What to Do in November Around the World

November 4: Billed as “The race that stops a nation,” the annual Melbourne Cup boasts the largest purse of any horse racing event in the Southern Hemisphere. As with the Royal Ascot, spectators wear their most fashionable clothes and avant-garde hats.

November 4 – February 1: This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Domenikos Theotokopoulos, better known as El Greco. In honor of this remarkable painter, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hispanic Society of America are jointly mounting an exhibition entitled “El Greco in New York,” displaying major works from both organizations’ collections. The famous “View of Toledo” will be on display, along with numerous other masterpieces.

November 6: Sikhs mark the birthday of the founder of their religion, Guru Nanak Dev, on the full moon in the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar. This important holiday, called Guru Nanak Jayanti, is observed with notable drama in Amritsar, India. The illuminated Golden Temple shimmers brilliantly in its lake, particularly with the full moon overhead.

November 7: Loi Krathong, the “Festival of Light,” is celebrated annually throughout Thailand with fireworks and elaborately decorated floating candles. Sukhothai offers perhaps the most traditional celebration, with hundreds of candles glimmering in a pond in the ancient city’s Historical Park, but Chiang Mai surely has the most spectacular event. Here, thousands of people launch illuminated paper lanterns into the sky, which gracefully float about like so many glowing jellyfish. Few events can rival this festival’s dreamlike beauty.

November 7-15: The Bath Mozart Festival goes well beyond the music of Mozart, with classical pieces by a range of composers played in historic settings such as the exquisite 17th-century Bath Abbey, the imposing Georgian Guildhall and the magnificently restored Assembly Rooms.

November 13-16: Turkey’s premier international contemporary art fair, Contemporary Istanbul, may not have achieved the fame of Art Basel, but it promises to assemble a thoroughly engaging collection of cutting-edge artworks nevertheless. Serious collectors can take part in the fair’s VIP program.

November 19-23: Flavor! Napa Valley assembles sommeliers, winemakers, celebrity chefs and other notable culinary figures for four days of exclusive workshops, wine tastings and wine-focused meals. Events include a welcome dinner hosted by Charlie Palmer, a cake decorating workshop with Duff Goldman (of “Ace of Cakes” fame) and a tour of the Culinary Institute of America’s five-acre farm at Charles Krug Winery with Larry Forgione and Peter Mondavi, Jr.

November 21 – December 24: Chicago hosts its annual Christkindlmarket on Daley Plaza, a festive German Christmas village full of colorful ornaments, charming toys and tasty seasonal treats. Although the market is surrounded by the skyscrapers of the Loop, it feels surprisingly authentic – most of the wooden booths are staffed by Germans who fly in for the event. If possible, come on a weekday, when the popular market is less crowded.

November 28 – December 24: Of course, for a truly authentic Christmas market experience, it’s best to head to one of the many in central Europe. The market in Nuremburg is the most famous, but every city of any size in Germany has its own delightful market. But Christmas markets certainly aren’t confined to Germany. Prague’s Old Town Square makes an unforgettable setting for its market, and Vienna holds its market at the foot of its spectacular neo-gothic city hall.