The Sunday Times February 6, 2022 11shapes — everything from
bees, giant shoes and Humpty
Dumpty to spaceships, fire
hydrants and Darth Vader.
balloonfiesta.comNOVEMBER
Wurstfest, Texas
A festival for bangers — what’s
not to love? Wurstfest is a ten-
day celebration of the sausage
in New Braunfels (November 5
to 14). Attendees don dirndls
and lederhosen to dance to
polka bands and yodellers,
drink beer and eat a whole
lot of wurst. As the website
boasts, it’s the “best ten days
in sausage history”. It’s
difficult to argue with that.
wurstfest.comDECEMBER
Christmas lights,
Washington
Leavenworth is one of the
most festive towns in the
United States. The dinky
Bavarian-style village earns its
moniker of “Christmastown”
with more than half a million
twinkling lights, carol singers,
roasted chestnuts, mugs of
mulled wine and, of course,
photos with Santa. The
festivities run from
Thanksgiving (November 24)
to Christmas Day.
leavenworth.org
Brian ThackerMore than 200,000 a people
a day rock up to the 900 free
entertainment shows,
livestock competitions,
exhibits and 500 food items
for sale (including deep-fried
Twinkies). Don’t miss Princess
Kay of the Milky Way, in which
the finalists sit for hours in a
glass-walled refrigerator as
90lb blocks of butter are
carved into their likeness.
exploreminnesota.comSEPTEMBER
Burning Man, Nevada
Burning Man has grown into
a cultural phenomenon since
the first event in 1986, and
returns to Black Rock Desert
(August 28 to September 5)
after a two-year hiatus. But it’s
not all stoned, pyromaniacalLeft and main,
Minnesota State
Fair; inset, Taylor
Swift; above
and far left, the
Albuquerque
balloon festival;
below, CoachellaAlbuquerque
balloon festival;
below, Coachellahippies running around
naked in the desert — you’ll
get mind-blowing artworks,
extraordinary temporary
buildings and an entire
community that blooms for
a week then vanishes
with the desert dust.
burningman.orgOCTOBER
The Albuquerque
International Balloon
Fiesta, New Mexico
During this annual festival
more than 500 hot-air
balloons soar into the clear-
blue skies above Rio Grande
Valley, making it the largest
event of its kind (October 1
to 9). Known as “the Mass
Ascension”, it’s a kaleidoscope
of colours, patterns andYINYANG, CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE, MEDIANEWS/GETTY IMAGES; SARAH TOOMBS, CAVAN IMAGES/ALAMY