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DIARY
your guide to what’s on
september
11 onward
Be challenged, enthused, angered and tickled by displays at Asia’s premier contemporary visual arts fair – the Singapore Biennale. Over 50 artists from 36 countries submitted their creations – tying in with the theme of “Wonder” – including a screening of Morakot (below), by award-winning Thai filmmaker, Apichatpong Weerasethakul. www.singaporebiennale.org
13 onward
How does Asia’s glitziest city add that extra sparkle? Pyrotechnics on the water of course! Macau’s International Fireworks Display Contest is set to bedazzle in a five-night series of pinwheels and rockets in front of Macau Tower (right). Bring your camera! www.macautourism.gov.mo
21
Who knew being green could be so much fun? Global Mala on Koh Samui is a fundraising and awareness-building fair where punters can enjoy live music, do a bit of yoga and eat tasty vegetarian food. Funds raised on the day will go to the Green Island Project, an initiative which aims to explore sustainable living and kindness to the environment on Koh Samui. www.globalmalasamui.org
23-30
Set to dazzle, the Bangkok International Film Festival is back with a playbill of international and Thai films. The Southeast Asian New Wave award is the highlight; 10 feature films from across the region will vie for the trophy and Thailand’s glitterati will be out in force. www.bangkokfilm.org
28
Devotion and sacrifice come to the fore during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, when Chinese Buddhists abstain from meat and make merit by walking on hot coals or piercing their flesh with sharp spikes. Temples are colourfully decorated and processions with bright flags throng the streets. www.phuketvegetarian.com
27
The first-ever Faldo Series Asia Vietnam Championships tees off at the Ocean Dunes Golf Club (above), four hours drive from the capital. The seaside course is designed by Nick Faldo, who hopes the event will foster Asian sportsmen. “There may be dozens of potential stars here, but we’ll never know unless their talent is cultivated,” he says. www.vietnamgolfresorts.com
october
All month
All along Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road feet will be tapping to the sound of live jazz. Singaporean pianist Jeremy Monteiro will tickle the ivory in The Living Room (Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, 250 Sukhumvit Road, tel +66 (0) 2649-8888, www.sheratongrandesukhumvit.com) until 30 November. On the other side of the street, the David Gomes Trio (right) will be filling the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit’s In Blu Lounge (30 Sukhumvit Soi 21, tel +66 (0) 2204-4000, www.millenniumhotels.com) with the cool sounds of piano, drums and double bass until New Year’s Eve.
11
Night running for a good cause? Choose from a six- or 12km course through the streets of Bangkok in the Amari Watergate Hotel & BMW Thailand 11th Charity Midnight Run and raise funds to support HIV-positive kids. The race 
kicks off from Amari Watergate. www.amari.com
14
Three-month-long Buddhist Lent culminates in the Thadingyut Festival of Lights. During this period, Myanmar is ablaze with paper lanterns and candles. Devotees visit monasteries and temples to offer their gratitude for blessings.
11+12
Hiroshima is home to Japan’s best sake breweries, including jizake (rare, premium versions of the rice-based liquor made by boutique breweries). Try these for yourself at the annual twoday Sake Matsui Festival and discover the extent of the city’s love affair with the brew in our feature “Heaven’s Sake” on page 40.
All month
Venture 20,000 leagues under the sea at Hong Kong Science Museum’s The Deep. The exhibition brings the ocean floor up from the depths with startling images and marine specimens. Discover creatures like the Big Red, a velvety jellyfish almost a metre across. http://hk.science.museum
31
The birthday of the King-Father Norodom Sihanouk is celebrated in Cambodia today and the country closes for a public holiday. Official celebrations are held in the capital, but expect a party mood to take hold across the land.
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