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Planning your 2024 travels? I’ve rounded up some of the best festivals around the world, to help you figure out where to go and when!
These are some of the biggest events around the world, well worth travelling for.
There are massive music festivals, country-wide water fights, religious festivals, and so much more. Always a good way to get under the skin of a different country and experience a unique slice of local culture.
Decided to travel to attend a big festival? Time to start planning! Check out this awesome festival packing list, research top tips about your chosen event, book your flights, and get ready to party!
From well-known cultural events, to quirky parties you may have never heard of, these are some of the most interesting world festivals coming up this year. Is there anything you’d add to the list? Don’t forget to leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
Last Updated: 2nd Jan 2024 with all known future dates.
19 of the Best World Festivals
Chinese New Year, China
2024 dates: 10 February 2024
Chinese New Year is celebrated at festivals around the world! Beijing is one of the most iconic places to witness the Lunar New Year – with the Forbidden City decked in lights, and parades and performances across the city.
However, the recent fireworks ban may have taken some of the shine off the festivities. Hong Kong has one of the most impressive fireworks displays over Victoria Harbour, alongside flower festivals, horse races, and the impressive Night Parade.
If you can’t make it to China for New Year, many cities around the world host festivals to celebrate. China Town in London, the 13th arrondissement in Paris, New York City, Sydney, San Francisco, and many others have huge Chinese New Year parades! Tet is one of the biggest festivals in Vietnam and one of the best Chinese New Year Festivals in the world.
Pingxi Lantern Festival, Taiwan
2024 dates: 24 February 2024
One of the most iconic world festivals has to be the Taiwan Lantern Festival, hosted in the district of Pingxi. Taking place on the last day of the Lunar New Year, the festival sees thousands of visitors flocking to the village to write their wishes on paper lanterns and release them into the sky.
The tradition comes from lanterns which were once used as signals to show that villages were safe. Today, they carry wishes and hopes for the new year to people’s ancestors.
Rio Carnival, Brazil
2024 dates: 9 – 17 February 2024
Rio Carnival is probably one of the most famous festivals around the world – and with very good reason. It’s the biggest carnival in the world, with over two million people a day on the streets.
For a week leading up to Lent, Rio de Janeiro erupts with colourful parades, parties, and open-air performances. And every neighbourhood in the city hosts its own street party – more than 300 of them!
The main event is the Sambadrome Parade – a HUGE parade with dances and floats from Rio’s different samba schools. CLICK HERE to check ticket prices and availability for the next Rio Carnival Sambadrome Parade.
Alternative Carnival destinations
Rio is the most famous – but other parts of Brazil also host Carnival celebrations. The capital, Brasília, and the huge city of São Paulo are both worthy contenders, and there are so many awesome things to do in Brasilia it’s well worth visiting.
Carnival is also a big deal in many other countries. Barranquilla Carnival in Colombia is often called the second biggest after Rio, with several enormous processions and huge street parties. In Europe, Italy’s Venice Carnival deserves a spot on every festival traveller’s wish list.
Mardi Gras, New Orleans
2024 dates: 13 February 2024
Mardi Gras has the same origins as Carnival and takes place on the Tuesday before the first day of Lent (Ash Wednesday). The final day of revelry is Mardi Gras. It means Fat Tuesday in French, and is traditionally the day with the most extreme celebrations. And nowhere on earth celebrates that revelry like New Orleans!
Parades take over the city, and one of the most popular traditions is for the costumed performers to throw beads, doubloons, or other trinkets, known as “throws”, into the crowd. You may even see a few people flash to get their hands on some of these plastic treasures!
Traditionally, this is the day to get “naughty” behaviour out of your system before going into Lent. So expect to see plenty of excess and drunkenness. Check out this fab first-timers guide to Mardi Gras in New Orleans for more info.
Even if you’re not visiting on Shrove Tuesday, you can still get a flavour of Mardi Gras in New Orleans with this Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Mardi Gras World (from £17.30pp).
Holi, India
2024 dates: 25 March 2024
Thanks to its rich heritage and blend of religious cultures, India is home to countless gorgeous festivals. One of the most popular – and beautiful – is Holi. Otherwise known as the Festival of Colour, one of the main parts of Holi is the throwing of coloured paint.
Holi is Hindu a celebration of good over evil, and of the arrival of spring. The colour throwing comes from the story of Krishna and Radha, in which the blue-skinned god colours Radha’s face with jets of water to make them equals. Today, it’s a seriously fun festival where the atmosphere is one of overwhelming joy. A must for every festival lover!
READ MORE: Girl’s Guide to Holi in India
Cherry Blossom Festival, Japan
2024 dates: March/April
At the end of March and the beginning of April, Japan’s brief Cherry Blossom Season – known as Sakura Matsuri – sweeps across the country. Cherry blossoms are the national flower of Japan, and Buddhist teachings have given the fleeting season a spiritual context of mindfulness and living in the moment.
Because nature is unpredictable, be sure to do your research. Keep an eye on the Cherry Blossom Forecasts when booking your trip, and allow time to be flexible.
Best Places to See Cherry Blossom in Japan
- Shinjuku Gyoen, Tokyo
- Matsuyama Castle, Ehime Prefecture
- Senkoji Park, Onomichi City
- Nakaragi no Michi Path, Kyoto
Songkran, Thailand
2024 dates: 13 – 15 April 2024
One of the most unique – and fun – world festivals I’ve ever experienced is Songkran in Thailand. This celebration of Thai New Year involves sprinkling and throwing water at one another, to wash away sins and bad luck, and to represent purification.
Over time, the festival has evolved into more of a giant water-fight. People take to the streets armed with buckets, water guns, and jet sprays! You can still find quieter religious celebrations inside temples, but the Thai people have found the perfect combination of spirituality and fun in their country-wide water fight.
Semana Santa, Guatemala
2024 dates: 24 – 30 March 2024
Semana Santa is Spanish for Holy Week; the week just before Easter at the end of Lent. The Spaniards brought the tradition of Semana Santa with them to Guatemala, and 500 years later it’s one of the most important religious festivals in the country.
Antigua is home to one of the most impressive Holy Week celebrations in the world, with a fascinating mix of Spanish traditions and indigenous cultural beliefs, making it completely unique. The streets and interiors of churches are decorated with intricately designed alfombras. These are “carpets made from coloured sawdust, and they create a colourful backdrop for the numerous processions and lavish floats that fill the city.
Other places to celebrate Semana Santa in Latin America
- Copacabana, Bolivia
- Quito, Ecuador
- San Miguel del Allende, Mexico
- Tañarandy, Paraguay
- Ouro Preto, Brazil
Naadam Festival, Mongolia
2024 dates: 11 – 15 July 2024
For one of the most unique festivals around the world, head to Mongolia for the lesser-known, but totally fascinating, Naadam Festival. A celebration of the country’s nomadic culture, Naadam focuses on three main sports: archery, horse racing, and wrestling.
Men and women compete to show off their prowess at sports and skills that are deeply rooted in Mongolian culture and history. But the festival also combines those sports with arts and culture, and the games are punctuated by singing and dancing performances.
Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe, UK
2024 dates: 2nd – 26th August 2024
The famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe was created to run alongside the more high-brow Edinburgh International Festival, on its “fringe”.
Both run for most of August every year, taking over the entire city in a celebration of the arts. Theatres host shows from around the world, the streets fill with performers, venues pop up in the most unlikely of places, and the whole city is buzzing with creativity and fun.
While the International Festival focuses on theatre, opera, and dance, the Fringe is more “anything goes”. Comedy, music, circus, cabaret, musicals, spoken word poets, theatre… pretty much everything you could think of!
READ MORE: First Timer’s Guide to the Edinburgh Fringe
All Edinburgh Summer Festivals
It’s not all about the Fringe. Over the summer months, Edinburgh plays host to a bunch of fab festivals and events. But the biggest spectacle has to be the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo. It was one of my all-time travel highlights and a must for every travel festival wish list.
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Full-Day Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Scottish Highlands Tour
La Tomatina, Spain
2024 dates: 28th August 2024
Definitely one of the craziest festivals in the world, La Tomatina takes place every year in the town of Buñol in Spain. Essentially, all the local residents get together to throw tomatoes at each other in a gigantic food fight. The festival is held on the last Wednesday in August and follows a week of festivities.
It may seem like a massive waste of food, but the town of Buñol buys in over-ripe, poor-quality tomatoes, especially for the event. Since the tomatoes would be no good for eating, the locals don’t see it as a waste. And the festival looks like serious, messy fun!
READ MORE: Check out Vicky Flop Flop’s guide to Tomatina for loads of info and tips.
Burning Man, USA
2024 dates: 25th August – 2nd September 2024
Burning Man is probably one of the most unique festivals around the world. Held every summer in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, this famous festival attracts travellers from all over the globe.
It’s officially an art festival, but Burning Man is much bigger than that! The desert location becomes a temporary city, filled with costumed attendees enjoying complete freedom and creative expression. It’s a kind of “anything goes” atmosphere, dedicated to anti-consumerism and self-expression, and culminating in the burning of a huge effigy of a man.
Oktoberfest, Germany
2024 dates: 21st September – 6th October 2024
An enormous beer festival, Oktoberfest is now celebrated around the world. But the official festival takes place in Munich, Germany – and it’s all about Bavarian culture and beer.
This is one of the most popular world festivals and draws in a huge crowd. More than six million people attend the event every year, making it one of the biggest folk festivals in the world. Alongside beer stalls, you’ll find Bavarian food, parades, music, and a funfair. Definitely a must for any beer lover’s diary!
If you can’t make it to Munich, the good news is that there are plenty of Oktoberfest events throughout the UK as well. They might not be as big as the original, but they’re still good fun!
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Munich Oktoberfest Ticket, Tour, Lunch and Drinks
Diwali, India and Nepal
2024 dates: 1st November 2024
Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights, and it’s one of the most popular festivals in Hinduism. Similar to Holi, it’s a celebration of the “victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.”.
Hindus around the world celebrate by decorating their homes with oil lamps and candles, and offer puja (prayers) to the goddess Lakshmi. Although India is more famous for Diwali, the celebration is also huge and beautiful in Nepal, where it’s known as Tihar. If you are lucky enough to visit either country in October, try to coincide your visit with this stunning festival.
READ MORE: 17 things to do in Nepal
Dia de los Muertos, Mexico
Dates: 31st October – 2nd November every year
One of my favourite world festivals is the Dia de los Muertos in Latin America, and particularly Mexico. Recently, movies like Spectre and Disney’s Coco have given the festival worldwide fame. But while the colourful costumes and skull face paints are an eye-catching part of Day of the Dead, the festival is about much more than that.
It’s a three-day holiday in which families gather together to remember and pray for loved ones who have died. Many visit the cemeteries to make offerings, decorating the graves with marigolds and candles.
Some families even hold parties in the cemeteries, and the atmosphere is generally one of joy and celebration rather than sadness. There are a vast amount of traditions and beliefs surrounding this festival, so take the time to really understand the events when you visit. But of course, don’t miss the parades and parties as well!
Douz Sahara Festival, Tunisia
2024 dates: late December (usually around Christmas), exact dates TBC. In 2023 the dates were 27th – 30th December, this year should be around the same time. Check here for the latest info.
In the oasis town of Douz in the Tunisian Sahara, palm trees outnumber residents 25 to one! But once a year, the tiny town attracts over 50,000 visitors to the International Festival of the Sahara. Originally a Bedouin marriage market, today this is a fascinating world festival celebrating the culture of the Sahara desert and if Bedouin life.
Singing, dancing, feasting, camel racing, and craft fairs spread across the four-day desert festival. The only downside is that the festival dates, which change every year, can be notoriously hard to find – so keep an eye on the official Tunisia tourism website for details.
Krampusnacht, Germany and Austria
Dates: Krampusnacht always falls on 5th December
If all the festive celebrations of December get a bit too much for you, head to Germany or Austria in search of the ultimate antithesis to Santa; Krampus. This creepy dude is half-goat, half-demon, and he’s the one who punishes children who have misbehaved.
In several countries, including Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Germany and the Czech Republic, the night before the Feast of St Nicholas is Krampusnacht. Many towns, particularly in Alpine regions, host parades of men dressed as Krampus in an event known as the Krampuslauf (Krampus Run). Rural villages in Austria, such as Hall in Tirol, are among the best places to see a traditional Krampus parade. In Germany, Munich hosts a large event (although it’s not always on the same date, so check before planning your trip).
Konya Whirling Dervishes Festival, Turkey
2024 dates: 7th – 17th December 2024 (likely dates)
A celebration of dance and culture, the Whirling Dervishes Festival is an important religious and cultural event. The festival is held in Konya, Turkey, every year, but the date varies as it’s based on the Islamic religious calendar. If you are visiting around early December, make sure you add a stop in Konya to your Turkey itinerary.
The entire festival is dedicated to Jelaleddin Rumi, a revered Sufi saint and the founder of the Mevlana order of Islam. Thousands of Sufi Muslims descend on the small city of Konya, where Rumi’s tomb is found, for the festival. I headed to the tomb in Mevlana Museum on my Treasures of Turkey tour – it’s a very special place!
Dancers in white or coloured skirts perform an intricate dance for a ceremony known as Sema. The twirling dance movements create a stunning effect with the whirling of the skirts, and this festival is spectacular to watch.
RELATED POST: Check out more things to do in Turkey or my guide to the best historic places to visit in Turkey for more inspiration!
Sydney New Years Eve, Australia
Date: 31 December (duh!)
Sydney is the first major international city to greet the new year at midnight, and it offers one of the biggest New Years Eve celebrations in the world.
With the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge providing a spectacular backdrop, the midnight fireworks are among the most spectacular on the planet and a must for any traveller’s bucket list. Take a Sydney Harbour New Years Eve Cruise like this one to get one of the best views of the spectacle possible.
Not only is this an exciting place to spend New Years Eve, but it’s also the start of summer in Sydney. So rather than shivering away in the UK, you can spend New Years Day on one of Sydney’s stunning beaches!
Are there any epic world festivals that you’d add to this list? Scroll down to leave a comment and share the best cultural festivals in the world.
Such an amazing list! We have been wanting to go to carnival in Brazil and hopefully will be planning that soon. Holi in India is also such a fantastic experience.
I LOVED Holi in India. There are so many incredible festivals there you could do a post just about India’s events!!
Actually Diwali is the best festival around India which is celebrated by the entire nation.
I know – I’ve included Diwali in this post for that reason :)
The way of celebration by German is really weird.
Haha I think that’s a particularly weird example! But it looks fun!
thanks for the information
Thanks for reading :)
Nice to see Holi and Diwali in the list of coveted festivals of the world
They’re both such iconic festivals aren’t they :)
Thanks for gathering this list, it is great !!! There are couple of festivals I want to explore myself and looking forward as soon as these lock downs are over….
Thanks for reading! Hope you get to visit a few next year :)
Thank you for providing amazing list of world-wide festivals and events. I hope to attend Octoberfest in Germany in the near future. The Burning Man festival in Nevada seem like a ecletic event.
Thanks for reading! Burning Man looks a bit too intense for me I think – Octoberfest is much more my level!!
St Patricks Day in Dublin is a heck of an experience! So much lively jolliness, watching live bands and singing Irish ditties!
I’ll bet – definitely a good one for the festivals bucket list!
Sumptuous list. I would love to add Nyepi in Indonesia though it may not be in tune with a fun and party atmosphere. It’s a day of silence so tourists can experience the Balinese way of meditation and refraining from action. There are colourful religious parades on the few days before and after the Nyepi day.
Hi Pramod! Thanks so much for commenting. I’d never heard of Nyepi before, it sounds very intriguing. Just been googling and looking at pictures, the parades look amazing. Definitely one for my bucket list :)
This year Nyepi falls on Monday, 11 March. With an additional holiday on 12, it’s an extra long weekend here in Indonesia. I will be there to see the parades.