You probably would not have heard about these festivals. And after reading this, you will be thrilled and definitely want to visit atleast once.
1. New Year’s Eve – Sydney Harbor, Australia
It is an annual multi-tiered event held every New Year’s Eve. The official presenter of this festival is the ‘City of Sydney’. You can witness the world’s best New Year’s firework here.
2. Saint Patrick’s Day – Ireland
It is also known as the Feast of Saint Patrick which is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17th March.
In the early 17th century, this was made an official Christian Feast Day and is observed by the Catholic Church.
3. Battle of the Oranges – Ivrea, Italy
The Battle of Oranges is such an exciting and largest food fight in Italy which is about throwing oranges in organized groups.
4. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – New Mexico, USA
It is a yearly festival of hot air balloons that takes place in Mexico during early October. The event is the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. It is indeed a beautiful sight worth watching.
5. Day of the dead – Mexico
Day of dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for family and friends who have died and try to support their spiritual life. They honour the dead using sugar skulls and marigolds and also the favourite food and beverages of the departed.
6. Gay Pride Parade – Amsterdam, Netherlands
It is a citywide gay festival held during the first weekend in August in Amsterdam. Every year several thousands of visitors attend this festival and is not the usual protest parades that takes place but an awesome celebration.
7. White Night Festival – St. Petersburg Russia
It is an annual international art festival during the midnight sun and it consists of a series of classical ballet, opera and music events including dancers, singers, musicians and actors well as famous international celebrity guests.
8. Carnival of Venice – Venice Italy
The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. Several distinct styles of mask are worn in the Venice Carnival and people with different occupations wear these mask.
9. Holi – India
Holi is a festival of colours, is a Hindu religious festival. It starts with Holika bonfire on the night before Holi where people gather, sing and dance. The next day is just awesome with ultimate fun chasing participants to put colours in both powdered and liquid form. Recently it has spread to parts of Europe and North Americans a spring celebration of love, frolic and colours.
10. Rio Carnival – Brazil
The world famous festival and the biggest carnival in the world with 2 million people per day on streets is filled with revelers, floats and adornments from numerous samba schools.
11. Running of the Bulls – Pamplona, Spain
It is a practice that involves running in front of small group of cattle. The first rocket is set off at 8 a.m. to alert the runners that the coral gate is open. The second rocket signals that all six bulls have been released. The third and fourth rockets are signals that all of the herd has entered the bull ring marking the end of the event.
12. International Ice and snow festival- Harbin
This is the largest ice and snow festival in the world with the world’s biggest ice sculptures. The festival starts on Jan 5 and lasts for a month. Ice sculptures are erected all over the city and there are two main exhibition areas.
13. Chinese New Year
It is also known as the Spring Festival is the biggest holiday, with dragons, symbolic clothing, flowers, fireworks and lanterns. The evening of Chinese New Year is spent with families arranging a reunion dinner.
14. The Boryeong Mud Festival – South Korea
It is a two weeks festival and is most famous for second week in July. The mud is taken from Boryeong mud flats and trucked to the Daecheon beach area where it is used as the centre piece of the ‘Mud Experience Land’.
15. Burning Man – Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA
It is a weeklong annual moment which starts in the last Monday of August and ends on the first Monday in September. The event is said as an experiment in community, art, radical self expression, and radical self – reliance.
16. Songkran Water Festival – Thailand
Songkran is derived from the Sanskrit word Sankranti and is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year’s Day from 13th to 15th April.
17. Taiwan Lantern Festival
If you saw movie “Tangled”, you will know this. Thousands of sky lantern light over Pingxi District in Taiwan. It is a way to send people message that the town is safe. These lamps are designed with wishes and will have designs which will be something related to the owner and then released off in the air.
18. La Tomatina – Spain
The festival gained popularity with more and more people participating every year after the movie “Zindagi na milegi dobara”. The best tomato fight everis held in Valencian town of Bunol where you have to throw tomatoes and get involved in the fight.
19. Oktoberfest – Munich, Germany
It is the world’s largest beer festival held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. This folk festival is celebrated for 16 days from late September to first weekend in October. More than 6 million people join this event from all around the globe. If you are beer lover, you should definitely make a visit.
Which one would you want to go for? Share us in the comments.
