THE CULTURAL DIVIDE April

FANFAIR

Balenciaga's newly opened West Coast flagship introduces gladiator sandals, couture shapes, and a veritable garden of spring prints to the lucky ladies of Los Angeles. (8670 Melrose Avenue)

22 San Francisco Baller jetes into the grand of its 75th-anniversary celebration with the presentation of its New Works Festival. Featuring 10 world premieres by 10 renowned choreographers such as Mark Morris and Margaret Jenkins, the festival is any balletomane's dream come true. (4/22-5/6; sfballet.org)

Complete with randy sailors, grass skirts, secret spy missions, wartime romances—oh, and racial prejudice—Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, one of the most award-winning musicals of all time, returns to Broadway after a 54-year absence. Previews start March 1 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. (Ict.org)

► Since it debuted, in 2002, the ever growing Tribeca Film Festival has become an influential launching pad for indie directors, and it continues to premiere many of the summer's blockbuster films. (4/23-5/4; tribecafilmfestival.org)

25 The Big Easy gets its groove back this month with the return of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, featuring performances from more than 100 artists including Stevie Wonder and Diana Krall. Also making a stop on their world tour are Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant and bluegrass darling Alison Krauss. (4/25-4/27 and 5/1—5/4; nojazzfest.com)

READING ROOM

Imagine an interactive literary hub where you can check out authors, browse books, read blogs, listen to readings, or find out about upcoming events in your corner of the world. Redroom.com, a compendium of all things writerly, features luminaries such as Maya Angelou and Khaled Hosseini, and debut novelists including Patry Francis.

5 Don't miss your last chance to view the Takashi Murakami retrospective, "©Murakami," in the United States before it travels abroad. Beginning April 5 at the Brooklyn Museum, the exhibition presents more than 90 paintings, sculptures, installations, and anime by the Japanese artist. (brooklynmuseum.org)

GREEN DAY

The Big Apple gets a little greener this month (just in time for Earth Day!) with the Go Green Expo. The two-day event is N.Y.C.'s first environmentally focused expo and features everything from organic food samples to speeches from eco-experts such as Josh Dorfman, author of The Lazy Environmentalist. (4/26-4/27; gogreenexpo.com)