2. Lincoln Center Festival & Mostly Mozart, New York City
Leave it to New York City to stage not one but two major festivals on the indoor stages of Lincoln Center and beyond.

In July, the forward-looking Lincoln Center Festival brings the world to Manhattan with much cutting-edge theater and opera, plus world music, contemporary classical music, and avant garde dance. Troupes come from Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as the United States.

In August, the older festival, Mostly Mozart, is a bit more conventional but ranges far beyond the 18th century of its namesake. Programming includes plenty of Mozart, Hayden, and the like to please traditionalists, but it also includes contemporary composers and dance troupes.