The Best Places to Visit in May 2023

And just like that, it’s May. The southern hemisphere is on the cusp of winter while the north celebrates the arrival of warmer weather, which means May is packed with new opportunities to explore, dine out and take part in great events across the globe. Here’s where you need to travel this month.

VIVID festival brightens up Sydney, Australia

The festival of lights and bright ideas kicks off on 26 May, and this year promises to take things up a notch. Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park will host 12 nights of free musical shows, including a celebration of the past 15 years of triple J’s Unearthed High music competition on 2 June. The creator of The White Lotus, Mike White, and star Jennifer Coolidge will join Benjamin Law for a Global Storytellers talk; and some of the world’s leading chefs will take over restaurants across the city for two weeks. Innovative installations, immersive events and the illumination of Sydney’s iconic landscapes, including the Royal Botanic Garden and buildings in Circular Quay and The Rocks, take place all month. (Newly opened Capella Sydney is a perfect landing pad when you’re done exploring.)

Ultra-luxe COMO Le Montrachet lands in Burgundy, France

The first French hotel in the COMO portfolio, COMO Le Montrachet, is now open. Four hours from Paris and surrounded by world-class vineyards in the heart of Burgundy, COMO Le Montrachet is a modern interpretation of the historic 19th-century inn Hotel Le Montrachet. It features 30 luxuriously renovated rooms and suites and a variety of gastronomic experiences – including Le Montrachet Restaurant where the menu changes with the seasons and the cereal-crusted pigeon is a staple – befitting the location. You can even take a hot-air balloon ride to see the grapes from new heights.

Uluru lights up with Wintjiri Wiru, Australia

Set to illuminate the sky over Uluru, the lands of the Anangu people in the Northern Territory, Wintjiri Wiru is a 1000-drone spectacular that tells a chapter of the ancient Mala ancestral story. Combining lights, lasers and projections, the experience – enjoyed as a three-hour-long sunset dinner (created by Bundjalung chef Mark Olive with dishes such as saltbush-crusted smoked emu and cucumber-and-green-ant canapes) and show or a one-hour presentation after nightfall – runs from 1 May until December. The event was created in consultation with the local Anangu people, and features narration in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages. While you’re at Ayers Rock Resort, enjoy the now-permanent Field of Light experience, too.

Go off-grid on secluded Lazarus Island, Singapore

Due to open this month, Tiny Away Village at Lazarus Island will bring eco-conscious lodging to Singapore’s white-sand offshore island – the first accommodation to be built on the isle. Visitors need only take a 15-minute ferry ride from Sentosa or a 15-minute walk down the causeway from St John’s Island to get to the eco-friendly accommodation, which includes five tiny houses that feature kitchenettes, televisions, wi-fi and hot showers as well as solar power and food-recycling facilities. By June, there will be bicycle rentals available too, so you can explore the natural beauty of this idyllic island (and hidden gem!) at your own pace.

Taste the flavours of Western Australia, Australia

Running from 4 to 14 May, Western Australia’s annual Taste Great Southern food and wine festival celebrating the Great Southern region (encompassing Albany, Denmark, Mt Barker, Frankland River, Porongurup and Katanning) is back. Over 11 days, 40 culinary experiences will showcase the region’s exemplary produce and talent with onsite tasting experiences and agricultural exploration, food and wine masterclasses, long lunches, musical extravaganzas (including the Perth International Jazz Festival “on tour”), and educational events. Be sure to spend a morning at the Albany Farmers Market to meet creative growers and providores while picking up some treats to take home.

Festival season lands in Memphis, USA

Memphis is set to shake, rattle and roll for the month of May, with a line-up of festivals, events and competitions in the musical city. It’s a celebration of local culture and an opportunity to explore cultures further afield (this year will shine a spotlight on Malaysia), but the 46-year-old Beale Street Music Festival – featuring musicians including Earth, Wind & Fire, Robert Plant, and The Roots – and four-day World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest remain staples. On 27 May, the city will also host the Great American River Run, which wraps around downtown Memphis and along the Mississippi.