A Year of The Best Festivals Around the World


Spring is notorious for music festival season, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of festivals throughout the year, both large and small, religious and weird, pure and messy. If you want to make this the ultimate year of partying, here are a year of the best festivals around the world!

Best Festivals Around the World; Chinese New Year
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January

Wakakusa Yamayaki (Nara, Japan) – Burning of the dead grass on Mount Wakakusa

Sundance Film Festival (Park City, United States) – American film festival featuring mostly independent films

Chinese New Year (Beijing, China– Cultural parade and festival of the Eastern New Year

Snow and Ice Festival (Harbin, China) – The largest ice and snow festival in the world

Up Helly Aa Fire Festival (Shetland Islands, Scotland) – Series of fire festivals to mark the end of the yule season

Up the Creek Festival (Barrydale, South Africa) – Small boutique music festival located along the river

Best Festivals Around the World; Mardi Gras new orleans

February

Thaipusam (Batu Caves, Malaysia) – Hindu festival featuring wild body piercings

Mardis Gras (New Orleans, United States) – Series of French Catholic, Carnival celebrations

Carnivale Di Venezia (Venice, Italy) – Catholic celebration of Three Kings Day

Carnival (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – Roman Catholic celebration of Three Kings Day with heavy samba influence

Pingxi Lantern Festival (New Taipei City, Taiwan– Thousands of lanterns light up the night sky

Pasola (Sumba, Indonesia) – A tournament between two teams of spear-wielding horsemen

Argungu Fishing Festival (Argungu, Nigeria) – Unusual fishing festival

St. Valentine’s Day (Terni, Italy) – Celebration of Saint Valentine by feasting in his hometown

Saidai-ji Eyō (Kannon-in Temple, Japan) – Naked festival throughout the temple

Menton Lemon Festival (Menton, France) – Weekend celebration of the cities most famous produce: lemons

Best Festivals Around the World; St Patrick's Day
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March

Ultra Music Festival (Miami, United States) – Outdoor electronic music festival

Holi (India, Nepal, Sri Lanka) – Hindu spring festival also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love”

St. Patrick’s Day (Dublin, Ireland– Parade and festival celebrating Saint Patrick

South by Southwest (Austin, United States) – Film, interactive media, music festivals and conferences

Cape Town International Jazz Festival (Cape Town, South Africa) – Africa’s largest music festival of all things jazz and contemporary

Art Basel (Hong Kong, China) – Week-long arts festival with world-renowned artists, this chapter held in China.

Hanami (Yoshino, Japan) – Enjoying the annual bloom of cherry trees in full blossom

Maulid (Lamu, Kenya) – Celebration of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed with singing and dancing

Ben Aïssa Moussem (Meknès, Morocco) – Morocco’s largest festival celebrating Sidi ben Aïssa

April

Byron Bay Bluesfest (Byron Bay, Australia) – Largest blues festival in the South Pacific

Kanamara Matsuri (Kawasaki, Japan) – World’s biggest penis festival

Songkran Water Festival (Chiang Mai, Thailand) – Celebrating the Thai New Year with a country-wide water fight

Transahara (Sahara, Morocco) – Music festival featuring EDM music in the Sahara

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Indio, United States) – Music and arts festival attended by some of the biggest names in entertainment

New Orleans Jazz Fest (New Orleans, United States) – Old and new jazz music festival

Snowbombing (Mayrhofen, Austria) – Winter snow music festival

Valborg (Uppsala, Sweden) – Celebration of spring amongst nature by dancing, drinking and lighting a bonfire

Koninginnendag (Amsterdam, Netherlands) – Outdoor celebration of King Willem-Alexander with concerts and special events 

AfrikaBurn (Tankwa Karoo National Park, South Africa) – Africa’s very own Burning Man.

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May

Sasquatch! Music Festival (George, United States) – Music festival featuring indie rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and underground hip hop

Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis, United States) – Series of automobile races

Kattenstoet (Ypres, Belgium) – A parade dedicated to the celebration of the cat (as well as witches).

Cannes Film Festival (Cannes, France) – Annual film festival featuring films of all genres from all around the world

San Vino Wine Fight (Haro, Spain) – Wine festival with wine drinking competitions, fights and contests

Lollapalooza (Chicag0, United States) – Alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop music festival

Cheung Chau Bun Festival (Cheung Chau, Hong Kong) – Enjoying and making edible rolls for good luck.

Rose Festival (El-Kelaâ M’Gouna, Morocco) – Celebration of spring with thousands of pink roses

Pooram (Thrissur, India) – Celebration bringing together Hindus, Muslims and Christians, through elephants

Bay to Breakers (San Francisco, United States) – Fun run where runners dress in whacky costumes

Best Festivals Around the World; L'International des Feux Loto
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June

Midsummer (Gothenburg, Stockholm) – Celebration of summer solstice in Scandinavian countries

Glastonbury Festival (Pilton, England) – Contemporary performing arts and music festival

Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas, United States) – Largest EDM music festival

Bordeaux Wine Festival (Bordeaux, France) – The world’s largest wine tourism attraction!

Inti Raymi (Cuzco, Peru) – Religious ceremony of the Inca Empire honoring the god sun

White Nights Festival (St.Petersburg, Russia) – International arts festival during the season of the midnight sun

Kirkpinar (Erdine, Turkey) – Turkish oil-wrestling tournament

Gay Pride Parade (San Francisco, United States– Weekend parade and party celebrating the LGBTQ community

L’International des Feux Loto (Québec, Montreal) – Most prestigious and largest fireworks festival in the world

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival (Manchester, United States) – Music festival featuring indie rock, classic rock, world music, hip hop, jazz, americana, bluegrass, country music, folk, gospel, reggae, pop, electronica, and other alternative music.

Art Basel (Basel, Switzerland) – Week-long arts festival with world-renowned artists, this chapter held at the inaugural location in Switzerland.

Best Festivals Around the World; Tomorrowland
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July

Exit (Novi Sad, Serbia) – Summer music festival featuring rock music, electronica, heavy metal, hip hop, reggae, and punk rock.

Splendour in the Grass (New South Wales, Australia) – Music festival and Australia’s  biggest winter festival

Boryeong Mud Festival (Boryeong, South Korea– 9-day mud festival promoting the health benefits of mud by playing in it

Tomorrowland (Boom, Belgium) – One of Europe’s biggest electronic music festivals

Comic Con (San Diego, United States– Multi-genre entertainment and comic convention

Running of the Bulls (Pamplona, Spain– Individuals run in front of a small group of cattle through the town’s streets

Garma Festival (Northern Territory, Australia) – Celebration of Yolngu culture, presented by clan elders

Panafest (Ghana, Africa) – Cultural event held every two years for Africans and people of African descent

Spice Mas (Carnival, Grenada) – Grenadian cultural festival

Milwaukee Summerfest (Milwaukee, United States) – Known as “The World’s Largest Music Festival”

Festival d’Avignon (Avignon, France) – Large performing arts festival

Splendour in the Grass (Yelgun, Australia) – Huge music festival not unlike Coachella.

August

La Tomatina (Buñol, Spain) – Festival where you throw tomatoes at each other

Burning Man (Black Rock City, United States) – Annual event where a temporary city is created, sharing takes place and ends with the burning of a wooden man

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival (San Francisco, United States) – Music, arts and food festival

Mid-Autumn Festival (China, Vietnam) – Harvest festival celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese people

Obon Fesitval (Tokyo, Japan) – Lighting of lanterns to honor spirits of one’s ancestors

Sziget Festival (Budapest, Hungary) – Music and cultural festivals on an island of the Danube River.

September

Hajj (Mecca, Saudi Arabia) – An annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the most holy city of the Muslims

Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) – Biggest beer-drinking festival in the world

Lake of Stars (Lake Malawai, Malawi) – International festival with musical acts from Africa and the UK

Regata Storica (Venice, Italy) – Rowing races on the Grand Canal

Giostra del Saracino (Tuscany, Italy) – Medieval jousting tournament in Arezzo

Braemar Gathering (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) – Famous Highland games

Umhlanga Dance (Lobamba, Swaziland) – Cultural festival where Swazi dance with umhlanga (reeds) swaying above their heads

Cure Salée (In-Gall, Niger) – Cultural celebration held by Fulani and Tuareg cattle herders in the Sahara desert

Horn Dance (Staffordshire, England) – Cultural tradition of dancing with deer antlers

Janmashtami (Mathura, India) – Mass pilgrimage and festivities for Krishna

Cows’ Ball (Bohinj, Slovenia) – Celebration of the winter homecoming of cattle with a parade

Best Festivals Around the World; Masskara Festival
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October

Rocking the Daisies (Darling, South Africa) – Large music festival

Masskara Festival (Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines) – Festival held to create smiles and happiness

Diwali (Delhi, India) – Hindu festival of lights

Albuquerque International Balloon Festival  (Albuquerque, United States) – Hot air balloon festival in New Mexico

Moga Festival (Essaouria, Morocco) – Outdoor rave in outdoor setting

Desert Trip (Indio, United States) 3-day music festival featuring retro and old school rock

RiSE Festival (Las Vegas, United States) – Thousands of lanterns light up the night sky

November

Dia De Los Muertos (Mexico City, Mexico– Celebrating the dead with a day of remembrance with a parade, dressing up and dancing

Loi Krathong (Chiang Mai, Thailand) – Thousands of lanterns light up the night sky

Full Moon Party (Koh Phangan, Thailand) – Monthly party celebrating the full moon

Pushkar Camel Festival (Pushkar, India) – World’s largest camel and livestock fair

Monkey Buffet Festival (Lopburi, Thailand) – Festival giving fruits and vegetables to monkeys

Best Festivals Around the World; Junkanoo
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December

Junkanoo (Nassau, Bahamas) – Street parade with music, dance, and costumes

Quema del Diablo (Antigua, Guatemala) – Burning of the Devil by building bonfires outside their homes

Mevlâna Festival (Konya, Turkey) – Celebration of Sufipoet Celaleddin Rumi with  dervishes dance their famous whirl

L’escalade (Geneva, Switzerland) – Festival celebrating the defeat of the surprise attack on 11th–12th December 1602 with chocolate and mulled wine.

Art Basel (Miami, United States) – Week-long arts festival with world-renowned artists, this chapter held in the US.

Chaumos (Kalasha Valleys, Pakistan) – Winter harvest festival of the Kalash people

Festival of the Sahara (Douz, Tunisia) – Festival celebrating nomadic history and culture

Fiestas Zapote (San Jose, Costa Rica) –  Traditional celebration celebrating the end of the year in the district josefino Zapote .

Falls Festival (Various Cities, Australia) – Large music festival held over the New Year.

Any Others That Should be Included on the List of Best Festivals Around the World?

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