July 19-25 global agenda: Comic-Con in San Diego

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Next week's highlights comprise a huge international airshow in the UK, the 41st San Diego Comic Con, the opening of the classical music festival in Salzburg and the close of the biggest cycling event with the Tour de France in Paris.

Farnborough International Air Show
July 19-25
Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, United Kingdom

The Farnborough Air Show is a biennial exhibition of all things aviation, where major deals are often announced by the industry. For members of the public, the exhibition is also set to include some spectacular air shows on July 24-25.
http://www.farnborough.com

Hong Kong Book Fair
July 21-27
Hong Kong, China

The Hong Kong Book Fair has in 20 years grown from a small, industry-only event into somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. The 2009 edition saw nearly 500 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions as well as 900,000 visitors, many of whom lined up overnight to get author autographs and book bargains and to attend the hundreds of cultural events held as part of the fair. The 2010 fair will feature seminars, new book releases, storytelling sessions, and talks by well-known authors from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and elsewhere.
http://hkbookfair.hktdc.com/en

Comic-Con
July 22-25
San Diego, California, USA

The sold-out 41st annual San Diego Comic-Con International will host guests including American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, True Blood author Charlaine Harris, comic book writer and editor Stan Lee, and dozens of other writers, artists, and editors from the wide world of comics. Originally a showcase for classic comic books, science fiction/fantasy writing, and related film/television, Comic-Con has expanded over the years to comprise horror, anime, manga, animation, and webcomics. The convention is the largest in the Western hemisphere and the second largest in the world after the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France, attracting more than 125,000 visitors a year.
http://www.comic-con.org

Salzburg Festival
July 25-August 30
Salzburg, Austria

The oldest and one of the most prestigious festivals in Europe celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2010. Highlights will include concerts by the Vienna Philharmonic and featuring pianist Evgeny Kissin, as well as opera productions including Elektra by Richard Strauss, Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, and Alban Berg's Lulu. Also on the program: seven concerts devoted to the music of Johannes Brahms, as well as concerts featuring the music of Schumann, Chopin, and Wolfgang Rihm; and a performance by international stars Rolando Villazón and Hélène Grimaud.
http://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at

Cycling: End of Tour de France
July 25
Champs Elysées, Paris, France

This year, the 20-stage tour started in the Netherlands and Belgium before crossing into northeast France. Descending into more central areas and the famous Burgundy region, it then traced a route around the Alps, southern France, and the Pyreneés before the penultimate stages in and around Bordeaux. As is tradition, the final stage finishes in Paris, on the Champs Élysées.

Sites added to UNESCO World heritage list announced
July 25-August 3
Brasilia, Brazil

During the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee, in Brasilia (Brazil) this year, the addition of sites to the UNESCO World Heritage list will be discussed and announced throughout the week of discussions. In 2009, the sacred Buddhist mountain of Wutai in China and Italy's Dolomite Mountains were among the new sites added.
http://www.34whc.brasilia2010.org.br