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12 unforgettable festivals around the world
Celebration takes myriad forms as you travel across the globe, from Brazil's Carnaval to the Edinburgh Fringe. Here are the top festivals in the world.
Celebration takes myriad forms as you travel across the globe. In Brazil, you can shimmy through the streets during music-fueled Carnaval parades, while some 4700 miles north, Mexicans cherish the memories of dearly departed loved ones with elaborate parties, eating and drinking for the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Across the Atlantic in Germany, Oktoberfest sees the world’s most famous celebration of German beer, music and dancing, while England’s Glastonbury is one of the world’s top rock and roll parties. All over the world, festivals large and small are reasons to embark on a great journey all by themselves.
We could spend hours telling you about every fantastic festival, but if you're looking for the best of the best, we've narrowed it down to 12 of the most iconic celebrations on the planet. From thrilling sports competitions to colorful cultural displays, here are the festivals you absolutely can’t miss.
1. Goroka Show, Papua New Guinea
When: September
Where: Goroka Town, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
Every September, thousands of people flock to Papua New Guinea to witness the country’s longest-running annual cultural festival, the Goroka Show. More than 100 Indigenous tribes from the region come together for three days in a kaleidoscope of color, music and culture, showcasing their unique traditions.
Expect dynamic performances of “sing-sing” dances, with performers wearing intricate feathered headdresses, vibrant body paint and grass skirts, or moulded mud masks, while the air vibrates with the rhythms of traditional drums.
In addition to the dances, visitors can watch traditional displays of strength, mock battles and ceremonies that highlight the pride and cultural richness of this remote region, all set against the dramatic backdrop of Papua New Guinea’s Eastern Highlands.
Etiquette tip: Photography is generally allowed at the Goroka Show, but it’s always polite to ask before taking close-up shots of people, especially those in traditional costume. Modest dress is recommended for festival observers, particularly away from the performances. It’s customary to greet Indigenous people with a handshake or by raising your hand in a wave.
2. Naadam, Khatgal, Mongolia
When: July
Where: Khatgal, Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia
Mongolians love the annual tradition of naadam, and with two or three days of serious wrestling action, awesome horse races and dazzling archery, who wouldn’t? While its name literally means “games,” these days the celebrations are as much about getting together with friends and relatives, eating a lot of khuushuur (mutton pancakes) and emptying a bottle or two of vodka.
Though festivals happen throughout Mongolia, the most iconic celebrations can be found in the northern Mongolian village of Khatgal on Lake Khövsgöl. Though the crowds here are small compared to some of the celebrations in Mongolia’s larger cities, the more intimate country-fair vibe of Khatgal’s festival makes it easier to get close to the games and immerse yourself in authentic Mongolian culture.
One of the major highlights is the horse race, which can cover as much as 30km (19 miles); it's considered to be good luck to catch some of the dust from the winning horse as it is led away after the race. The wrestling matches during the festival are another impressive sight, with athletes in colorful uniforms engaged in strenuous tests of skill. Each match concludes with a fanciful eagle dance that shows off the athlete’s grace and strength. 
3. Día de los Muertos, Mexico
When: November 1-2
Where: Throughout Mexico, but Oaxaca City is a particularly good spot
Few festivals reveal more about Mexican spirituality than Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), when families remember departed loved ones. Today, the festival is not just a Mexican national phenomenon, but also part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as recognized by UNESCO.
Across the country, you’ll see people cleaning the graves of relatives and decorating them with flowers, and families holding graveyard vigils, sprinkling the resting places of loved ones with liquor and building elaborate altars to welcome back departed family members with their favorite dishes. And yes, there’s lots of partying.
Want to experience the biggest Day of the Dead celebration? Head to Oaxaca to the southeast of Mexico City. From late October, the state begins to celebrate with costumed comparsas (or street parades) and candlelight commemorations at local cemeteries. As November 1 approaches, keep an eye out for tapetes de arena – artworks made from sprinkled colored sand that adorn public spaces.
Alfeñiques (sugar skulls), chocolate coffins and toy skeletons are sold in markets everywhere, both as gifts for children and as decorations for shrines and cemeteries. You can even join the locals by getting your face painted in a skeletal design ready for the parades.
On the evenings of November 1 and 2, cemeteries such as Panteón General and Panteón de San Miguel in Oaxaca City become key hubs for Día de los Muertos activities. For a quieter and less crowded experience, head to Panteón de San Felipe del Agua in the northern suburbs to observe the traditional festival celebrations in a more relaxed environment.
4. Carnaval, Brazil
When: Usually in February or early March
Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Festival fever sweeps across Brazil each year, starting five days before Lent and culminating at midday on Ash Wednesday. The nation’s greatest import, Carnaval – derived from a Latin term meaning “farewell to meat” – began as an extension of the Portuguese pre-Lent festival of Entrudo (Shrovetide).
Since then, the festival has evolved into a South American spectacular, with its own massive satellite economy. The famous Carnaval held in Rio de Janeiro has also become a major celebration for the LGBTIQ+ community, as well as attracting legions of international visitors.
These days, the week of Carnaval in Rio sees a wildly hectic and uniquely Brazilian explosion of color, as the city fills with samba dance parades, bloco street parties in Rio’s neighborhoods (that can start as early as January), and family-friendly children’s parties where kids create their own songs and dances.
Whatever else you do, be sure to catch the main event in the center of the city, when Brazilian dancers show off their samba skills at the Sambódromo that functions as the main stage during Carnaval. 
5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
When: For 16 days, up to the first (or occasionally second) Sunday in October
Where: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
The world’s largest drink-a-thon, and the traditional highlight of Bavaria’s annual events calendar, Oktoberfest is one of the best-known public gatherings on earth. No other event manages to mix such a level of crimson-faced humor, drunken debauchery and excessive consumption of beer with so much tradition, history and oompah music.
Some six million revelers descend on Munich from late September to enjoy two weeks chock full of community parades, carnival rides, traditional music, uniquely Bavarian regalia (including, of course, leather Lederhosen breeches and Dirndl dresses) and locally brewed Löwenbräu beer – made following German purity standards that date back to the 16th century.
Oktoberfest is not called the world’s biggest fair for nothing, and while most visitors’ focus is on the bier (beer), there’s plenty going on away from the tents. The focus of the party is the Theresienwiese festival ground to the west of Munich’s city center (Poccistrasse and Theresienwiese are the nearest U-Bahn stations).
The funfair with its big wheel, old-fashioned test-your-strength booths and scary 21st-century thrill rides is an obvious attraction, but magic performances, an agricultural show (more interesting than it sounds) and stalls selling everything from Oktoberfest souvenirs to waffles are other worthy diversions.
When it comes to picking the right Oktoberfest tents, there are around 14 large event tents and 20 smaller tents, all offering food and beer, so it’s wise to develop a game plan in advance to figure out which tents you will visit and in which order.
For the most traditional Bavarian beer and music, the Augustiner-Festhalle may be your best bet, while Hacker-Festzelt tends to draw a younger and even livelier crowd. Meanwhile, Löwenbräu-Festzelt offers a friendly environment for international tourists, and Armbrustschützenzelt is a solid choice for Oktoberfest first-timers.
6. Laura Quinkan Dance Festival, Australia
When: July
Where: Cape York, Queensland, Australia
The biennial Laura Quinkan Dance Festival, last held in 2023, is hailed as the longest-running Aboriginal cultural festival in Australia, and it’s the nation’s biggest celebration of Indigenous dance and culture.
Held over three days, and organized by the local Ang-Gnarra Aboriginal Corporation, the festival sees communities from across Cape York and the Torres Strait come together to celebrate with music, dance, singing and cultural performances. It's also a valuable opportunity to renew acquaintances and pass on spoken history.
The event attracts thousands of visitors from across Australia and overseas and it’s an important showpiece for the Ang-Gnarra community of the Laura region, north of Cairns. Tickets for the next festival, due to be held in July 2025, can be purchased in advance on the festival website, with camping facilities for tents and campervans provided at the festival grounds.
7. Carnival, Caribbean Islands
When: Usually February-early May, but varies from island to island
Where: Islands across the Caribbean
Carnival is one of the most vibrant and exciting celebrations held on the islands dotted around the Caribbean. Each of these island nations has its own unique version of the event, featuring extravagantly colorful costumes overflowing with sequins and feathers, enthusiastic dancing, vibrant music and joyful street parades.
The Carnival season typically lasts for several weeks, with festivities culminating in a grand finale on the last day before the Christian observance of Lent. However, the exact timing of the celebrations varies from island to island. The tradition was brought to the region by European colonial powers, but later reclaimed by the communities transported to these islands as slaves.
In Trinidad & Tobago, Carnival season kicks off in February, with events and parties taking place throughout the month. The main parade – known as “The Greatest Show on Earth” – takes place on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
In Jamaica, Carnival is celebrated in April and is known as “Bacchanal Jamaica,” while in The Bahamas, festivities kick off in late April or early May. On other islands such as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada and St Lucia, Carnival is celebrated in July or August.
Be sure to sample the local rum (every island has its own version) and try some of the special Carnival foods, such as “oil down” (a salted meat, vegetable and coconut stew) in Grenada, pelau (spiced rice with peas and coconut milk) in Trinidad and Tobago, and fried escovitch fish in Jamaica.
8. Dark Mofo, Tasmania
When: Mid-June
Where: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
What started out as a fun, irreverent way to get Hobart folk out of their homes and connecting with their neighbors during the long, cold winter nights somehow morphed into a massive celebration of all things dark and Gothic, attracting visitors from around the world.
Everything from the city’s airport to the Tasman Bridge and waterfront and buildings on Salamanca Place are adorned with red lights and upside-down crosses during this multifarious and irreverent arts and cultural festival held in mid-June each year.
There’s plenty of music and performance art, from the shocking to the sublime to the downright weird. However, two events are constant – the multi-night Winter Feast and the festival-closing Nude Solstice Swim on the winter solstice.
9. Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, England, UK
When: June
Where: Glastonbury, England
The English town of Glastonbury is synonymous with the enormous, alternative, frequently mud-soaked festival that sprawls across Worthy Farm in nearby Pilton each June. If you can bag a ticket to the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, then you’re in for a wild ride of music, theater, cabaret and carnival-type celebrations.
Watching high-profile rock, pop and alternative acts headlining the Pyramid Stage is just part of the Glastonbury experience. The festival is a mini city of arenas and ideas, with numerous smaller stages that have become iconic in their own right. Pop into eco-conscious Green Fields, visit Unfairground’s late-night music and arts mashup or catch big-name DJs at steampunk Arcadia.
To secure tickets, register for free at the official Glastonbury festival website and be ready to pounce as soon as tickets are released. Tickets typically go on sale around October/November for the following year’s festival and sell out within hours, with extremely limited resales around April.
10. Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland
When: August
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
You can feel it coming on the streets of the Scottish capital in late July. It’s there in the sweeping of streets, the plastering of posters and the flocking of food trucks. Yet nothing can quite prepare you for when the hurricane hits Edinburgh in August. The city’s population swells to twice its normal size and Fringe flyer posters and fire-eaters fill the Royal Mile.
This is festival season in Edinburgh, and for many, it’s the greatest arts event on earth. The main attraction, of course, is the three-week-long Edinburgh Fringe, when tens of thousands of performers of comedy, theatre, dance, circus, cabaret and kids’ shows fill venues scattered across the Old Town and beyond.
Yet the Fringe is just one of several major festivals taking place in Edinburgh in August. There’s the Edinburgh International Festival, with its packed program of classical music, theatre and opera. There’s the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with talks by big-name authors from around the world.
Then there’s the Edinburgh Art Festival, which sees specially commissioned artworks installed around the city, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival – the world’s oldest film festival, founded in 1947 – with special premieres and red carpet stars.
And for traditionalists, there’s the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with its eye-popping displays of military marching bands and Scottish pageantry. That’s six major festivals, all at once, in just one city!
11. Holi, India
When: Usually March, but varies with the Hindu lunar calendar
Where: Across India
After the cool, dry winter, India welcomes in the spring and the start of the harvest season with the spectacular festival of Holi, the Festival of Colors. This riotous, nationwide color-fest is one of the most immersive celebrations anywhere in the world, and we mean that literally.
Visitors who attend can expect to be doused in gulal (colored powder) and water by huge crowds. Many people buy inexpensive white clothes to wear for the celebrations, to avoid staining their favorite outfits. Accompanied by the lighting of bonfires, music and dancing and delicious festival foods, Holi is an ever more extravagant celebration than Diwali in many parts of northern India.
Symbolically, Holi marks the victory of good over evil – usually embodied by the victory of Prahlada, a devout devotee of Vishnu, over the demoness Holika. Some locations are particularly legendary for their celebrations, particularly the towns of Vrindavan and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, where Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) spent his childhood years.
12. Mardi Gras, New Orleans
When: February or March
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s noisy, and prices for everything in New Orleans go through the roof. But Mardi Gras – literally translating to “fat Tuesday” – is also a whole lot of fun. It’s a colorful, chaotic and uninhibited spectacle, capturing the very soul of New Orleans.
The festival marks the end of the Carnival season, a roughly two-and-a-half-week period of revelry that precedes the Christian holidays of Ash Wednesday and Lent. It’s most famous for its parades, from small groups of friends partying in the streets to long processions of professionally built floats, marching bands and "walking krewes" in flamboyant costumes.
The celebrations build in intensity as Carnival goes on, reaching fever pitch about five days before Fat Tuesday, before culminating in pure debauched revelry on Mardi Gras day. The biggest parades follow a set route through uptown New Orleans via St Charles Ave, but the crowds can be phenomenal, so arrive early to secure a viewing spot.
This content was adapted from Lonely Planet’s guidebooks to these destinations.
