It's time to party! But where to go?

— -- Many of us don't feel much like partying these days, but economic freefall notwithstanding, a little revelry never hurt anybody.

Michael Guerriero, author of the new Party Across America! 101 of the Greatest Festivals, Sporting Events, and Celebrations in the U.S. (Adams media.com, $12.95), aims to point us in the direction of the nation's biggest bashes.

Criteria for inclusion in the book were simple. First, it had to be a yearly event repeated in the same place. Second, it had to exude high-watt energy — "something the entire town or city looked forward to," he says.

And so, after being laid off from his pharmaceutical marketing job in late 2007, the 32-year-old Fort Collins, Colo., resident collected his severance pay, climbed in his Subaru Outback and hit the road ready to par-tay.

His party-hopping road trip, along with similar jaunts that began a decade earlier, covered 11,951 miles and forms the basis for this practical guide to attending major festivals (New Orleans Mardi Gras, the Daytona 500) as well as lesser-known ones (Fur Rendezvous in Anchorage; Freakfest in Madison, Wis.).

Along the way, Guerriero discovered that in a Starbucks-on-every-corner era of creeping homogeneity, these time-tested festivals lend a distinct flavor to their locales.

"These events tell an interesting story about the places they occur in," he says. "You can learn more about a place by going to one of these celebrations than you might from going to the usual (points of interest)."

Though Guerriero wanted to include events in all 50 states, four — Connecticut, North Dakota, Idaho and Arkansas — didn't make it. Nor did some high-profile doings, such as the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square.

"The cameras were rolling and the tourists were out. The ball dropped, and the cameras went off and everyone went home," he says. "It did not qualify as a great party."

Among the best, in Guerriero's book

Best musical bash:

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., April 17-19. "The grounds were incredible, with art installations and laser beams shooting up. You feel like you've just walked into a Dr. Seuss book. And the music is top-notch." (coachella.com)