2008 Top 100 Video

In 2008, Québec City, the first French permanent settlement in North America, celebrates its 400th anniversary. From January to October, visitors will find 10 months of unprecedented excitement in a city rejuvenated by major urban improvements. Throughout the year, the city will come alive with more than 130 events including never before seen productions and showcasing artists from all over the world. The festivities kick off on Dec. 31, 2007 when Québec City's history is retold through music, acrobatics and large-scale video projections during an spectacular outdoor show at Place d'Youville. Anniversary highlights include four days of magical celebrations around the actual 400th anniversary on July 3. On that day, special commemorative activities pay tribute to the founding of Québec City. In the evening, the Summer Festival will make everyone want to dance during a unique 400th opening show on the Plains of Abraham. On July 5, one thousand artists and extras will march the streets in an event-in-motion called Urban Opera. Place d'Youville, the Parliament Buildings and Bassin Louise will all be the stage of unbelievable street performances. Whether looking up in the sky, on buildings or on the street, visitors will be amazed by this artistic extravaganza. The public can meet and greet the Urban Opera's characters during a giant picnic on the Plains of Abraham on July 6. Overlooking the Bassin Louise, Espace 400e will be the main venue of the festivities from June to September. This new pavilion located in a totally revamped harbor will host new daily activities, shows, artistic gardens and much more. It will also be home to a bold popular exhibit specially created for 2008. In addition, Image Mill, the world's greatest multimedia presentation ever produced, designed by Robert Lepage and Ex Machina, will also be on stage at Espace 400e. Several of Québec City's annual events have added a special 400th anniversary touch to their programs. The main cultural institutions will also take part in the celebrations with a series of unique and original exhibitions and concerts. The long-awaited exhibition, Louvre in Québec City, features 276 works from the Louvre collections, shown here for the first time ever. Cirque du Soleil will also thrill audiences with an exclusive show paying tribute to francophone diversity at the Québec City Coliseum during the closing event on Oct. 19. The city also welcomes more than 30 major international events in 2008 making this once-in-a-lifetime experience one not to be missed.

Other attractions: Montmorency Falls and the International Fireworks Competition, Musee National Des Beaux-Arts du Québec, International Summer Festival, New-France Festival, the new Espace 400e

The common threads throughout all cultures are the language, lifeways, and art forms they share. The Museum of Northern Arizona's 75th Annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture immerses visitors in Hopi language and artistry, revealing the very essence of today's Hopi people and the ideas that pervade their daily life. The festival was started by Museum founders Harold and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton in an effort to encourage the survival of Hopi arts and crafts. The festival is now a tradition of Hopi families. The Hopi are descendants of the ancient Puebloan people whose cultural history is documented throughout the Four Corners region for thousands of years. The Hopi villages are located on mesas in northeastern Arizona. Traditionally, Hopi are dryland farmers who specialize in the cultivation of corn, beans, and squash. Hopi blue corn is adapted to the arid climate and plays an integral part in Hopi ceremonial life. More than 55 artisans travel from the Hopi mesas to share with visitors their lifeways and artistic creations. By providing a deeper insight into the Hopi culture, this festival fosters communication and the exchange of ideas and offers an in-depth mix of art, music, performances and Heritage Insight presentations. Authentic expressions of cultural traditions and the voices of knowledgeable educators join together, creating cultural understanding and a forum for dialogue. Festival visitors gain insight from carvers, painters, jewelers, potters, quilters and basket and textile weavers as well as through cultural presentations, storytelling, music and dancing. Take a taste of piki or Hopi bread baked in outside ovens. Watch Hopi pottery being shaped, painted and traditionally fired. Walk the Museum's Rio de Flag Nature Trail with a Hopi medicine woman. And take part in insightful discussions about the Hopi values of humility, cooperation, respect, balance and earth stewardship. The Museum of Northern Arizona is one of the great regional museums in the world, surrounded by tremendous geological, biological and cultural resources in one of Earth's most spectacular landscapes.

Other attractions: Grand Canyon National Park, Hopi Reservation, Wauptki, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon and Montezuma Castle National Monuments, Lowell Observatory, Sedona