North America agenda: SXSW
Spring festivals include Saint Patrick's Day and Cherry Blossoms in DC, music fests range from SXSW in Texas to electronica's Winter Fest in Miami Beach, and museum exhibits such as the art of video games in Washington DC and Yves Saint-Laurent's designs in Denver, Colorado.
26th SXSW Conference & Festival
March 9-20
Austin, Texas
By day, SXSW is a media extravaganza with three different tracks within the event, focused on interactive technology (March 9-13), film (March 9-17) and music (March 13-18) with accompanying conferences and trade shows. By night, the festival features 2,000 bands from around the world performing at venues across the city as well as much-anticipated edgy film premieres. A must-do for 12,000 entertainment fans and industry players and artists. Similar in size, the Winter Music Conference in Miami covers dance and electronica and the CMJ in New York focuses on indie music.
http://www.sxsw.com
The International Home & Housewares Show
March 10-13
Chicago, Illinois
Thousands of buyers and exhibitors from more than 100 countries convene each year at McCormick Place to showcase furniture to appliances covering categories from Wired & Well to Dine & Design, International Pavilions and winners in the Student Design Competition. This trade event, which can be followed online, has similar shows from SIPREMIUM in Seoul and the Hong Kong Houseware Show in April http://www.housewares.org/show/info/
26th WonderCon
March 16-18
Anaheim, California
This comic book conference offers a preview of upcoming films prior to the extravaganza of ComicCon in July. Presentations and panel discussions for animated films, anime, superhero movies and videogames will be showcased for fans as well as creators of classic comics such as Batman and Wolverine. In 2012, the event moves to Anaheim's Convention Center, while San Francisco's Moscone Center undergoes renovations.
http://www.comic-con.org/wc/index.php
27th Winter Music Conference
March 16-25
Miami Beach, Florida
With the explosion of electronic music, this festival attracts 1900 artists and DJs, 100,000 attendees from 70 countries with 400 seminars, demo sessions and pool parties. The round-the-clock events include DJ spin-offs and club performances culminating in the Dance Music Awards. The conference at The Beachplex features panels and Q&As with industry leaders and producers. The Ultra Music Festival is scheduled March 23-25. Similar fests include Detroit’s Electronic Music Fest and Nature One near Frankfurt.
http://www.wintermusicconference.com and http://www.ultramusicfestival.com/
The Art of Video Games
March 16-September 30
American Art Museum, Smithsonian
Washington, DC
The first exhibit to chronicle the development of video games as an art medium, from the 1970s Atari to today's Playstation 3. Visual effects, storytelling and aesthetics will be highlighted by curators PastPixels. Multimedia presentations with game footage, historic consoles and a selection of working game systems will be available for visitors to play. The show opens with GameFest, three days of talks by video game pioneers, designers and artists, screenings, and hands-on play of Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, and Myst.
http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/
250th St. Patrick’s Day Parade
March 17
New York City, New York
St. Patrick's Day, celebrated by the Irish and “Irish at heart” features parades and pub crawls in cities across the US and around the world, from Tokyo to Turkey. Since 1762, the oldest and largest party marches along New York City’s Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 11 am to the Metropolitan Museum of Art around 5 pm. Irish music, food and drink are enjoyed by all who wear green, with some towns even dyeing the local rivers green.
http://www.st-patricks-day.com
27th LA Marathon
March 18
Los Angeles, California
Inspired by the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in the city, this "Stadium to the Sea" 26.2 mile race, starts at Dodger Baseball Stadium and wends its way along the Sunset Strip through Beverly Hills, crossing town to reach the Santa Monica Pier. With 26,054 registrants keeping a 15-minute per mile pace, the finish line closes officially eight hours after the launch start of the race. Celebrity pariticpants have included Shia Labeouf, Gordon Ramsay and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
http://www.lamarathon.com
100th National Cherry Blossom Festival
March 20 - April 27
Washington DC
The centennial celebration of the thousands of blossoming cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, this spring honors the original gift of 600 trees Japan presented to America in 1912. This tradition in the nation's capital includes an annual parade, kite festival, fireworks, concerts and 90 special events over five weeks, from art to musical performances in tribute to the pink and white flowers that fill the city, monuments and National Mall.
http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier
March 24-August 19
De Young Museum
San Francisco, California
For the 35th anniversary of Jean Paul Gaultier, the first retrospective devoted to the fashion designer spans 120 selections from his 1976 ready-to-wear to his 2007 haute couture collections. The exhibition, “From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” celebrates his avant-garde style and collaborations with Madonna, Lady Gaga, filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, dance and theater with films clips of concerts, ballets, and fashion shows. Photography includes images by Andy Warhol, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and Robert Doisneau. The Montreal-based theater company Ubu Compagnie de Création designed 30 animated mannequins who talk and sing in playful vignettes for the show.
http://deyoung.famsf.org/
Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective
March 25-July 8
Denver Art Museum
A 40-year survey of the fashion designer work arrives from the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Paris, with 200 examples of his haute couture garments, as well as photographs, drawings, and films that illustrate the development of his style and career from early days at Dior in 1958 to Saint Laurant's recent elegant evening gowns. The DAM will be the only US venue for the exhibition.
http://www.denverartmuseum.org
25th Kid's Choice Awards
March 31
Los Angeles, CA
Actor Will Smith will emcee the Kids' Choice Awards, presented by Nickelodeon, the kids' television network. Young fans who watch the channel will choose favorite artists in film, television and music. Winners take the famous orange blimp trophy and get "slimed" with green goop live at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards
32nd Razzie Awards
April 1
Hollywood, California
Rescheduled to coincide with April Fools Day, The Razzies spoof on the Oscars moved its awards ceremony for the worst films to April 1 in 2012. The nominees for the Golden Raspberry Award, announced the night before the Oscars, were dominated by Adam Sandler this year with a record 11 Razzies nods for three films including Jack and Jill. Besides the acting, directing, writing and film categories, The Razzies dishonor the Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. Previous repeat ‘winners' included Sylvester Stallone and Madonna.
http://www.razzies.com
112th New York International Auto Show
April 6-15
New York, New York
New York rounds out the North American Auto Show season and normally boasts a couple of high-profile debuts of upcoming production vehicles and concept cars for visitors, who number over one million. The show traditionally hosts the prestigious World Car of the Year competition, selecting the winner from new models introduced by automakers around the world. Follow the event on Twitter @NYAutoShow
http://www.autoshowny.com
13th Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
April 13-15 and April 20-22
Indio, California, USA
More than 100,000 music fans head to the Southern California desert for the annual Coachella Festival. In the decade since launching, the multi-stage event has grown in size and acclaim and is considered the opener of the summer festival season, adding another weekend in 2012. Artists in the line-up cover pop, rock, electronica and hip-hop genres and this year's headliners include Radiohead, The Black Keys, Bon Iver and Snoop Dog. Bonnaro and Lollapolooza are the two other big US pop musical events.
http://www.coachella.com
27th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
April 14
Cleveland, Ohio
Presentations to legendary pop, rock and R&B musicians and industry greats at this ceremony located at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. This year's inductees include Guns N'Roses, Donovan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Faces, Beastie Boys, Lauri Nyro, and The Miracles. A week of activities for fans precede the event with a grand finale jam session of the latest Hall of Famers.
http://www.rockhall.com
11th Tribeca Film Festival
April 18-29-May 1
New York City, New York
Co-founded by Robert DeNiro, this event screens 135 narrative, documentaries and short films from American and international filmmakers in venues around town, as well as streaming and video-on-demand, reaching beyond the 400,000 attendees. With galas and awards, this spring event has eclipsed Lincoln Center's New York Film Festival in fall.
http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org
Star Wars: Identities
April 19-September 16
Montreal Science Center
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
In association with Lucasfilms, scientific experts and the team that mounted the Indiana Jones exhibition, the identity of characters from the Star Wars films, 1977 to 2005, is the theme explored in this show. Displays of 200 objects from Lucasfilms' archives of props, models and artwork, include Darth Vader's caped costume and a full-sized Podracer. The interactive experience explores Jedi heroes, Luke and Skywalker, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Yoda, and more, allowing visitors to create their own character.
http://www.starwarsidentities.com and http://www.montrealsciencecentre.com
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