From chocoholics to art lovers, group travelers will enjoy local festivals.

By Suzanne Oliver

Celebrate Memorial Day with a full-blown calorie-fest and gorge on decadent chocolate. Burlington, or “Chocolate City U.S.A.,” is home to a major Nestlé manufacturing plant, churning out Raisinets, Goobers and other popular candies. In 1987, the chamber of commerce paid homage to its cocoa commodity and organized a confectioner’s dream: ChocolateFest. At the nonprofit event benefiting local charities, sweet tooths can savor chef demonstrations, a geo cache, Choc-O-Trivia, a bake-off and Project Yum-Way, a fashion design competition using candy wrappers as textiles. Little sugar addicts can compete in chocolate-eating contests and finger paint with pudding at Kids Kanopy.

Kentucky Bourbon Festival
Sept. 14-19, Bardstown, Ky.
Admission: Most events are free
Attendance: 45,000
ky
bourbonfestival.com

Since 1776, the people of Bardstown have been making bourbon. “And today, 69 percent of the world’s bourbon is made in and around the Nelson County area,” says Pam Gover, festival chairperson and hospitality director of the Tom Moore Distillery. Here’s a toast to the fine art of distilling by the likes of Jim Bean, Maker’s Mark and Wild Turkey. What started as a simple tasting and dinner in 1992 evolved into a six-day tribute to the smooth sip of bourbon. Every year, thousands travel to the countryside of Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” to participate in historic tours, cooking classes, barrel relays, themed breakfasts, an auction and gala. Apart from the evening events, all ages are welcome. “This is the premier bourbon event in the state of Kentucky,” says Meredith Moody, marketing services director of Buffalo Trace Distillery, one of the participating distilleries. “This is the place to be in Kentucky in September.”

Maker’s Mark Peach Cobbler
Official Drink for the 2010 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, winner of last year’s Mixed Drink Challenge
Ingredients:
2 ounces Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky
1/2 ounce Deboned Red aperitif
Peach slice
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1/4 ounce sugar syrup
Put whisky and aperitif in shaker with ice. Shake 10 to 12 times and strain into rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a cinnamon-sprinkled peach  slice.

National Cherry Festival
July 3-10, Traverse City, Mich.
Admission: Most events are free
Attendance: 500,000
cherryfestival.org

The “Cherry Capital of the World” hosts a weeklong tribute to the ruby red fruit, a tart tradition since 1926. This year, 150 events are scheduled from Blue Angels air shows and cherry pit-spitting contests to car shows and a million-dollar hole-in-one putting contest. For $28, diners can relish a Cherries Grand Buffet, showcasing the celebrated cherry in soups, salads and desserts. While in Traverse City, check out an enormous pie pan measuring almost 18 feet in diameter. In 1987, the festival baked the world’s largest cherry pie; the baked good weighed 28,350 pounds.

Biloxi Seafood Festival
Sept. 11-12, Biloxi, Miss.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 75,000
biloxi.org

Suck da head off dem der crawfish and tear into a chunk of fried alligator tail. Sample fresh Gulf Coast seafood at one of the largest events in Mississippi. This annual fundraiser for Biloxi’s chamber of commerce is in its 29th year, celebrating the very industry that sustains the coastal city. Besides devouring po’ boys and spicy jambalaya, entertainment includes a fishing rodeo, rock climbing wall and Sunday gumbo contest.

GrapeFest
Sept. 16-19, Grapevine, Texas
Admission: $8 per day;
$18 weekend pass
Attendance: 250,000
grapevinetexasusa.com/grapefest

Uncork your purple passion for the Southwest’s largest wine festival. Texas is the fifth largest wine-producing state in the country, and more than 30 state wineries will pour their award-winning red and white vintages for the 24th annual festival, says Lisa Samuel-McCowan, media relations manager of the Grapevine CVB. “Wine has become very popular lately,” she adds. Sip glasses of pure sophistication while trying delectable pairings, swaying to live music and shopping for original arts and crafts. The little ones will like the kids’ zone with a carnival and petting zoo. If you’re not afraid to get a little dirty, try the GrapeStomp, a very popular event. People mash grapes for two minutes in hopes of churning out the most juice and winning the coveted Purple Foot award.

On Fourth of July weekend, blend your stars and stripes with watercolor and wood. The 20th annual event features more than 200 juried artists picked from a pool of 2,000 applicants. Sample culinary delights from some of Denver’s popular restaurants along Culinary Avenue, then turn on Artivity Avenue to make some crafts of your own.

Ann Arbor Art Fairs
July 21-24, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 500,000
artfair.org

How convenient to have four festivals within walking distance on the same days. Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the original fair dating back to 1960, sets up shop on the University of Michigan’s central campus, featuring a kids’ art fair where children ages 6-14 sell their artwork. The second fair, the State Street Area Art Fair, popped up seven years later just a block away. Then came a third, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and a fourth, Ann Arbor’s South University Art Fair. All together, the four fairs showcase the work of more than 1,100 artists. You might want to bring a few friends and family members along to help haul around your purchases.

Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival
Aug. 22, Cary, N.C.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 50,000
townofcary.org

Grab a funnel cake with powdered sugar and shuffle from booth to booth, perusing paintings, pottery and other handmade items. More than 350 artists and craftsmen from around the country 
will descend on downtown Cary for the 34th annual affair. In addition to craft projects and puppet shows for children, seven live bands and dance groups are set to entertain the crowd.

Yellow Daisy Festival
Sept. 9-12, Stone Mountain, Ga.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 200,000
festivals.stonemountainpark.com

Start on Blackberry Lane, wind along Azalea Circle and then loop around Dogwood Path. That’s a possible plan of attack for exploring a vast section of Stone Mountain Park brimming with hundreds of tents of arts and crafts. Festival organizers recommend arriving 30 minutes before the gates open at 10 a.m., dropping your husband off at the Men’s Den to recline and watch sports on the big screen TV, and then scurrying off to shop ’til you drop. They also suggest fueling up on an ear of roasted corn or fried candy bar. You’ll need the energy to visit a mix of the more than 500 juried artists and crafters from 38 states. Also, take in the clogging performances, crafting demonstrations and Children’s Corner.

National Folk Festival
July 9-11, Butte, Mont.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 120,000
nationalfolkfestival.com

Designated the “oldest multicultural festival in the nation,” this feast of traditional folk art turns 72 this year. Every three years, the heritage hurrah packs up and moves to a new city, heading to Nashville, Tenn., next year. Montana will host the festival for a third and final year, and this year’s theme is “Western Crossroads — Where the Wild West Married the Industrial Revolution.” Aside from cowboys and Indians, numerous cultures are highlighted: Caribbean, Celtic, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Pacific Island and more. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, the festival “was the first event of national stature to put the arts of many nations, races and languages into the same event on an equal footing,” the website states. Visitors can rock to Zydeco tunes, eat Greek gyros and learn saddle making. “The National [Folk Festival] has been a great cultural and economic boon to Butte and Southwest Montana, drawing larger and larger crowds from throughout the West to the event all three summers it has been held in Montana,” says Festival Director George Everett. “We are looking forward to continuing the tradition with the Montana Folk Festival, which will replace the National in 2011.”

Santa Barbara French Festival
July 17-18, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 20,000
frenchfestival.com

Couples sip Chardonnay at a sidewalk cafe while watching a béret-wearing Impressionist sketch on canvas. That’s a familiar scene at this fête Française in sunny Santa Barbara. While Parisians celebrate the French Revolution 8,000 miles away, Americans are also dining on crêpes and cups of cafe au lait on the weekend of Bastille Day. Wandering mimes, jugglers and accordion players surround a small replica of the Eiffel Tower, the focal point of the fair. The entertainment also includes a poodle parade, cancan acts, Moroccan belly dancing and drumming from Senegal.

Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival
July 18-20, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Admission: $10; three-day pass $20
Attendance: 30,000
redearth.org

The festival begins with a foot-stomping parade of dancers, drummers and tribal princesses, all dressed in full tribal regalia. Named in honor of the Oklahoma Indians (the Choctaw or “red people” share the coloring of the clay soil), the Red Earth event draws more than 100 northern and southern Native American tribes, making it the largest gathering of its kind in the world. People come for the spirited dance competitions and artists’ market selling beadwork, basketry, jewelry, pottery and more ethnic tokens. More activities include storytelling, face painting and children’s games.

Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival
July 23-25, Wheeling, W.Va.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 175,000
italyfest.com

Eat linguine, fettuccini and capellini to your heart’s content. Pasta, a 7,000-year-old dish, is a superstar at the second largest Italian festival in the nation. At the Pasta Exhibit, watch chefs prepare various shapes and sizes of noodles, then stick around for a hearty taste test complete with sauce and bread. Other events include a bocce tournament, kids’ carnival rides and games, live entertainment and a homemade wine competition and tasting.

International Festival of Raleigh
Oct. 1-3, Raleigh, N.C.
Admission: $7;
weekend pass $15
Attendance: 25,000
internationalfestival.org

For lessons in Japanese cooking or Ukrainian painting, come to the convention center where more than 45 ethnic groups will unite for the 25th time. Every year at the opening ceremony, roughly 200 people are sworn in as American citizens. Then groups from Brazil, China, Puerto Rico, Turkey and other
countries stage traditional dances, live concerts, cultural exhibits, foreign games, global fare and world bazaars. At Sophia’s Corner, children will express themselves artistically with paint and crafts. New this year is an international scavenger hunt.

Superman Celebration
June 10-13, Metropolis, Ill.
Admission: Free
Attendance: 40,000
supermancelebration.net

The small town of Barnesville doesn’t take kindly to tator haters, as potatoes are an important cash crop in the area. In 1938, Potato Days sprouted with a potato-picking contest. Today, the festival hosts seven competitions including a potato sack fashion show and a mashed-potato sculpture contest. Come for two days of nonstop activities such as potato car races, mashed-potato wrestling and the Miss Tator Tot Pageant. Fill up on your favorite starch in the form of pancakes, sausage, soup and donuts.

Portland Pirate Festival
Sept. 18-19, Portland, Ore.
Admission: $15 for adults; $8 for children
Attendance: 17,000
portlandpiratefestival.com

Last year, 1,651 swashbucklers donned eye patches, bandannas and swords to sack the Guinness world record for “most pirates in one place.” They may beat that number at this year’s fifth annual pirate party. Rowdy revelers will raise a peg leg to sword fights, cannon battles, strategy games, jugglers and plunder-worthy markets. Little bandits in training can storm Scupper Monkey Island and The Crow’s Nest for inflatable rides, free tattoos, puppet shows and encounters with shoulder-perching parrots. Take note that Saturday is “International Talk Like A Pirate Day.”

The Whole Enchilada Fiesta
Sept. 24-26, Las Cruces, N.M.
Admission: $3
Attendance: 40,000
enchiladafiesta.com

Every year, the founder of the fiesta cooks the world’s largest enchilada. He uses 750 pounds of stone ground corn for masa tortillas, 175 gallons of vegetable oil for cooking, 75 gallons of red chili sauce, 175 pounds of grated cheese and 50 pounds of chopped onions. Best part is free samples are then doled out. After you’ve had your fill of cheesy Mexican goodness, try your luck at a horseshoes or huachas (Spanish for washer tossing) tournament. Local and national music groups reflective of the Mesilla Valley will take the stage, while other entertainment includes carnival rides, craft booths, a beer garden and New Mexico’s largest parade.

Riverbend
June 11-19, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Admission: Nine-day admission $40; 
$24 daily admission
Attendance: 650,000
riverbendfestival.com

Every summer, thousands of music fans gather along the banks of the 21st Century Waterfront, a scenic mile of the Tennessee River, to hear world-class jam sessions. Riverbend books almost 100 acts every year, says Barry Courter, associate features editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “They book acts that whole families can enjoy, and they book acts that music snobs love,” he adds. “What Riverbend does better than many other festivals is consistently book music that brings the whole community together for nine days. And they do it for only $40.” Five stages highlight the best in classic rock, country, jam bands, urban and bluegrass. This year’s lineup includes Sheryl Crow, Alison Krauss, George Clinton and P-Funk, Darius Rucker, The Charlie Daniels Band and Drivin’ N Cryin.’ The outdoor extravaganza also offers a Children’s Village, fireworks, a marketplace and yummy concessions such as foot-long corndogs and barbecue.

Telluride Film Festival
Sept. 3-6, Telluride, Colo.
Admission: Weekend passes $390
to $3,900; individual tickets $20
Attendance: 5,000
telluridefilmfestival.org

The Seattle Times called the Telluride Film Festival the “Tiffany of the world’s film festivals.” Celebrities, filmmakers, critics and film fans descend on the mining town every Labor Day weekend, anxious to see the next acclaimed “Slumdog Millionaire” or “Juno.” Forty films, including features, shorts, documentaries and animation, are shown in eight venues. Passholders can attend a Labor Day picnic and get priority seating in theaters.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Oct. 2-10, Albuquerque, N.M.
Admission: $6 for adults; free for children
Attendance: 800,000
balloonfiesta.com

The most photographed event in the world captures 700 hot air balloons painting the skies of New Mexico. In 1972, the bash began with 13 balloons ascending from a parking lot. Today, fans from across the globe flock to hear the roar of the burners. The pack of “graceful giants” float above 365 acres, benefiting from the city’s ideal weather patterns known as the Albuquerque Box. Some look like soda cans; others are trains, animals and space shuttles. The festival also features nightly firework displays.

For ABA’s Top 100 Events in North America, visit buses.org/top100.