why Cheltenham is special. In today's Queen Mother Champion Chase, Master Minded is going for a hat trick — something no horse has ever achieved.