WHAT’S ON
BY SOPHY GRIMSHAW, CHRIS PECK
TENERIFE CARNIVAL
16 January – 9 February, Tenerife
If you have a case of the winter blues, then hopping on the next plane to Tenerife for the Santa Cruz de Tenerife carnival season is the perfect cure. Forget your worries – the big questions of the carnival season are, will your favourite gal get elected Carnival Queen? And what will you wear to the cross-dressing parade? For details of the party dates check Web Tenerife, but once there it’ll be easy to spot the street parades and fireworks. www.webtenerifeuk.co.uk
THE EURO ARRIVES
1 January, Cyprus
In June 2007, the suits in Brussels agreed that Cyprus could adopt the euro from 1 January 2008. So check your suitcase for any euro notes left over from last year’s European city breaks and, hey presto, you’ve now got your Cyprus spending money. For a flight at a great price, look no further – Cyprus is Jet2. com’s newest destination. Fly there from May. www.jet2.com
BUDAPEST TO BAMAKO
12 January, Budapest
This charity car race gives some of Budapest’s more daredevil residents the chance to drive from the capital of Hungary to the capital of Mali. With 10,000 spectators expected for the send-off party at the Parliamentary building, the race will raise €15,000 to pay for a clean water well for Bamako. There will also be a concert with a variety of local rock acts. www.budapestbamako.org
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Until 27 April, London
One of London’s best annual exhibitions, the quality of the entries to the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (and the willingness of some photographers to spend six months in a bird hide until they get that perfect shot), never fails to astound. Family members young and old will be fascinated. Entry is free. www.nhm.ac.uk
SALE SEASON
January – February, Paris
Everything about shopping is more pleasurable in Paris, including a no-tricks, legally-designated annual sales season during the whole of January and the first two weeks of February. Now is the time to hit famous department stores like Au Printemps (64 Boulevard Haussmann, www.departmentstoreparis. printemps.com), Galleries Lafayette (40 Boulevard Haussmann, www.galerieslafayette. com) and Le Bon Marché (24 Rue de Sèvres, www.bonmarche.fr/anglais). Expect between 30% and 70% off goods, with the biggest discounts as sales season draws to a close – if you can stand to wait that long.
DÜSSELDORF CARNIVAL
3-4 February, Düsseldorf
For Carnival, northern-European style, pack only your most colourful clothing for one of the biggest bashes in Europe. Join more than 6,000 revellers to see the annual parade of floats and plumed horses through the city centre amid confetti and streamers on Monday 4 February. You can also get some practice in the day before at the smaller street carnival along the city’s Königsallee. www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de
BERLINALE
7-17 February, Berlin
The 58th Berlin International Film Festival will see Hollywood A-listers, international press, filmmakers and film-lovers descend on the German capital. This year’s retrospective tribute honours the late Spanish director Luis Buñuel, whose avant-garde movies included Belle de Jour (pictured) starring Catherine Deneuve (no, not the Billie Piper TV series!). Visit the festival website for news of this year’s premieres, screenings and master classes, some of which are open to the public. www.berlinale.de
VALENTINE’S DAY
14 February, Rome
Impress your honey this February with a trip to the true home of Valentine’s Day: Rome. According to legend, Saint Valentine was jailed here before he was martyred. As the story goes, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailor, and miraculously restored her sight. For good luck in love today, the superstitious throw three coins into the Trevi Fountain (also thought to ensure your return to Rome). A better bet is a romantic dinner at the contemporary Vivendo, the recently revamped restaurant at the belle époque St. Regis Grand Hotel (Via Vittorio E. Orlando 3, +39 064 7091). It even has a ‘champagnerie’; a dedicated room for bubbly consumption. www.stregis.com/rome
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