Photo by Simon Pearson — Some Rights Reserved

Noisily Festival is a study in lovely contrasts. It’s set in a beautiful woodland countryside, but offers up some of the best electronic music in Britain with interludes of interactive performance at places such as the Treehouse stage.

Embrace your surroundings and take advantage of Spring’s crop of mushrooms (no, not those shrooms) foraged from the area with Morel Mushroom Toasts care of Alice Waters. What a civilized and savory way to start the festivities.

- Ana Maria Harkins

Photo by littlestar19 — Some Rights Reserved

The Anywhere Theatre Festival takes place in the heart of Brisbane in Queensland. It’s a beautiful coastal city that also serves as an important port for the commercial seafood market. Just off its shores is Moreton Bay, a lagoon protected by a series of barrier islands. It is here that we came across something called the Moreton Bay Bug, a type of crustacean a bit smaller than a crayfish. The edible part is in the tail and it can be grilled, poached or baked.

If you’d like to give this shellfish a try but can’t find the real thing (which is also called slipper lobster in other parts of the world), this recipe for Lobster or Crayfish Soup is a lovely substitute. Serve it with some crusty bread and a bracing Queensland wine and you have a wonderful start to your festival night.

- Ana Maria Harkins

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The Make Believe Festival in London promises “a full throttle sensory bombardment”, where Victorian sensibility veers off in a very different direction. What to eat at such a fantastic event? You could head to the Make Believe Market and sample some of the amazing confections at the Empire Edibles stall.

You could also host a high tea before you set out for the evening and polish it off with this Sherry Trifle. Egg yolks, pound cake, sherry, heavy cream….you can’t go wrong. Be sure to serve this trifle in your loveliest cut crystal bowl to complete the picture.

- Ana Maria Harkins

Photo by Tina — Some Rights Reserved

If you really want to whet your appetite for JazzFest, check out this excellent article by Jay Forma, who delves into some of the amazing restaurants that have food booths at the festival. As he notes, many signature New Orleans dishes have roots in West Africa.

Try this recipe for Spicy Fried Plantain to serve as a pre-festival appetizer. It is a great way to get ready for a food and musical adventure in New Orleans. As Vicki Patania, owner of The Galley restaurant says, “If you can’t find something to eat here, honey, there’s something wrong with you”.

- Ana Maria Harkins

Photo by jules:stonesoup — Some Rights Reserved

The amazing autumnal colors of Lake Wanaka give the Festival of Colour its name. In the heart of the Southern Alps, as you stand on the banks of the lake you might just be able to pretend you are one of the protagonists of the Lord of the Rings films. Whether you are a Hobbit or Elf, you can bask in the simple pleasures of Whole Roasted Rainbow Trout.

This recipe concedes that you will probably have to buy your trout at a fish market rather than fish for it from the lake, and that you can roast it in the oven rather than over an open fire. No matter, it tastes wonderful and goes nicely with one of the area’s award-winning pinot noirs.

- Ana Maria Harkins