Rounding out the announcements for next year's Splore festival is the addition of powerful Texan neo-soul diva Erykah Badu.

With the tagline "Here for a good time, not a long time", you might think the annual Show Me Shorts festival aims to shock or entertain rather than delve too deeply into sophisticated stories.

Rotorua's Raggamuffin 2012 festival has expanded - and has got quite a bit deeper, in a bass frequency sense - with the addition of three more international artists to its line-up.

So what the hell am I supposed to do now? This might sound sad, but the end of the Rugby World Cup has left a gaping void in my life.

Some of New Zealand's finest cuisine will be showcased in the biggest food and wine festival of the year.

A third veteran act has been added to the double-header of Dragon and Hello Sailor at the Powerstation on November 4.

Keeping their fingers crossed for resource consent (c'mon Super City Council), the organisers of the annual Auckland Anniversary Day St Jerome's Laneway Festival have announced the details for next year's shindig on Monday January 30.

Picturesque Maribor is Slovenia's second largest city, and sits at the heart of a centuries-old wine region.

In summer, Japan drops its reserve to party, finds Rob McFarland.

Josie McNaught gives a local's guide to Venice, where New Zealand art is on display at the world’s greatest exhibition.

New Zealand feature film The Orator (O Le Tulafale) has been selected to premiere in competition in the Orizzonti (New Horizons) section of the 68th Venice International Film Festival.

A weekend in Hawkes Bay was timed well for the food and wine festival, writes Catherine Smith.

More than 170,000 people turned up at this year's Glastonbury Music Festival to see hundreds of acts including BB King, U2 and Wu-Tang Clan.

New Zealand musicians have secured a special place on the programme for the City of London Festival.

It's a pop-up world of panama hats and outdoor reading (when it's sunny), scarves and cups of coffee (when it's not), and an erudite audience.

The annual Medellín Flowers Festival sees Colombia's "City of Eternal Spring" bedecked with colourful blooms.

Billed as the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America, Toronto's Caribana Festival is an exciting celebration of Caribbean music and culture.

Advice on visiting Disneyland's theme parks in Asia and which currency to travel with in India.

U2 bassist Adam Clayton says he is looking forward to seeing Elbow perform at Glastonbury.

The seaside town of Knysna is famous for its oysters and during the annual Oyster Festival thousands of people participate in celebrations dedicated to the delicacy.

Two New Zealand films have been selected to screen at the inaugural Beijing International Film Festival.