By Elizabeth Fazzare
Summer is quickly approaching, and the seasonal events that highlight the warm-weather months are already underway. We’ve called out a handful of festivals, art shows, culinary happenings, and sport and musical engagements to build your summer plans around. Make sure you peruse the pages of our special Summer Travel Issue, out now, for some summer wardrobe staples for these destinations and more.
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MALTA BIENNALE
Malta presents its first art biennial, featuring 72 local and international artists, including Tania Bruguera, Guadalupe Maravilla, and Cecilia Vicuña. The work on view focuses on themes that apply to the Mediterranean region at large—such as decolonization, piracy, and women’s rights—and is hosted across several historic sites that dot the archipelago. Through May 31 -
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
The Cannes Film Festival, now in its 77th year, is one of the most glamorous, celebrity-filled events of the spring, and anchors the cinematic world’s cultural calendar. Its global selection includes future blockbusters, experimental art-house films, and soon-to-be cult classics—which is likely to include one of this year’s most buzzed about films, Francis Ford Coppola’s 30-years-in-the-making Megalopolis. May 14–25 -
HEALDSBURG WINE & FOOD EXPERIENCE
One couldn’t conjure up a more idyllic setting for a wine and food festival than the charming wine country town of Healdsburg, California. Designed with the intention of connecting visitors with the makers behind this region’s most prized provisions, you can attend more than 20 events and seminars led by celebrated chefs, winemakers, and other leading culinary personalities. Be sure to visit the Hawaiian Islands’ Maui Pavilion at the Grand Tasting to sip and sample local flavors and browse products directly from Maui artisans. May 16–19 -
RALLYE DES PRINCESSES RICHARD MILLE
In the male-dominated sport of rally car racing, the Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille stands out. This May, all-female teams will take their vintage vehicles, dating from 1946 to 1990, to the quaint French roads in Tours, Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Sarlat-la-Canéda, and Carcassonne in an event that celebrates more than 20 years of tradition. May 25–30 -
SOTHEBY’S IMPORTANT DESIGN AUCTION
While Sotheby’s has plenty of history-making design to drool at—and bid on—all year, the global auction house marks the beginning of summer with its Important Design Auction at its New York headquarters. The pieces are exhibited for nearly a week before the live sale on June 6; last year’s treasures included a pair of chairs from Eileen Gray’s E-1027 villa, several 1930s floor lamps by Alberto Giacometti, and a George Nakashima dining set. This year, a gold-leaf fish sculpture by François-Xavier Lalanne, and seats by Donald Judd are among the highlights. May 31–June 6 -
2024 UEFA EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
One of soccer’s biggest events of the year, the UEFA European Championship will take place in Germany this summer for the first time since the country’s reunification. The opening match at Munich Football Arena on June 14 will see Germany head off against a to-be-determined opponent; a month later, the final game will take place at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. June 14–July 14 -
ASPEN IDEAS FESTIVAL
Ready to expand your mind? This year’s Aspen Ideas Festival introduces its first-ever guest curator, Tina Brown, whose program of speakers includes Jane Fonda, Bill Maher, Kara Swisher, Maureen Dowd, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Katie Couric. Read more about the event, presented by global nonprofit organization The Aspen Institute, in our Summer Issue. June 23 to 29 -
MOON & STARS FESTIVAL
In Locarno, located in Switzerland’s charmingly Italian-speaking Ticino region, the annual Moon & Stars Festival taps some of today’s biggest artists for a series of nighttime concerts in the city’s landmark Piazza Grande. This year’s roster features 14 acts across genres, including Lenny Kravitz, Snow Patrol, and Calum Scott. July 11–21 -
SUMMER OLYMPICS
With its Games Wide Open slogan, we’re expecting this summer’s Paris Olympics to be an all-encompassing celebration of sport, sportsmanship—and style. Newcomers this year–skateboarding, surfing, breaking, and sport climbing–are among the 39 categories played out across 329 events across Paris and other regions of France, as well as Tahiti which will host the surf competition. Here, the Olympics official poster by French illustrator Ugo Gattoni. July 26–Aug 11 -
VENICE ART BIENNALE
Every other year, Venice is transformed into an art installation as its famed venues are taken over by contemporary exhibitions, showcasing a global roster of artistic talent. While the opening celebrations kicked off in April, many flock to Venice in the days and weeks surrounding Art Basel in June. See our complete guide to the Floating City in the summer issue, here. Through November 24
