Travel: What's on worldwide - Carnival fever ... Mashed and roasted ... Run, rabbit, run

5-15 February

Croatia

The 10-day carnival in the port of Rijeka on the northern Adriatic coast is expected to attract 8,000 participants and 150,000 spectators this year. Far from the madness of Rio and the elegant sophistication of Venice, this annual festival has an earthier and more eastern European style.

7 February

UK

Potatoes boring? Not in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, where they give the spud its day of glory with talks, tours, cookery demonstrations and sales of more than 100 varieties of seed potatoes in Ryton Organic Gardens. You can also enjoy a menu of potato-based dishes in the award-winning restaurant and discover exactly how many things you can do with this root vegetable.

12-21 February

Singapore

Events for Chinese New Year are about to get under way and in Singapore include a range of attractions and activities to explore authentic Chinese culture and traditions in this, the year of the rabbit. Along the waterfront, you'll find something resembling a carnival parade and stalls selling Chinese food, traditional art, handicrafts and so on.

13-16 February

Belgium

In the village of Treignes, in the Belgian Ardennes, villagers celebrate carnival in their own way. Locals prepare a pyre made of straw, while money is raised to pay for a giant omelette which, according to tradition, is divided among the crowds. The festival ends with the ritual drowning and cremation of the Mardi Gras Man on the bonfire.

13-28 February

France

In Nice, on the French Riviera, the pre-Lent party is celebrated every day during the festivity by a "flowers fight" (bataille des fleurs - as the French say) between the parade and the public. The theme of this year is "The King of the 20th-Century Carnival" and giant figures in papier- mache built around this theme parade on the main boulevard, the Promenade des Anglais.