50 Worlds Greatest Festivals...

1- Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, China: January 5- February 5

People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights and lasers.

2- Chinese New Year: Between January 21 & February 20

The biggest Chinese holiday, with dragons, fireworks, symbolic clothing, flowers, lanterns, and celebration, everywhere in China, and even in other Asian countries.

3- Sundance Film Festival, Utah, USA: end of January

The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature length films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket.

4- Magh Mela Festival India: January

Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus bathe in the rivers.

5- Up Helly Aa Fire Festival, Scotland: January

Torches, tar barreling, parties, flamboyant costumes, and the burning of a replica viking ship make this an exciting festival.

February

6- Holi Festival, India: Late February/March, on the last full moon day.

Hindus and Sikh, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day religious festival by throwing colored powder and water at each other. Learn more about the Holi festival.

7- The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: February or March

A week of extravagant parades, dancing, colors, and alcohol makes this one of the most exciting and well-known festivals in the world.

8- Mardi Gras, New Orleans, USA: late February or Early March

Beads and booze. A crazy celebration before lent, aka the last day before giving up sinful pleasure.

9- Pingxi Lantern Festival, Taiwan: February

People write their wishes on fire lanterns and release them into the sky en masse, creating a beautiful spectacle of floating lights.

10- Carnival of Venice, Italy: between February & March

One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes.

11- The Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy: February

An enormous food fight where people form organized teams and throw oranges at each other.

12- Desert Festival of Jaisalmer, India: February

Witness cultural events like camel races, and a moonlit concert. Want to get there? Take an SUV or camel safari.

March

13- Ultra Music Festival, Miami, Florida: Late March

A very intense electronic music festival for the partiers out there. Make sure to dress outrageously.

14- Calle Ocho, Miami, Florida, USA: March

An exciting Cuban street festival in Little Havana, with food and live music.

15- Las Fallas, Valencia: March 15-19

Fire, fireworks, smoke, and excitement make this festival a cross between Disney World and the apocalypse.

16- St Patricks Day Festival, Dublin, Ireland: March 17

There is a parade, costumes, music, comedy, film, and drinking.

17- Frozen Dead Guy Days, Nederland, Colorado: March

Dress up like a frozen dead guy and participate in events like a coffin race, a polar plunge, a parade, and partying.

April

18- Songkran Water Festival, Thailand: April 13-15

The Thai New Year festival falls on some of the hottest days in Thailand, and people celebrate by throwing water on each other, using water guns, buckets, hoses- whatever they can get their hands on.

19- Koninginnendag (Queen’s Day), Netherlands: April 29 or 30

This is a national holiday and a “free market” day, so everyone sells everything on the streets. There are games, concerts, performances, and parties on boats in the canals.

20- Sandfest, Port Aransas, Texas: April

An amazing sand sculpture contest with live entertainment.

June

21- Glastonbury Music Festival, England: last weekend of June

The largest open air music and preforming arts festival in the world.

22- Festival of the Sun, Peru: June 24

Expositions, street fairs, and live music mark the celebration of the sun god.

23- White Nights Festival/Scarlet Sails, St.Petersburg, Russia: end of June

Scarlet Sails is just one part of the white nights festival, including spectacular fireworks, concerts, and a mock battle among pirates in boats on the Neva River.

24- Food and Wine Classic, Aspen, Colorado: June

Participate in food and wine tasting, and watch cooking demonstrations, speakers, and a cooking competition. You need to buy a ticket.

July

25- San Fermin Festiva, Pamplona, Spain: July

There are many events including folkloric ones, but the most famous is the running of the bull.

26- Panafest, Ghana, Africa: July-August

An African cultural celebration with theatre, drama, music, conferences, fashion, and art.

27- Pflasterspektakel, Austria: July

A huge street art festival with all kinds of crazy performances.

28- Spice Mas Carnival, Grenada: July-August

An independence day celebration with Calypso music, a steel band competition, elaborate dress, and plenty of big events.

29- Music City, Nashville, Tenessee, USA: July 4

One of the biggest 4th of July festivals, with fireworks and country music.

August

30- La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain: last Wednesday in August

The whole point of this festival is to throw tomatoes at people. Yeah. Its awesome.

31- Lollapalooza, Chicago, USA: August

A metal, rock, punk, and hiphop festival with some craft and comedy mixed in.

32- Obon Fesitval, Japan: August

Families release floating lanterns into the water to represent their ancestors’ spirits being sent off.

33- Gay Pride Parade, Amsterdam, Netherlands: first weekend of August

A huge gay pride festival, include a canal parade down the river on boats.

September

34- Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA: Last Monday of August- first Monday of September

A major, amazing festival where a self-relient community of radical art, self expression, and awesomeness is created and removed without a trace one week each year.

35- Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany: Late September-first weekend in October

One word: beer. This festival is now held all around the world. It is an important part of Bavarian culture.

36- Grape Throwing Festival, Mallorca, Spain: last weekend in September

Throw huge amount of grapes at people and participate in other fun events.

October

37- Fantasy Fest, Key West, Florida: last week of October

A colorful parade and parties in the notoriously liberal town of Key West.

38- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico: early October

Over 750 hot air balloons take to the skies, some are illuminated at night, and some are uniquely shaped.

39- Diwali Festival of Lights: October/November

A family-oriented festival with firecrackers, sweets, and the lighting of small clay lamps and candles.

40- Halloween Festival of the Dead, Salem, Massachusetts, USA: end of October

Costume balls, vampire masquerades, psychic fairs and ghost hunting make Salem one of the top Halloween destinations.

41- Keene Pumpkin Festival, New Hampshire, USA: October

Massive towers of Jack-o-Lanterns, fireworks, and music draw a huge crowd.

November

42- Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Mexico: November 2

Friends and family gather to celebrate loved ones who have passed on, through elaborate traditions of food, art, colors, and culture.

43- Pushkar Camel Festival, India: November

An enormous camel fair with music, events, exhibitions, and cultural market stalls.

44- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York, USA: 4th Thursday of November

Giant balloons shaped like characters, as well as floats, bands, and entertainment, are paraded around New York city.

45- Monkey Buffet Festival, Lopburi, Thailand: end of November

The point of this festival is to give fruits and vegetables to monkeys and attract tourism. It works.

December

46- Junkanoo, Nassau, Bahamas: December 26 & January 1

A street festival with art, music, culture, elaborate costumes, and a parade, to bring in the new year.

47- Natchitoches Christmas Festival, Louisiana: December

Parades, boats, lights, and Christmas celebrations.

Varied Dates

48- Full Moon Party, Haad Rin, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand: the night before or after every full moon

Like something straight from a movie, 20-30,000 people gather each full moon to spend the night partying on a beach and doing wild events like fire rope skipping.

49- Olympic Games: summer or winter every other year

Thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of sports. The opening ceremony is always a spectacle. If you don’t know what the Olympics are… well, lets not go there.

50- Love Parade, Germany (canceled)

One of the world’s biggest festivals, celebrated from 1989-2003 & 2006-2010, it included electronic music, costumes, and “let-lose” behavior. Unfortunately due to the tragic deaths of 21 participants in 2010 due to over crowding, the Love Parade has been permanently canceled.