Germany: Catch the latest innovations in the music world Saturday at Frankfurt fairground’s annual Musikmesse, the international trade fair for makers of musical instruments, computer hardware and software, sheet music and accessories. An hourly schedule of concerts, music business discussions, exhibitor events and special events will be featured along with more than 1,600 international exhibitors. The fair, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., is running the same time as the Prolight + Sound trade fair for Event and Communication Technology. A Musikmesse ticket (27 euros for adults, 7 euros for children 6 to 12 years old) gets you into both events. Learn more at http://musik.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en.
Have some fun in the atmosphere of an old-fashioned carnival Friday through April 26 at Frankfurt’s Dippemess on the Festplatz am Ratsweg. Begun as a 14th-century crafts market, the annual fair has grown to include amusement rides ranging from stomach-churning roller coasters to children’s carousels, market stalls with a variety of products, all kinds of food, drinks and games and two fireworks displays. Every Thursday is Family Day with half-price rides and other specials. Every Monday is Rosa-Montag with specials at the market stalls and tent programs. Fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m. on April 3 and 26.
The fair is open 2-11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 2 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 11 p.m. Sundays (closed April 10). Details at www.dippemess.de (in German).
Scotland: This year is the International Year of Astronomy and the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. The 2009 International Science Festival in Edinburgh, which claims to be Europe’s largest science fair, will observe both events by highlighting topics such as "Ghost Universe: The Greatest Challenge to Modern Science" and "Darwin, Ideology and God" from Saturday through April 18. The schedule will include talks, shows, activities, tours, exhibitions and workshops.
Events include a first-time visit from Asimo, the most advanced humanioid robot; a panel of experts looking at the history and science of "Haunting: the Science of Ghosts"; "X-rated Stories in the Stars" (adults only); and a behind-the-scenes look at the technologies used in Pixar’s recent movies. Children can build a rocket, join a plant-collecting expedition, sleep over in the zoo and dig for dinosaur bones.
For information, go to the Web at www.sciencefestival.co.uk.
