Catch Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Wilco, Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power and many more big acts at Lollapalooza, the three-day rock music festival in Chicago.Tickets cost from $190; www.lollapalooza.com

GET SPORTY
5-29

Young athletes can gain new skills in football, cricket and netball from iconic sports players at the Barbados Sports Camp, just outside of Bridgetown. Star coaches include Sir Geoff Hurst, Alan Hansen and Mark Bright. Children aged 9-17 may attend the camp for free for one to five days; www.barbados-sports-camp.com

PIPE UP
11-17

Celebrate Scotland’s musical heritage at the Glasgow International Piping Festival. The vibrant event takes place all over the city with concerts, competitions, workshops, master-classes and street performances. Tickets for evening events cost from £10; call the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall ticket centre at +44 (0)141 353 8000 or book online at www.pipingfestival.co.uk

BREAK A LEG
14-31
Zurich’s annual Theatre Spectacle presents open-air drama and dance, with cutting-edge acts from countries including Lebanon, Israel and Palestine flying in. The action is at the Landiwiese park beside Lake Zurich; www.theaterspektakel.ch

SMELL THE BEGONIAS
14-17
For three days and four nights this month, Brussels’ famous market square, the Grand’Place, will be covered with 800,000 bright, fresh begonias, to create the city’s biennial ‘flower carpet’. This year’s intricate design is inspired by 18th-century French tapestry patterns. A fireworks display launches the event on the 14th. Tickets for a balcony view cost €3 and under-12s are free; www.flowercarpet.be

EAT YOUR FILL
22-31
Enjoy the best of the Nordic culinary arts at the Copenhagen Cooking Festival. The 10-day celebration includes wine tastings, cooking contests and classes, and opportunities to dine out on gourmet food at half price. The Øksnehallen Centre hosts a food and lifestyle exhibition, while gastronomy days at Tivoli will unveil Dish of the Year; www.copenhagencooking.dk

SEE RED
25-28
The Red Sea Jazz Festival, the major jazz event in the Middle East, takes place in the resort town of Eilat (about a 50-minute local flight from Tel Aviv). Around 40,000 people attend 30 different open-air concerts staged with the Red Sea and Sinai Mountains as backdrops. Performers such as Courtney Pine have played at Eilat many times; the 2008 programme is online at www.redseajazzeilat.com

27th
MINGLE WITH THE STARS
27 August-6 September
It’s a special year for the Venice Film Festival as 2008 marks the legendary cinema-fest’s 65th anniversary. The event, which takes place on the Lido, will feature the world premiere of the Coen brothers’ new movie Burn After Reading, starring our cover star Tilda Swinton (read her interview on p32- 38). It also stars Brad Pitt, so keep your eyes peeled for ‘Brangelina’; www.labiennale.org/en/cinema

BE A CULTURE VULTURE
29-31
At Amsterdam’s Uitmarkt festival, more than 2,000 artists give free performances on indoor and outdoor stages and in museums across the city to give a taste of the theatre and live music you can look forward to in the city later in the year;www.uitmarkt.nl

GO QUACKERS
A quarter of a million yellow rubber ducks will be released into the River Thames, London, for The Great British Duck Race. It costs £2 to buy a duck to enter the competition. There’s £10,000 prize money for the winner, and charities including WaterAid, the NSPCC and the Down’s Syndrome Association also benefit; www.thegreatbritishduckrace.co.uk

LONDON
2 & 3 August
The Innocent Village Fete
Sip smoothies while you enjoy music with a folk vibe, including acts Imelda May and Findlay Brown, in Regent’s Park; www.innocentvillagefete.com.

AMSTERDAM
Until 24 August
Vondelpark Summer Festival
A range of free events, including theatre, cabaret, concerts and dance; www.vondelpark.org

MANCHESTER
Until 17 August
Gunther von Hagen’s Body Worlds
See the inner workings of the human body at this immensely popular exhibition; www.msim.org.uk

DAMASCUS
Until end of August
International Flower Show
Sniff the Damascus rose and other rare species from the Middle East and Europe in Teshreen Park.

BEIRUT
Until late September
Modern and Contemporary Arab Art
Walid Raad’s video and photography exhibition at the Sfeir-Semler Gallery focuses on Lebanon from 1992-2005; www.sfeir-semler.de

COLOGNE
Until 9 August
Summer Cologne
Stilt-walkers and acrobats appear on Cologne’s streets as part of this summer festival; www.sommerkoeln.de

NEAR BELFAST
1-4 August
O’Carolan Harp and Traditional Music Festival
A world-famous celebration of traditional Irish music, in Keadue, Co Roscommon, two and a half hour’s drive from Belfast; www.ocarolanharpfestival.ie

CHICAGO
8-10 August
Gold Coast River North Art Fair
Find original works at one of America’s oldest art fairs; www.amdurproductions.com/gold-coast.html

ZURICH
9 August
Street Parade
Join thousands of revellers at the largest techno music street party in the world; www.street-parade.ch

ABERDEEN
12 August-14 September
Images of the Castlegate
A rare collection of historical art and photographs at the Tolbooth Museum; www.aberdeencity.gov.uk