September 5-28

LOS ANGELES COUNTY FAIR
LOS ANGELES

This is the Tinseltown take on the simple county fair: It boasts 487 fun things to do. More than 1 million people show up for everything from pig races and the world’s largest ant farm to a wine and spirits competition and environmental forums. www.lacountyfair.com

SEPT. 19-25

World Music Festival
CHICAGO

Catch whirling dervishes, mariachi players, dance music DJs and the best of international music at venues around the city. In its 10th year, the festival has plenty of free events in addition to ticketed concerts.www.cityofchicago.org/worldmusic

SEPT. 25-OCT. 5

MOJA Arts Festival
CHARLESTON, SC

Moja is Swahili for “one,” and this Caribbean and African-American art festival embodies unity, bringing together the artistic facets of the community. Highlights include jazz, gospel, R&B and dance performances, visual arts and more. www.mojafestival.com

SEPT. 11-21

Feast of San Gennaro
NEW YORK

Join more than a million people celebrating Naples’ patron saint in the Big Apple’s Little Italy. This 11-day blowout consists of parades and Masses, as well as food vendors selling any Italian delicacy you can think of. Save room for the cannoli-eating contest. www.sangennaro.org

… COMING UP: OCT. 9-12

Annual National Shrimp Festival
GULF SHORES, AL

(34 MILES FROM PENSACOLA, FL) More than 300,000 people will head to the Gulf Coast next month to peel open everyone’s favorite shellfish, buy arts and crafts, listen to music, and compete in the sand sculpture contest. www.nationalshrimpfestival.com