From classic Bastille Day festivities in Paris to the delightful Vermont Cheesemakers festival, Andrew Harper shares his picks for favorite events and festivals in July 2015.

July 2015 Events

July 2: Siena’s Palio, the most famous horse race in Italy, takes over the Piazza del Campo every year year on July 2 and August 16. Each horse and rider represents one of Siena’s contrade (neighborhoods), and the rivalry is fierce. Thousands of people crowd into the center of the square for the race, but the best seats are in private balconies.

July 3-12: Bivalves become the star of the show in South Africa during the annual Knysna Oyster Festival. Among the array of events happening throughout this Garden Route town, the Wine Festival on July 6-7, showcasing some of South Africa’s top vintages, should be particularly memorable.

July 3-25: Although Beaune in Burgundy is justly famous as a wine capital, this charming town turns into a center of music during the Festival de Beaune, celebrating the Baroque period, Mozart and the Romanticists. Visitors can enjoy a range of operas, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the city, including the famous Hospices.

July 6-August 2: New York City’s Lincoln Center has again assembled some impressive and unique works for the annual Lincoln Center Festival. Among other events, the National Ballet of China mounts a production of the epic “Peony Pavilion,” the acclaimed Druid Theatre Company performs its adaptation distilling four of Shakespeare’s history plays, and the Ensemble Musikfabrik uses custom-made instruments in a rare performance of Harry Partch’s “Delusion of the Fury.”

July 10-11: Polo is exciting to watch anywhere it’s played, but it’s hard to top watching a game on the beach. Some of the world’s best polo players gather for the British Beach Polo Championships, held at Sandbanks Beach (not far from Chewton Glen). When not watching a game, spectators can visit a plush hospitality lounge, Champagne bar and various receptions and events.

July 14: Numerous cities around the world celebrate Bastille Day, which commemorates the start of the French Revolution in 1789, but nowhere does it better than Paris. A military parade marches down the Champs-Elysées, and fireworks glitter around the Eiffel Tower, among other events.

July 16-18: Santa Barbara hosts the 12th annual California Wine Festival, one of the most delightful tasting events on the calendar. Held under tents along the beach, this year’s festival includes special events such as the “Old Spanish Nights Tasting” on July 16 and a “Sunset Reserve & Rare Wine Tasting” on July 17.

July 19: Some of the best cheeses in the United States come from Vermont, and there’s no better place to sample them than at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. Shelburne Farms hosts the event on the shore of picturesque Lake Champlain.

July 24-25: One of Osaka’s most important and spectacular festivals, Tenjin Matsuri celebrates the deification of Sugawara Michizane, a 9th-century poet and courtier who died in exile. His angry spirit was blamed for a number of disasters, and the festival was founded in order appease it. Tenjin Matsuri ends with a beautiful torch-lit boat parade, capped by a brilliant fireworks display.