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I love traveling somewhere with a purpose. Yes, wandering a new city, experiencing culture, and soaking up the everyday life of a destination is the heart of travel. But using a festival or special event as the anchor for a trip makes the experience even more unforgettable. Two birds, one stone.
When I say “festival,” I don’t mean Coachella. I mean the Italian tradition where locals chase giant wheels of cheese down a hill, or a centuries-old parade through cobblestone streets that honors saints, seasons, or spirits. Festivals are where history, community, food, and joy all come together.
This list highlights the best festivals around the world by month, from the iconic (Rio Carnival) to the quirky (bog snorkeling in Wales). Some you’ll know, others may surprise you. Either way, add them to your travel calendar and let them inspire your next adventure.
January
Snow Festival – Kiruna, Sweden
The biggest snow festival in Europe transforms Kiruna into a winter wonderland. Dog sledding, ice skating, hockey matches, and massive snow sculptures take over the city. Visit at night for live performances and your best chance to catch the Northern Lights dancing overhead.
Rijeka Carnival – Rijeka, Croatia
Europe’s hidden Carnival gem. Lasting five weeks, Rijeka’s celebrations are colorful, family-friendly, and full of energy. With elaborate parades, costumes, music, and even a dedicated children’s carnival, this is one of the world’s largest Carnival celebrations after Rio and Venice.
International Hot Air Balloon Week – Filzmoos, Austria
At the base of the Bischofsmütze Mountain, hot air balloons drift over snowy peaks in one of the most scenic festivals in Europe. The highlight is the night glow, when balloons light up the alpine village in a magical evening display.
Quebec Winter Carnival – Quebec City, Canada
Two weeks of pure winter fun. The city builds an enormous ice palace, hosts nighttime parades, and stages daring canoe races on the frozen St. Lawrence River. Heated terraces and hot chocolate keep spirits high, while Bonhomme, the festival’s cheerful snowman mascot, leads the celebrations.
February
Carnival – Venice, Italy
Step into the Renaissance with Venice’s most famous celebration. Masks, balls, and gilded costumes fill the canals and piazzas. Attend a masquerade ball, take in street performances, and watch the city transform into an open-air stage.
Battle of the Oranges – Ivrea, Italy
Legend says this food fight commemorates freedom from a medieval tyrant. For three days, townspeople split into teams and pelt each other with oranges. The energy is wild, messy, and distinctly Italian.
St. Valentine’s Day – Terni, Italy
The birthplace of Saint Valentine transforms into the “City of Lovers” every February. The town honors its patron saint with religious ceremonies, festivals, and romantic events for couples.
Carnival – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The world’s most famous Carnival. Millions of revelers flood Rio’s streets for parades, samba schools, feathered costumes, and nonstop drumming. It’s extravagant, chaotic, and pure joy.
Holi – India and Nepal
The Festival of Colors celebrates spring, love, and the triumph of good over evil. Expect bonfires, dancing, singing, and the ultimate color fight, where powdered pigments and water balloons turn the streets into a living rainbow.
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March
Las Fallas – Valencia, Spain
A pyrotechnic spectacle honoring Saint Joseph. Enormous papier-mâché sculptures, or fallas, are displayed throughout the city, only to be burned in a fiery finale. Add in nightly fireworks and nonstop street parties, and Valencia becomes the hottest spot in Europe.
St. Patrick’s Day – Dublin, Ireland & Belfast, Northern Ireland
Celebrate Ireland’s patron saint with Guinness, parades, music, and dancing. The Emerald Isle pulls out all the stops, turning its cities into green-hued street festivals.
Strong Beer Festival – Munich, Germany
Think Oktoberfest but with stronger brews and fewer tourists. For three weeks, Munich’s breweries serve high-alcohol lagers in historic beer halls.
Mardi Gras – New Orleans, USA
Beads, brass bands, and beignets. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is legendary. Floats roll through the French Quarter, costumes dazzle, and King Cake (complete with a hidden baby figurine) adds to the fun. Sydney, Australia, also hosts a massive LGBTQ+ Mardi Gras with parades and parties.
April
King’s Day – Amsterdam, Netherlands
The city turns orange for the Dutch King’s birthday. Boats clog the canals, DJs play in every square, and flea markets spill into the streets.
Semana Santa – Seville, Spain & Antigua, Guatemala
One of the most important religious festivals in the world. In Seville, ornate floats and somber processions fill the streets. In Antigua, residents create elaborate alfombras (carpets) from flowers and dyed sawdust for processions to walk over.
Shakespeare’s Birthday – Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Celebrate the Bard with theater, music, arts, and crafts in his birthplace. The three-week festival mixes community events with professional performances, honoring England’s greatest playwright.
Lisbon Book Fair – Lisbon, Portugal
For nearly 100 years, Lisbon has hosted Europe’s largest book fair. Browse rare editions, meet authors, and enjoy literary discussions in one of the world’s most book-loving capitals.
Songkran – Thailand
Thailand’s New Year is marked by the world’s biggest water fight. Streets turn into splash zones with water guns, buckets, and hoses, while temples host cultural events, dances, and parades.
May
Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling – Brockworth, England
Competitors chase a 9-pound wheel of cheese down a dangerously steep hill. Injuries are common, but the crowd cheers wildly as the cheese bounces its way to the finish.
Cannes Film Festival – Cannes, France
The Riviera rolls out the red carpet. Celebrities, filmmakers, and cinephiles gather for premieres and parties. If you can’t snag a ticket, people-watching along La Croisette is entertainment enough.
Ready to Explore? Book Here ↓
June
La Batalla del Vino – Haro, Spain
The Wine Battle is exactly what it sounds like. Thousands of people in white gather in Haro to soak each other in red wine. Expect to end the day purple, sticky, and very happy.
Midsummer – Sweden
Sweden’s most important holiday celebrates the longest day of the year with flower crowns, maypoles, folk dancing, and endless feasts. Don’t worry, it isn’t typical that murder happens during this festival, so leave your Midsommar fears behind.
Baby-Jumping Festival – Castrillo de Murcia, Spain
A surreal mix of religion and folklore. Men dressed as devils leap over rows of babies to cleanse them of evil spirits. Strange but fascinating.
July
Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling – Edirne, Turkey
The world’s oldest wrestling competition dates back to the 14th century. Competitors wrestle while covered in olive oil, making for a unique and slippery spectacle.
Wife-Carrying Championships – Sonkajärvi, Finland
Husbands carry wives through an obstacle course for the chance to win beer equal to her weight. Expect lots of spills, laughs, and regional pride.
Hokkai Heso Matsuri – Furano, Japan
The “Belly Button Festival” honors Furano’s central location in Hokkaido. Locals paint faces on their stomachs and dance through the streets in colorful, comical performances.
Ready to Explore? Book Here ↓
August
La Tomatina – Buñol, Spain
The world’s largest tomato fight. Trucks dump tons of tomatoes into the streets, and chaos ensues until the town is drenched in red pulp.
Bog Snorkeling Championships – Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales
Competitors swim through murky bog trenches with snorkels and flippers. Quirky, muddy, and distinctly Welsh.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Edinburgh, Scotland
The largest arts festival in the world. For three weeks, the city is packed with theater, comedy, cabaret, concerts, and street performances.
Obon Festival – Japan
Families honor ancestors with food offerings, temple visits, and bon dances. At the end, floating lanterns are released on rivers to guide spirits back to the other world.
Ready to Explore? Book Here ↓
September
Highland Games – Braemar, Scotland
Watch kilted athletes toss cabers (huge wooden poles), hurl stones, and dance traditional reels. Scotland’s most iconic sporting and cultural festival.
Burning Man – Black Rock City, Nevada
An experiment in art, community, and radical self-expression. Thousands gather in the desert for giant installations, themed camps, and the burning of a wooden effigy.
October
Oktoberfest – Munich, Germany
The king of beer festivals. For two weeks, Munich fills with beer tents, brass bands, Bavarian costumes, and bratwursts. Check out my guide on how make the most out of your Oktoberfest experience.
Chocolate Festival – Bruges, Belgium
A sweet tooth’s dream. Four days of tastings, workshops, and chocolate sculptures in one of Europe’s prettiest medieval towns.
Diwali – India
The Festival of Lights spans five days of fireworks, feasts, parades, and family gatherings. Streets glow with lamps and lanterns in one of the most joyful festivals in the world.
Día de los Muertos – Mexico City, Mexico
Families honor their ancestors with colorful altars, marigolds, and skull makeup. Parades and street festivals celebrate the thin veil between the living and the dead.
November
Guy Fawkes Night – England
Bonfires, fireworks, and effigies light up the night in memory of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
December
Christmas Markets – Germany, France, and beyond
Europe’s towns turn into fairy-tale wonderlands with mulled wine, handmade ornaments, and sparkling lights. Don’t miss Strasbourg, Cologne, or Prague.
Hogmanay – Edinburgh, Scotland
Scotland’s New Year celebration lasts several days with torchlight parades, fireworks, music, and even a polar plunge in the River Forth.
Mevlana Festival – Konya, Turkey
The Whirling Dervishes honor Rumi with hypnotic Sufi dances, music, and prayer. A spiritual and unforgettable way to close the year.
The Bottom Line
For me, festivals are the perfect excuse to travel, but they’re also so much more than that. They give us a front-row seat to history, tradition, and pure joy, whether it’s laughing through a tomato fight in Spain, standing in awe at lanterns floating across the water in Japan, or dancing the night away during Carnival in Brazil. These moments remind me why I love building trips around experiences, not just destinations.
So if you’re planning your next adventure, let a festival be your guide. You’ll come home with stories that feel bigger than just sightseeing, the kind that stay with you long after the trip is over.
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