So, there we are, then. Another year almost up. But you’ve got no time for Auld Lang Syne - you need to start planning the next one. There’s loads going on in 2008, and if you act now, you can be in on it.

BETTE MIDLER TAKES OVER LAS VEGAS
From February 20

For some, Las Vegas is a crass, soulless, morally bankrupt place of broken dreams and shabby excuses. But that was BB – Before Bette. The demure Miss M and her seductive Kiss My Brass touring ensemble will be upping the schmaltz factor to dangerous levels. Midler takes over from Céline Dion as the “resident artist” at the Colosseum, and the four-time Grammy-award-winner’s show will be a mix of song, sequins and sensational levels of campery. You know you want to. Get the ticket: catch her while she’s still excited about being stuck in Vegas for two years (ie, by April). Top seats - go for the front, orchestra and first mezzanine – are available at www.ticketmaster.com; from £114. Fly to Las Vegas with Virgin Atlantic (0870 380 2007, www.virgin-atlantic.com); from about £370.

PUCCINI’S 150TH BIRTHDAY
From March 6

It’s 150 years since one of opera’s most popular proponents wailed his first aria. To mark the event, La Scala, in Milan, presents Il Trittico, the Italian composer’s triptych of one-act works. The three pieces – Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi – will be conducted by local boy Riccardo Chailly. Get the ticket: there are several performances in March, and tickets for all go on sale on January 4 at 10am, priced from £15 to £125; call 00 39 02 860775 or visit www.teatroallascala.org. Airlines flying to Milan include EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Flybe (0871 700 2000, www.flybe.com).

REAL MADRID V BARCELONA
May 7

The penultimate game of the season throws up the biggest grudge match in the Spanish calendar: last year’s La Liga winners are at home to 2007’s runners-up. It won’t be a quiet affair. Get the ticket: Fan Fare Events (0161 437 0002, www.fanfare-events.com) has packages including flights, three nights’ accommodation and the best seats in the Bernabeu stadium – category 1A, on the first, second or third tier – from £725pp.

EXPO ZARAGOZA
From June 14

You might think that a festival with the theme of Water and Sustainable Development would not be high on a list of entertaining offerings. But you’d be wrong. For a start, Bob Dylan will be performing a new version of A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, the Expo’s official song. And there will be upwards of 3,400 other musical, theatrical and dance performances, shows and exhibitions in Spain’s fifth-largest city, which has been gently and efficiently rebuilt to accommodate the expected 5m visitors. Get the ticket: Dylan’s date has yet to be announced, and his camp is keeping shtoom – check www.expozaragoza2008.es for details. Day tickets for other shows (£20) are available on 00 34 902 107676. Fly to Zaragoza with Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com).

DOCTOR WHO PLAYS HAMLET
From July 24

Fresh from his Christmas canoodle with Kylie in last week’s Doctor Who special, David Tennant starts rehearsals for Hamlet, in what should be the RSC’s standout production of next summer. Keeping it firmly based in a galaxy far, far away, the only other confirmed cast member is Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart, as Claudius. Get the ticket: there is only limited availability already, but if you can be flexible on date, you should be okay; call 0844 800 1110 or visit www.rsc.org.uk.

HADRIAN COMES TO LONDON
From July 24

Hoping to do for the Romans what the terracotta-army exhibition has done for the First Emperor, the British Museum will exhibit 200 artefacts, including Hadrian’s head, sculpted in bronze, from the 2nd century AD. Get the ticket: booking starts on February 6, with prices to be confirmed. For ticket updates, register at www.britishmuseum.org.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES
From August 8

In China, the number eight is considered lucky. For proof, at eight seconds past 8.08pm on the 8th of the 8th, 2008, the 29th Olympic Games will get under way in Beijing. Over 15 days, 10,708 athletes in 28 sports will compete in 302 events at 37 venues in Beijing. Get the ticket: the opening and closing ceremonies sold out months ago, but there is still availability for a number of disciplines, including some good athletics events (the men’s 200-metre final on August 20) and, gloriously, women’s beach volleyball. Sportsworld is the official source for the British and Irish ticket allocation. It has availability, but anticipates a rush in January. Call 0870 385 0808 or visit www.sportsworld.co.uk/beijing for details of ticket availability, the application process and packages (four nights start at £850pp, excluding flights, which can be arranged by the operator; from about £750).

NEW YEAR’S EVE IN HAVANA
December 31

There are many places that claim to hold a decent jamboree to usher in the new year, but Havana in a year’s time will unquestionably be the liveliest place to see in 2009 – the next day is the 50th anniversary of Castro’s appointment as Cuba’s leader. Get the ticket: the street parties will be free, but accommodation in the old town is going fast. Voyager Cuba (01580 766222, www.voyagercuba.co.uk) can tailor-make a 16-night tour of Cuba, visiting the Bay of Pigs and the Che Guevara memorial, in Santa Clara, from £1,480pp, including flights.

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