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: NOW PLAYING :: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL :: Winter Festivals Without Walls WINTER depresses temperatures, but it needn’t lower the spirits. Through early spring, there are a number of opportunities to experience art, connect with culture, or engage with nature. From walking under Christo’s billowing “gates” in New York to partying with whales in Hawaii, here are some notable outdoor winter events. CHRISTO: ‘THE GATES’ Feb. 12-27 Central Park New York 212-310-6600 (dial “311” if in New York) www.christojeanneclaude.net; www.centralparknyc.org TWENTY-SIX YEARS in the planning— and the haggling with city officials over its logistics—the most expansive outdoor installation from husband-andwife artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude unfurls next weekend in Manhattan, following their enclosure of the Berlin Reichstag and the Paris Pont Neuf bridge in fabric. Suspended from their 7,500 gates are saffron-hued synthetic woven panels intended to form a glimmering golden canopy over the park. This temporary “ceiling” is costing the artists $20 million, but Central Park strollers get it for free during visiting hours, which are dawn to 1 a.m. daily. For the same price, an exhibition of 25 bronze sculptures by local artist Tom Otterness continues through March 18. His whimsical figurines are positioned on Broadway medians from 64th to 168th Sts. A CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO TIMES SQUARE ADVERTISING Times Square Information Center SeventhAvenue between 46th and 47thStreets New York 212-206-6674 ext. 206 www.creativetime.org WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Backed by local revivification associations, Creative Time and the Times Square Alliance, artist Christine Hill has devised a wheel-shaped tip sheet that, when spun, reveals the nitty-gritty underneath the neighborhood’s tradition of hucksterism. A romp through the razzle- dazzle begins with a look at the Budweiser sign—set the decoder wheel to display eight facts about it (like how the company commits 11.67% of its total advertising dollars to its area presence), then move on to the next example. The wheel can be picked up through April 19 at places such as the Information Center, or it can be downloaded from the Creative Time web site. CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL OF GARDENS 23570 Highway 121 Sonoma, Calif. 707-933-3010 www.cornerstonegardens.com THE INTERNATIONAL Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire in France was the seed of inspiration for this first gallery-style garden in the United States, nestled in nine acres near wine country. Opened last July, Cornerstone set landscape architects and designers to work on 1,800-sq.-ft. parcels of land. Tom Leader’s “Break Out” is a maze of screen doors that the artist says “draws on the vernacular culture of rural California,” while Martha Schwartz’s “The Usual Suspects” employs a miniature golf course setting. Admission is $9 for adults, $7.50 for seniors (age 65 and over), $6.50 for students, and $4 for children (ages 6-12). The gardens are currently open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; summer hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. SAN DIEGO BIRD FESTIVAL Through Feb. 13 Marina Village Conference Center 1936 Quivira Way San Diego, Calif. 619-516-0139 www.sandiegonaturefestivals.org/ birdfest FLIGHT PATTERNS. The extensive lineup of expeditions at this festival allows birdwatchers to compare notes on who saw such species as the California gnatcatcher, black-vented shearwater, and Xantus’ murrelet. Members of the general public who can’t quite tell a murrelet from a mockingbird but still have an interest in avian activity, can check out the free Exhibit Fair, held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, and Sunday, Feb. 13, featuring tools of the trade like binoculars and spotting scopes, and bird-related art, books, clothing, and jewelry. A sunset walk along the San Diego River Channel, to observe ducks and herons in their native environment, is offered both days from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., while fledglings can attend the “Little Salt Marsh Schoolhouse,” a set of activities for young birders, on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. SPECTACULAR LIGHTS AND DECORATIONS SHOW Through Feb. 16 Millennium Park Chicago 312-742-1168 www.millenniumpark.org WHILE THE LIGHTS that marked the first holiday season for the Second City’s premier downtown park have mostly been extinguished, enough remains to make an evening trip to enjoy its wintry mix of attractions worthwhile. A red-color wash down the Chase Promenade, and amber Italian lights in the trees twinkling along Michigan Avenue, will shine through Feb. 16. Evergreen trees, red and green eucalyptus, winterberry, and white pine and blueberry juniper also adorn the park, which is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. And until the end of the month skaters can strut their stuff outdoors at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. most evenings (admission is free; skate rentals are $7). MAUI’S WHALE DAY CELEBRATION Feb. 19 Kalama Park (South Kihei Road in Kihei) Maui, Hawaii 800-942-5311; 808-249-8811 www.pacificwhale.org MAUI’SHUMPBACKwhales, weighing in at 45 tons apiece, are the stars of this day-long tribute. More than 8,000 landlubbers attend Whale Day, put on by the 25-year-old Pacific Whale Foundation, each year. The free festivities begin at 9 a.m., with the Parade of Whales, including an appearance by a life-size whale balloon. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. there are activities that include a Learn-A-Thon about the species for children, hula performances, a silent auction (including bids on whalewatching excursions) and a craft fair featuring 100 artisans. Mainlanders who want to return to Maui next year can participate in the Wild and Wonderful Whale Regatta, a local variant on “rubber ducky” races with mockups of the marine mammals. EDISON FESTIVAL OF LIGHT Through Feb. 20 1300 Hendry St. Fort Myers, Fla. 239-334-2999 www.edisonfestival.org BRIGHT IDEAS. Beginning in 1885, Thomas Edison retreated from the winter light of New Jersey to the more welcoming rays of Southwest Florida. Since 1938, Fort Myers has celebrated its famous vacationer with an annual array of public events that has evolved into the Edison Festival of Light. The festival, which kicked off on Jan. 29 with a science and inventors fair, has an outdoor block party tonight (6 p.m. to midnight; general admission is $5, children under 12, free), a free display of local artists at its historical art district (at Clifford Street and Edison Avenue) tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a 157th birthday event for the inventor at his estate on Wednesday, Feb. 9 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m., free with guided tour). The closing weekend offers a free Crafts on the River event (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20). When the sun goes down that Saturday, the outdoor activity quotient rises with a stadium and fireworks show, the Grand Parade, and the United States’ largest nighttime foot race, the Edison Festival 5K, with more than 1,200 runners. THE 15TH ANNUAL NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE WEST March17-20 Rawhide Wild West Town 23023 N. Scottsdale Rd. at Pinnacle Peak Scottsdale, Ariz. 602-996-4387 www.festivalofthewest.com WANNABE COWPOKES can head to this Western-themed town for a taste of life on the trail. Its arena is home to a shooting competition, where cowboys and cowgirls attired for the frontier fire blank ammo at balloon targets from horseback and compete for Grand American Championship titles. Visitors can rough it at the Mountain Man Rendezvous and Sutler’s Row, styled after the trade camps of the furtrade era, or bring home some rugs and gear purchased at the Western Trade Show. Gates open at 10 a.m. Festival admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors ($6 on Thursday, March 17), and $4 for children (free for ages 12 and under on Friday, March 18); a four-day pass is $40. THE 19TH ANNUAL TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL March30 to April 3 Various locations New Orleans 504-581-1144 www.tennesseewilliams.net A “STELLA” EXPERIENCE. The enduring legacy of the playwright famed for “A Streetcar Named Desire” is explored at this event, which unfolds throughout French Quarter locations such as the Le Petit Theater and the Cabildo Museum and attracts 10,000 acolytes. Befitting a bookish celebration, many events take place indoors, with conferences for aspiring writers, theatrical performances, and literary panels. But this year, attendees can also get out and see the Big Easy as Williams might have, as the festival puts on a scavenger hunt that rummages through some of his favorite haunts (Wednesday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m.). The festivals also sponsors a series of walking tours ($20 a person), which in addition to taking in Williams’ homes and hangouts rambles around its cemeteries, bars, restaurants, and locales seen in the movies. THE 11TH ANNUAL DEEP ELLUM ARTS FESTIVAL April 1-3 Deep Ellum Entertainment District Main Street (between Good Latimer and Hall Street) Dallas 800-538-1881; 214-855-1881 www.deepellumartsfestival.com THE EDGE OF TEXAS. Dallas’s answer to the Greenwich Village scene is the site of a free outdoor street party that brings musicians, performers, and artists to the city for three days of entertainment. The organizers promise “no ‘kid’ stuff” and plan to deliver poetry slams and fashion shows for the 100,000 attendees, not to mention the lavishly decorated “Art Cars” parked throughout the district. Guests can chow down on the Mexican, Caribbean, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisine that will be served up and though children may feel slighted, pets get their own parade, which begins 11 a.m. on Sunday, Apr. 3. Hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Apr. 1, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 2, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Apr. 3.