Germany's Top Five

Gaze upon prize-winning images by international photographers at the World Press Photo exhibition in Hamburg. The traveling show, which launches its German tour in the northern city, showcases the top news photos of the past year. The prestigious prizes are awarded yearly by an international jury. The Grüner + Jahr Pressehaus in Hamburg is the first of eight stops, from April 28 to May 29, in the exhibition's German tour.

Explore the limits of theater at the figuren.theater.festival in Bavaria. Sixty-four theater groups from 17 countries will entertain on streets and stages in Erlangen, Nuremberg, Fürth and Schwabach, exploring the use of puppets, objects, dance, new media and unorthodox approaches to theater. Exhibitions, workshops and talks are part of the offerings and, for the fifth time, college students focused on "figurative theater" will meet up to explore their field. The festival runs from April 29 to May 8.

Check out video art old and new at the Videonale 10 in Bonn. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival at Bonn's art museum, the Videonale will show exemplary works from past years and fresh video and media art. And one talented artist will be honored with the 5,000-euro ($6,500) Videonale Award on April 29. The exhibition will be accompanied by a symposium and a series of artist talks, including one from Munich artist duo M+M, which is set to project their piece "Dance With Me, Germany" on the museum forecourt each night throughout the festival. The show runs from April 30 to May 15.

Close your eyes and open your ears to the melodies of Leipzig's favorite son. Johann Sebastian Bach lived in the Saxon city for the last 27 years of his life and is honored every year with a music festival. From April 29 to May 19, musicians from around the world will interpret the master in the annual series. Under the baton of Bach's successor at St. Thomas Church, Georg Christoph Biller, students from the Berlin's Akamus Academy for Old Music and the church's own soloists and choir will perform at the opening concert in the church.

Enjoy a relaxing day with the masses at the May Day festival Myfest in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood. Cars must make way, when whole swathes of the area around Henrichplatz and Mariannenplatz are blocked off for stages and stalls. Then families of picnickers and merry-makers from throughout town mingle in a huge street party with live music and the smells and tastes from a multi-ethnic of food and drink vendors.