Amazing landscapes, cultural artifacts, and mouthwatering cuisine are all fine, but if you want to know what drives a nation, you must see how its citizens celebrate. Festivals have always been part of human life since we could walk. Best global festivals to experience they may be holy, hilarious, profane, strange, and sometimes downright dangerous.
No matter where you go, there is almost always a party going on. Enjoy every moment, whether it's shaking your booty in Rio, dressing up as a skeleton in Oaxaca, slinging some mud in Seoul, drinking till dawn in Munich, or dressing up as a Viking in Shetland. These are our selections for the world's top festivals.
18 Best Global Festivals To Experience
1. Wildflower Festival, Bohinj, Slovenia
Some festivals are far more laid back, like this charming flower festival in Bohinj, a rural area of the Slovenian Alps. Not all festivals include sleeping through the night and partying till sunrise. There will be bird-spotting excursions, yoga sessions, woodland bathing, wildflower walks, botanical presentations, outdoor music, and even a cheese-making course.
It is scheduled to take advantage of Slovenia's early summer and, naturally, coincide with the most spectacular wildflower displays in the alpine meadows. It lasts for a few weeks in late May and early June.
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2. Up Helly Aa, Lerwick, Shetland (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
On the final Tuesday of January, this Viking fire festival is held across Shetland, although the major event is held in the main town of Lerwick. The locals, known as guizers, dress in pagan attire, march through the streets by torchlight, burn a model longship, and conclude with a knees-up until the early hours of the morning.
It is essentially a reenactment of a Viking ship burial. The celebration is mostly a Victorian fabrication, despite claims that it has pagan origins. Since there aren't many hotels and B&Bs in Lerwick, it's best to prepare ahead.
3. Thaipusam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This is one of Hinduism's most important days, honoring Lord Murugan, Shiva and Parvati's youngest son. Every year on a full moon day in January or February, Malaysians celebrate this national holiday, which offers an intriguing glimpse of religious devotion thousands of devotees join the procession in the hopes of being one of the select few to carry the sacred statue, known as the kavadi, on their shoulders after fasting for up to a month beforehand on a strict vegetarian diet.
There are intricate piercings across the cheeks, lips, skin, and tongues of many people who are in a trance. At midnight, the main procession leaves from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple and makes its way nine miles to the Batu Caves temples. It becomes insanely crowded: hiring a local guide who knows the finest viewing areas is a smart investment.
4. Buso Festival, Mohacs, Hungary
Be warned: you can get nightmares from this Hungarian folk event. Local townspeople dress up in terrifying masks for this eerie spring celebration, which takes place the week before Ash Wednesday every year. Grotesque faces, diabolical horns, and leering smiles are all standard.
The Buso traditionally dress in straw-stuffed pants, tied shoes known as bocskors, and fur jackets that have been turned inside out. Their preferred means of transportation is the tractor, and they also carry a ceremonial mace or cowbell.
Szepbusok, also known as beautiful Busos, and Jankeles, who have sagging sack heads that look like something from a horror film, are among them. Not for the weak of heart, yet an event unlike any other.
5. Toro Nagashi, Kyoto, Japan (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
Japan has more bizarre holidays than any other country in the world, such as penis festivals and fire festivals, but one of the most calming is Toro Nagashi in August, when hundreds of paper lanterns are released into the river to honor the spirits of the deceased.
Obon, the midsummer period when it is said that the ghosts of ancestors come to visit their family, comes to an end on this day. It is a stunning (and rather poignant) sight to see a sea of small lights bobbing at sunset.
It's also simple to participate in toro, or paper lanterns, which can be purchased from stores for about £10 or made yourself by attending workshops. The majority of Japanese cities have their own variations. The most stunning is Kyoto's Arashiyama Toro Nagashi Festival; however, reservations are required to guarantee a place to stay.
6. Burning Man, Nevada, US
One of the craziest, most bizarre events in the world is this freakout in the midst of the Nevada desert, which resembles a mix between Mad Max and Glastonbury. Burning Man was founded in the middle of the 1980s and has been hosted in the Black Rock Desert, approximately 100 miles northeast of Reno, in northeastern Nevada, since 1991.
Each year, a makeshift city is created in the desert, complete with music venues, mutant cars, and a variety of bizarre sculptures, such as the 40-foot Burning Man himself, who burns to death on the penultimate night.
Expect body painting, bizarre costumes, odd bicycles, and some very bizarre characters—it's an all-out festival. Although the entire event lasts for eight days, many people just attend the second half. If you require transportation from Reno to Las Vegas, hiring an RV is the opulent option.
7. Harbin Ice Festival, China (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
This yearly snowfest in northeast Heilongjiang province is China’s winter paradise. The Songhua River provides more than 200,000 cubic meters of ice and snow, which are utilized to make outdoor structures, including towers, turrets, pagodas, and Disney-style castles that are colorfully illuminated at night.
The event offers wintry sports including sledging, ice hockey, speed skating, skiing, and ice football in addition to the artwork.
Events are held in a number of locations across the city tickets are required for each one, and it's best to avoid Lunar New Year, which typically occurs from the end of January to the beginning of February, when the city is crowded and hotel rooms are hard to come by.
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8. Songkran, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Similarly, this Thai New Year celebration festivity is simply an authorized pretext for complete strangers to be soaked from head to toe. Although the water is supposed to be cleaning, it's really simply a pretext for a water battle, since the Songkran armament allows for the use of powerful water pistols, water bombs, hoses, and buckets.
Every town has its unique Songkran festivities. While Bangkok is the destination for many, the capital may be a bit crazy, so Chiang Mai, a smaller city in the north, offers a more relaxed atmosphere. Farang, or non-Thais, are a favorite target, and the entire city becomes water-mad for a day.
You'll be at risk anywhere visitors congregate, particularly at Tha Phae Gate, the Ping River, and the moat that surrounds the old city (note that it's not fun to get soaked with moat water). Stay close to one of the city's temples for protection, as the water purification there is much more courteous.
9. La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
One of Spain's wildest and messiest street celebrations has been held in this little Valencian town since 1945. Its roots are unknown, but the basic idea is straightforward: throw tomatoes at everyone you see, the softer and splattier, the better. It is held on the final Wednesday in August.
Between 11 a.m. and noon, the major tomato-chucking begins when dump trucks drop a load of mushy munitions onto the main plaza. A gun burst signals kick-off, and tomatogeddon began.
The entire town square is painted crimson by the end of the fruit-chucking, which usually lasts an hour or more. After everyone leaves to clean up, fire engines arrive to hose down the area, and by the end of the day, it's (nearly) as if nothing had occurred.
Etiquette requires that tomatoes be extremely ripe and pre-squashed to prevent them from hurting on impact, but occasionally things can get a bit out of control. To enter the main area, you must have a ticket. Since it's difficult to locate lodging in Buñol, several hotels in Valencia provide day trip packages, or you may take the 80-minute train ride alone.
10. Saint Patrick’s Day, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Ireland's national knees-up is a lot of fun, and we suggest going to Belfast for that unstoppable blend of shamrock and wicked humor. Dress appropriately for the possibility of rain, then purchase some shamrock on Victoria Street and take in the lunchtime procession. For a full afternoon of food, drink, and live music, follow it to Custom House Square. You should be in a pub by 4 p.m. The Cathedral Quarter has the liveliest action; however, most visitors go to popular tourist destinations like Brennan's Bar and the Crown Liquor Saloon, which is controlled by the National Trust.
11. Mardi Gras, New Orleans, US (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
Get ready for the wildest street party in North America. Sparkly beads fly, beverages flow freely, and amazing floats cruise the streets here. It's an incredible celebration. Since several sites close during Mardi Gras, it's smart to plan time to see New Orleans before or after the five parade days.
The French Quarter is the most popular spot to stay during festival days, despite being more expensive than the Central Business District. The major party strip is along touristic Bourbon Street.
Grandstand seats are available for purchase, but nobody sits down when the large parades begin at 7 p.m. Instead, follow the masses along Canal Street on the north/east side of the barricades. When you've had enough, you may head to Frenchmen Street's jazz bars to escape to catch throws, plastic beads, and toys thrown from floats.
12. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Without a doubt, the greatest festival for beer enthusiasts. It's a blast with oompah bands, locals in lederhosen, and ales on tap. The Theresienwiese festival grounds are occupied by fourteen enormous marquees that serve an overwhelming array of domestic and international breweries. The largest, Schottenhamel, has 9,000 seats and is well-liked by younger patrons, while locals prefer the family-friendly Augustiner.
Beer is available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Reservations are essential for the main venues in order to get seats in the top marquees after 2:30 pm.
Munich's old town is a fascinating place to explore when your liver decides it needs a well-earned break, and if you miss it, there are plenty of other pubs and beer halls across the city that join in on the beer-themed fun.
13. Boryeong Mud Festival, South Korea
This mental mudfest, where getting down and muddy is an integral part of the pleasure, may be something you want to avoid if you're a stickler for keeping your clothing clean. It is set in Boryeong, a tiny South Korean town about 80 miles south of Seoul that is encircled by mudflats that are supposed to have mineral content that is beneficial to skin.
It began as a marketing gimmick for the local cosmetics industry, but it has now taken on a life of its own, drawing large crowds of Koreans and tourists from abroad to get gloopy and throw some mud. Mudslides, mud skiing, mud wrestling, and mud painting are sure to be featured, while new events are added each year.
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14. Carnevale, Venice, Italy (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
Few celebrations worldwide have the same historical legacy as the Venice Carnival, which began in 1162 but was banned for being too licentious in 1797 and wasn't brought back until the 1970s. Those who enjoy dressing up will appreciate this: the more extravagant and fantastical your outfit, the better.
The carnival is most well-known for its masks, which are strange, eerie, humorous, and often gruesome. Venice's mask manufacturers, known as maskerari, have their own guild. Although the origin of the custom is unknown, it is said that the masks provide partygoers a sense of anonymity, freedom, and abandonment—the opportunity to transform from their normal selves into real party animals.
15. Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico
Skeletons strolling down the street and tequila-fueled revelers partying all night make this the craziest Halloween in the world. The primary events of the Day of the Dead take place on October 31, November 1, and November 2; however, it lasts for a week. Purchase a mask in the market in the neighboring town of Atzompa on Halloween, and then, after dark, proceed to a cemetery.
Visit the less-visited graveyard in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan, where mariachis sell music for a few dollars, and you'll find a Tim Burton-esque carnival scene littered with marigolds. Most people travel to Panteon San Miguel. The comparative parade takes place on November 1.
Take a taxi 12 miles north to San Agustin Etla, where the skeletons, known as calacas, march door-to-door while slugging tequila and pounding drums in Mexico's most extravagant Day of the Dead procession. The city center festival is a somewhat touristic affair. It's time to put on the mask.
16. Holi, Mathura, India (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
Mathura is a little village just over two hours from Delhi that celebrates Holi with enormous fervor. It was here that Lord Krishna initiated India's paint-chucking ritual. Don't bring your particular threads with you since you'll be covered in vibrant paint at the end. Carrying as few belongings as possible—ideally, no camera, no purse, and just a few tiny notes to purchase powder or gulal paint—as well as wearing long sleeves and pants can spare you weeks of wiping paint off your body.
Staying in New Delhi and taking a cab to Mathura (ask your hotel to organize the round-trip transportation) is the ideal option. You should arrive at the riverbank Vishram Ghat by 7 am. The festival's heart-pounding focal point, the Shri Dwarikadheesh temple, is two minutes' walk to the north. Anyone crossing the road outside, which is ground zero, is at risk. Have to go away? Instead, see the activity from within the temple. It is all finished by 2:00 pm.
17. Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carnivals exist, and Rio's Carnival is one of them. There are no street festivals like the one in the capital of Brazil, where 10 days of nonstop samba dancing, float viewing, street partying, and general mayhem are held. There are three components: free parties, paid balls, and paid parades (at the Sambodromo stadium). The first is a necessity, but only attend the "Special Group" parades on Sunday or Monday (these are the greatest performances).
For the best views and unbeatable seats, get grandstand tickets in Sector 9. Regarding the balls, the Copacabana Palace's celebrity-filled Magic Ball is the most sought-after event, although it comes at a high price. Try dancing for free at blocos (local street parties) or the Scala club's weekly galas instead. The seashore Banda de Ipanema is the liveliest, but Carmelitas is where the cool crowd goes; be careful with your belongings.
18. Oktoberfest - Munich, Germany
Prost! Since the early 19th century, Munich, Germany, has hosted the famous beer festival known as Oktoberfest every year. It lasts around two weeks and draws millions of tourists from all over the world who savor Bavarian cuisine and specially produced beer. In addition to its cultural significance, Oktoberfest encourages social interaction among guests and responsible drinking.
conclusion on Best Global Festivals To Experience
International festivals provide a unique window into the diverse range of customs, festivals, and cultures that bind people together. Every holiday offers a unique experience that cuts beyond boundaries, from the vivid hues of India's Holi to the thrilling ambiance of Brazil's Carnival. Best global festivals to experience these gatherings promote a feeling of unity and joy among people from all over the world in addition to showcasing the creativity and traditions of various cultures.
Going to international festivals may change your life, whether you're a tourist searching for adventure, a cultural vulture seeking motivation, or just someone who wants to see the richness of the globe. Thus, gather your belongings, immerse yourself in the festive mood, and allow these events to serve as your entryway to priceless memories and fresh insights.
FAQs: Best Global Festivals to Experience
Which festival is the best in the world?
- Carnival (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)
- Holi (India)
- La Tomatina (Buñol, Spain)
- Diwali (India)
- Chinese New Year (China)
- Songkran (Thailand)
- Cherry Blossom Festival (Japan)
- Glastonbury Festival (Somerset, UK)
What is the most popular celebration in the world?
Christmas. Although Christmas is primarily a Christian holiday, people celebrate it both religiously and secularly all around the world. Even though Christmas is observed all over the world, the most festive nations are Norway, Iceland, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Who is the king of festivals? (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
The twelve-day Festival of Ridván, often known as "the King of Festivals," honors the twelve days that Baha'u'llah spent in the Ridván garden outside of Baghdad. Work is halted on the first, ninth, and twelfth days, which are holy days.
What are the big three festivals?
The "Big Five," or the world's most prominent film festivals, are Venice, Cannes, Berlin (the original Big Three), Toronto, and Sundance. They are listed chronologically by the date of their founding.
Which country is known for festivals? (Best Global Festivals To Experience)
Japan is renowned for its own distinctive celebrations, such as the Gion Matsuri Festival and the Cherry Blossom Festival. Festivals like Songkran (Thai New Year) and Loi Krathong (Festival of Lights) are well-known in Thailand.