Types of Festival

Today the word ‘festival’ can be used to describe a celebration of just about anything!

Some of the most unusual world festivals we’d love to see for ourselves include:

Bloop International Proactive Art Festival is an interactive art festival held annually in Ibiza, Spain. The festival combines street art, installations, video arts, interactive works, photography, avant garde music and more!

The Cannes Film Festival is an annual film festival which premiers new films of all genres, including documentaries from all around the world.

Camp Bestival is a family-friendly music festival in Dorset in the South West of England. Guests can expect live music and games, mostly indie and dance.

Comedy is the largest section of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, part of the Edinburgh International Festival held annually in the United Kingdom, making up one third of the programme.

Wanderlust is a three day summer yoga festival and wellness getaway held in Squaw Valley, California.

Pizzafest is the world’s largest celebration of Pizza and every foodies dream- it takes place in Naples, Italy each year.

Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest (a large event in Germany which combines a beer or wine festival and a travelling funfair).

The Berlin International Literary Festival ranks as one of the world’s most important literary festivals. It’s an annual event based in Berlin.

Arguably the most famous summer solstice celebration takes place at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is a festival held every year before Lent and is considered to be the biggest carnival in the world.

Holi is a popular ancient Hindu festival which signifies the triumph of good over evil.

London Pride is an annual LGBT+ pride festival and parade held each summer in London. It is one of the longest-running pride events in the world and attracts 1.5 million visitors to the city. It is the only annual event to close London's iconic Oxford Street.

Harbin Ice Festival, China is an annual festival which takes place in January. The 2018 festival attracted over 18 million visitors and generated $4.4 billion in revenue.

Just for Laughs in Montreal, Canada is the largest international comedy festival in the world.

Taste Chicago is the largest food festival in the world, with more than 3 million visitors each year.

The Conrad Festival in Krakow, Poland is the largest in central Europe.

The festival with the largest attendance isn’t Glastonbury or Coachella, but Donauineselfest- which regularly attracts more than 2 million festival goers. Peaking in 2015 with 3.3 million according to the Guinness World Records.

Berlin International Film Festival is considered the world’s largest film festival with more than 400,000 tickets sold each year.

Brazil’s carnival is widely considered ‘the greatest show on earth’. 5 million people attend each year.

Antarctica is probably the last place you would imagine festivals to take place, but on a continent where the average highest temperature is still only slightly below freezing and where there are no hours of sunlight all winter, a few celebrations have been introduced to ensure the 5,000 scientists and researchers who reside here can let their hair down and have a little fun!

Antarctica celebrated its first Pride celebration in 2018 thanks to a group stationed at McMurdo Station, located about 850 miles from the South Pole.

The group raised a rainbow flag, hosted marathon screenings of Ru Paul's Drag Race, themed movie nights and a gay bar night in celebration.

To be eligible to enter the Winter International Film Festival of Antarctica (WIFFA), you’ll need to commit to spending your entire winter in the most hostile place on earth. 

No mean feat in itself! But to win, you’ll need to create the best 5-minute film in one of two categories (48 hours or Open).

Held annually since 2006, the winner doesn’t receive any prizes- other than the recognition from the other scientists & researchers on the Antarctic bases!

The most southerly music festival in the whole world has been held in Antarctica on New Years Day every year since 1990.

Even though the festival falls in the Antarctic summertime, the conditions are still so cold that musicians have to wear extreme weather gear and guitars fall out of tune a lot quicker due to the freezing conditions.

The stage is constructed by pushing two flatbeds from the back of tractor trailers next to one another. Bands don't have to audition to perform, any locals are welcome to have a go!

Easily the biggest celebration in the Antarctic calendar, Midwinter Day falls in the middle of winter on the shortest day of the year.

It is the main celebration on most national bases, more so than Christmas or other more traditional holidays.

With the cold at it's most extreme and constant darkness over the continent, there is relatively little work that can be accomplished and those on the scientific stations are usually confined to their immediate area.

Although the nature of the exact celebrations vary from base to base, they usually involve an extravagant meal and greetings sent from the outside world including from national leaders!

As the world's second-largest and second most populous continent with 54 separate countries, African culture is extremely rich and very diverse.

Each country has its own tribes, languages, culture and traditions, so it's no wonder it's home to some of the most spectacular festivals in the world (in some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes!).

Established by Swazi-born philanthropist and artist Jiggs Thorne in 2006, Bushfire has now grown into a global phenomenon, with some even describing it as eSwatini’s (formerly Swaziland) answer to Glastonbury.

With a significant portion of the profits from the event given to local organizations focused on health, education, sustainable livelihoods and environmental issues- Bushfire is much more than a festival, it’s a call to action for social change.

The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) is the largest multi-disciplinary art and cultural festival dedicated to the exhibition of films in Africa. It has also been described as the largest cultural event in East Africa. 

The event has been held on the island of Zanzibar, an autonomous region of the country of Tanzania. 

Each year, ZIFF exhibits more than 150 films made in Africa, Middle East, Europe, Latin America, USA and Asia.

First held in 1994, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music is an annual 10-day celebration held in mid-summer, where internationally renowned artists from around the world flock to Morocco's spiritual capital.

Events are held throughout the city at heritage sites, including the majestic Bab Al Makina Square, where official ceremonies of the Royal Palace used to take place and in the Medina a busy city centre made up of mazes and alleyways. Meaning the festival is just as much a treat for the eyes as it is the ears!

An official Burning Man regional event held in South Africa since 2007.

Just like the original Burning Man concept- it is a celebration of the creative power of collaborating and community.

As an completely volunteer event, everything is brought in by the community. There are no outside vendors, nothing for sale and the music is not on any set schedule.

Asia is a colourful continent rich in thousands of traditional holidays, festivals and celebrations throughout the year.

The largest continent on earth, Asia hosts 48 countries and territories, many with very strong cultures which is reflected in the diverse number of festivals across the continent! 

Officially Asia’s largest festival at sea, ‘It’s the Ship’ is a 4 day EDM party aboard a super-swanky, luxury cruise ship complete with chandeliers, multiple swimming pools, an ice rink and a casino.

Previous festivals have chartered from China, Singapore, South Korea and Japan and have been headlined by world renowned DJs like Paul van Dyk, as well as notable appearances from David Hasselhoff and Andy from Fyre Festival!

One of the largest jazz festivals in the world, the event is held annually each March in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. 

It’s a 3 day celebration of jazz from all over the world, the 2020 concert was headlined by The Jacksons!

Dashain is a Nepalese celebration of the victory of good over evil and specifically the day the demon Mahishasura was defeated by Goddess Parvati or Durga. 

Nepals biggest annual festival, it is usually celebrated in September or October and is the only national festival celebrated by all communities across the country.

It’s a time for family reunions, exchanging gifts and blessings and elaborate pujas (a Hindu worship ritual).

Thadingyut Festival otherwise known as The Festival of Lights, takes place for three days during the full moon of the seventh month of the Burmese calendar (usually near the beginning of October) and marks the end of Buddhist lent (Vassa).

During the event, many people put out candles as offerings to Buddha, in order to celebrate the anniversary of Buddha’s return from the Trayastrimsa Heaven, where he preached from the Abhidhamma texts to Santusita for three months. 

During Buddhist Lent, marriages and forbidden and many give up meat and alcohol- so the end of this period is very much cause for celebration!

Despite being the second smallest continent (only Oceania is smaller in terms of both landmass and population), Europe is still home to 44 individual countries with a diverse range of languages, people and a long and rich history. Some might say, Europe is the cultural powerhouse of the Western World!

As such, it’s no wonder that Europe is home to some of the worlds biggest and best festivals, renowned the world over for their unique individualism and creativity.

Tomorrowland is a multi-award winning event, renowned for being the world’s largest dance festival.

Held over two weekends each July in Boom, Belgium, the festival now regularly welcomes more than 400,000 guests and sells out within minutes of tickets going on sale!

One of the most unique festivals in the UK. Camp Wildfire is a forest retreat packed full of wild adventures, wilder parties and the most amazing like-minded people!

A summer camp for adults where you can adventure by day and party by night!

100+ activities are on offer including : Flying Trapeze, Water Slide, Archery Battles, Raft Building, Firelighting, Shelter Building, Acro Yoga, Parkour, Sign Language and many, many more!

The annual Pictoplasma Berlin Festival is the world’s leading platform for contemporary character design and art. 

The event takes over the streets, cinema venues and exhibition centres of the German capital for 5 days each September.

Gladmat (‘happy food’ in English), is Scandinavia’s largest food festival and an epic 4 day celebration of food, held in the main harbour in Stavanger, Norway.

The event attracts over 200,000 visitors each year and has been running for more than 20 years. The festival features tutored wine tastings, cooking classes and competitions. Sounds delicious!

When you think of North America, you might just think about the USA & Canada- but there are actually 23 individual countries which make up the continent.

This includes the tropical islands of the Carribean and central America as far as Panama.

A North American festival can range from carnivals to local heritage festivals, fine food fetes to cowboy poetry gatherings!

An annual film festival held in Michigan since 1963, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest and longest-running avant-garde experimental film festival in North America.

Founded by George Manupelli, it was created as an alternative to commercial cinema.

One of the most distinctive, individual festival concepts in the world, when tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art and self-expression.

Attendees must be entirely self-reliant whilst visiting, as there are no vendors or shops. Many describe this as a completely life-changing, thought-provoking and soul-enriching experience!

The World’s Largest Jazz Festival, as awarded by the Guinness World Records of 2004. The festival attracts more than 2 million attendees annually across a multitude of individual events and concerts.

Every year it features more than 3000 artists from more than 30 different countries, with more than 650 concerts (including 450 free outdoor performances).

Dia de los Muertos or ‘The Day of The Dead’ is an iconic Mexican celebration of life and death.

Held annually on All Saint’s Day and All Souls’ Day, the festival is not associated with the US holiday of Halloween.

During the two day celebration, it is believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world. Families welcome back their dead relatives for brief reunions which include feasts, drinks and celebrations. 

South America has a rich and diverse Latin American identity and history of indiginous cultures.

With 14 individual countries, South America is home to some of the worlds most spectacular festivals and fiestas. Nothing sums up Latin America’s spirit and colour quite like it’s colourful celebrations!

Envision Festival describes itself as ‘the utopian jungle experience’. 

Often described as one of the most immersive festival experiences in the world- it has built a cult following over the past 10 years.

The festival embodies ‘8 pillars’- permaculture, spirituality, movement, art, music, community, health and radical acceptance.

Inti Raymi is Quechua (one of the three official languages of Peru) for ‘sun festival’.

An ancient Inca religious celebration of sun worship held each year on the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

Expect to see an astounding display of colourful costumes, vibrant music and delicious food, if you are lucky enough to attend one of the most spectacular attractions of modern day Peru.

Originating as an annual festival held in Chicago, USA since 1991. Lollapalooza first debuted in South America in 2010 with an event held in the Chilean capital Santiago.

Since, the event has also taken place in Brazil since 2011 and Argentina since 2013.

Lollapalooza is widely acknowledged as one of the largest and most iconic music festivals in the world.

In 2019, the Brazilian edition was the world's third highest grossing festival!

Ecuador is known to produce some of the best high-quality chocolate in the entire world. 

This deliciousness is celebrated annually at the Salon de Chocolate, which promotes Ecuador’s cocoa and chocolate sectors.

More than 60 producers and thousands of guests gather in mid June in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito.

Guests can expect chocolate tastings, an award ceremony and a chocolate sculpture competition!

Officially the worlds smallest continent in both land mass and population, the geographical region of Oceania is home to 14 individual nations.

Aside from Australia & New Zealand, the remaining countries are mainly what are considered the ‘Pacific Islands’. Each of the Pacific Islands has a unique, rich and ancient history.

Sometimes referred to as the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, the event describes an annual LGBT pride parade in Sydney Australia. 

The event represents the largest pride event in Oceania and one of the largest worldwide.

The colourful explosion of love takes over Sydney’s streets and is attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world.

Christchurch’s biggest outdoor summer festival, Electric Avenue is New Zealand’s ultimate celebration of Music, Arts and Culture. 

The genre leaping line-ups have included everything from rock to hip-hop, house to funk and even drum n bass.

Established in 1991, Samoa’s Teuila Festival has grown into one of the country’s most celebrated annual events.

A huge explosion of Samoan and Polynesian culture, the festival takes it’s name from Teuila- which is the national flower of Samoa. The flower can be seen around the island in it’s bright red glory. 

Events usually include Siva dancing, fire knife dancing, tattooing and carving demonstrations, Umu demonstrations (underground Samoan oven cooking), the annual Flower Float Parade, the popular Fautasi race (iconic Samoan boat race) and the crowning of Miss Samoa.

A four day fun swirling adventure that combines music, art, performance, spiritual education, relaxation and healing.

It’s been held in the Victorian bush for more than 20 years and features some of the best electronic dance musicians in the world. 

It has grown into an internationally recognised weekend of dance, colour and celebration which now regularly welcomes more than 20,000 people.