• Nothing about the Taj Mahal can ever be modest. Not surprisingly, the Taj Mahotsav promises to be bigger and better with over 400 dancers and musicians descending on Agra (February 18–27; tajmahotsav.org).
• The Zanskar’s iced over. Walk the Chadar walk with intrepid Ladakhis and mountaineers as they tread on thin ice from Chilling to Padum. (Rs 80,000, inclusive of airfare, stay, gear and meals; highontravel.com).
• Missed the cattle fair at Pushkar in November? Make up for it with back-to-back desert fairs at Nagaur (Jan 25–Feb 2) and Jaisalmer (Feb 5–7).
• Warm up to a European Summer already. Book before the seats are taken for 5– to 13–day trips under $1,000 to France, Greece, UK, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal or the Czech Republic (globusandcosmos.com).
• Can’t wait for Christmas to come by? Go dashing through the snow to the new Santa’s Resort at Kakslauttanen (santasresort.fi) in Finland. Back indoors in your glass igloo, watch the Northern Lights from under the covers.

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Tug of war

Traditionally, kite duels have been fought in the skies on Makar Sankranti (January 14), not just in Gujarat, but across the country. While there’s no real consensus on why it’s the chosen day, with skies that are bluer than blue and the whiff of spring in the air, there’s reason enough to besiege rooftops and open fields. Supported by the state tourism department, Ahmedabad’s Uttarayan or Kite Festival (gujarattourism.com) takes it a notch higher with international participants, food festivals, kite bazaars and a kite museum constructed by Le Corbusier.

Global ink

Leaving the Jaipur Lit Fest (Jan 20–24) out of any list these days is like inviting a herd of elephants into the room. After all, it’s “the greatest show on earth”. And if the propped-up arrangements—compulsory online registration, photo-ID checks and ticketed concerts—are any indication of its growing popularity, the fifth edition of the fest could well match its lofty claims. To see the long list of authors and take a pick from the sessions, check jaipurliteraturefestival.org.

New waters

Rafting in this season—think roiling Himalayan snowmelt—is going overboard. Unless, you get yourself to Kolad (3.5 hours from Mumbai) and float your boat in the Kundalika. An all-year rafting location fed by the Bhira Dam, you can set up camp by its banks (Rs 1,350 per person; bigredtent.in). If that doesn’t quite take your breath away, sign up for rappelling and quad biking (in advance).

Moving pictures

If you thought beer-guzzling Octobers induced the greatest German highs, you’ve been living under a rock. Because the Berlinale film festival (Feb 9–19; berlinale.de) is among the best—second only, say some, to Cannes. Join the technicolour multitudes as the 62nd edition—with a retrospective on a German-Russian studio—puts European cinema front and centre.

Town crier

Move over Rio. Carnevale di Venezia (February 11–21; italia.it), Italy’s Mardi Gras, is ready to hit the streets. So if you prefer jolly bacchanals over romance, this is your only window.