With an extended opening period from 12 February to 11 December, Blenheim Palace is planning a host of brand new events in 2005, including a Jousting Tournament (30 April to 2 May), a Triathlon (22 May), a Tattoo and Country Fair (15-17 July) and a Children's Extravaganza (6-7 August).

Heat up your mid-winter blahs at the Fourth Annual Food and Fun Festival in Reykjavik. This week-long festival of special promotions at restaurants and bars brings to light achievements of chefs and brew masters, as well as manufacturers of Icelandic gourmet products such as caviar, shrimp, lamb and cheese.

A new brochure from Suffolk describes why the county should be first choice when it comes to short breaks. Choose Suffolk welcomes visitors to pretty villages, castles and windmills, wide open skies, peaceful countryside and heritage coast - all of which are to be found within its borders.

Liverpool and Merseyside will come alive with a host of SeaBritain events in 2005. Regattas, festivals, maritime themed entertainment and an exhibition on the golden years of transatlantic liner travel all feature.

There's even more reasons to get out and discover England with the launch of the new Enjoy England Official Guides to Quality Accommodation 2005.

From Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury boutique hotels to off-the-beaten-track hideaways and environmentally-friendly campsites in vineyards, England has it all. To help Brits discover just what is on offer VisitBritain has produced a new (2005) edition of the Enjoy England Holiday Planner.

On February 12 you can wish your friends and relatives a Happy Chinese New Year. On this day the Chinese celebrate the start of their New Year. Would you like to celebrate with them? You are very welcome in the Nieuwmarkt quarter, the Amsterdam Chinatown. Come and enjoy the fireworks, without which it is quite impossible to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and the traditional Lion Dance.

VisitBritain has published a pocket-sized handbook for young travellers aged 18 to 30 in association with guide book specialists Lonely Planet. "Experience Britain, Do It Your Way" is the official guide for backpackers, independent travellers and working holidaymakers planning a trip to the UK.