Holi Festival, India. (REUTERS/K.K. Arora)

March 2-5: The annual ArteAméricas art fair in Miami Beach brings together art galleries from all over Latin America, showcasing both emerging talent and firmly established masters. This year, a new section of the fair will focus on photography.

March 2-21: In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will last 20 days this year, and encompass more than 100 events. Top chefs from around the world will hold master classes and set-menu dinners, while sommeliers and winemakers host tastings and wine-pairing workshops. A number of events focus on making food fun for children, including a “Bugs for Brunch” meal.

March 7-9: One of India’s most exuberant holidays is Holi, the Hindu festival of color. On March 8, locals celebrate by tossing colored powders and water at each other with gusto, ignoring differences in caste (and nationality — be warned that tourists are fair game!). For those interested in experiencing the more elegant side of Holi, the Taj Lake Palace, Umaid Bhawan Palace and Rambagh Palace each host lavish festivities attended by Indian royalty.

March 8-18: Hundreds of thousands of car enthusiasts descend on Geneva, Switzerland, for the annual International Motor Show, one of the most prestigious automotive events in the world. All the major carmakers attend, from Alfa Romeo and Bentley to Volkswagen and Volvo.

 March 11: The Family Winemakers of California host a major tasting in San Diego, celebrating wines produced by small, family-owned companies. Held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, this tasting includes some of California’s finest wineries and plenty of small-production gems hard to find elsewhere.

 March 15-19: Valencia, one of Spain’s most charming and fascinating cities, shines most brightly during Las Fallas, a major festival dating to medieval times complete with parades, fireworks, bullfights and giant bonfires. On the last evening, Las Fallas culminates with the torching of hundreds of massive wooden monuments — some as high as six stories — erected throughout the city.

March 17: Where better to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than Dublin? It’s possible to watch the three-hour parade from the shelter of a grandstand if you book ahead, or revel with the locals on the street. Not satisfied with just a parade, Dubliners organize fireworks shows, world-class musical performances and numerous other events in the days around the parade.

March 25-28: Verona flows with wine during Vinitaly, “the world’s most important exhibition of wines and spirits.” This year’s fascinating tasting sessions cover topics ranging from the Italian (Aglianico, Brunello) to the foreign (Riesling, Malbec) to the obscure (Furmint, Ukrainian wines). The tasting of older Hennessy Cognac vintages promises to be especially memorable.

 March 30-31: Exotic tropical blooms take over the Hanapepe Town Park during the annual Kaua’i Orchid and Art Festival. In addition to the brilliantly colorful orchids, festivalgoers can enjoy live music, displays of local art and children’s art workshops.

 March-April: Although the timing is difficult to predict, each year during these months, the famous cherry trees in Japan bloom for one spectacular week. The exact dates of the cherry trees’ peak vary throughout the country, with certain regions blossoming earlier than others. Forecasts predict that the trees will start blooming on March 30 in Tokyo and Kyoto, and on March 31 in Osaka.