15 unforgettable festivals worth travelling for

Big and bold world celebrations

There’s nothing like a celebration, and why go small when you can go really, really big? We take stock of the world's most incredible festivals. Whether it’s a comedy event attended by millions or a gathering where the sole objective is to get inordinately muddy, here are some that are not to be missed.

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Day of the Dead, Mexico

The fascinating, show-stopping Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is not just a huge party, but also a celebration of lost ancestors. Celebrated throughout Mexico, it includes parades, songs, dances, street parties and elaborate costumes and make-up to mark the festivities. 

Day of the Dead, Mexico

Originating several thousand years ago, the festival’s roots began with pre-Hispanic cultures who believed death should be celebrated rather than mourned. While there’s plenty to take in at the festival, from death-themed bread to sugar skulls, it’s perhaps most famous for its elaborate costumes, with revellers dressing up as skeletons and donning thick make-up and face paint to resemble skulls.

La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain

You were probably told off for food fights when you were a kid, but for one of the world’s biggest edible battles, head to Buñol, Spain for La Tomatina. On the last Wednesday of August each year, tens of thousands of people cram into the town to pelt each other with tomatoes.

La Tomatina, Buñol, Spain

The event has been going strong since 1945. There’s a festive, joyful atmosphere, countless tomatoes being flung into the air and buckets of water soaking participants – what’s not to like?

Boryeong Mud Festival, Daecheon Beach, South Korea

Attracting the largest number of international visitors of all South Korea’s festivals, the Boryeong Mud Festival in Daecheon Beach is a sight to behold. There’s mud wrestling, mud sliding, mud games, mud obstacle marathons, mud baths and even mud beauty treatments for those who want to make the most of the nutrient-rich sludge.

Boryeong Mud Festival, Daecheon Beach, South Korea

Music, fireworks and other performances keep that muddy, party spirit alive, too. Once all the fun’s over, you can rinse off in the festival’s free showers or take a dip in the nearby sea to try to rid yourself of the omnipresent mud.

Cheung Chau Bun Festival, Hong Kong

Hong Kong has plenty of fascinating festivals, from the Birthday of Buddha to Chinese New Year celebrations, but perhaps the most elaborate is the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. It started centuries ago, when a devastating plague ended after islanders paraded statues of deities through the village and asked the god Pak Tai to drive off evil spirits. These Taoist rituals are still performed centuries later on the island of Cheung Chau.

Cheung Chau Bun Festival, Hong Kong

The festival sees thousands of people descend upon the island. Locals make papier-mâché effigies of deities, create costumes, bake buns and build bamboo towers. The event goes on for a week, during which there are Taoist ceremonies and music, a parade, lion dances and drum beating. The highlight of it all is the exciting bun scrambling competition, which sees brave participants climb up 60-foot (18m) towers made of buns, with the aim of grabbing as many as possible in three minutes.

Goroka Show, Papua New Guinea

There’s no greater way to get acquainted with the many tribes of Papua New Guinea than by taking in the vibrant Goroka Show. One of the world’s largest tribal gatherings, the event was created in 1957 to bring tribes together and has grown into a major tourist attraction.

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Goroka Show, Papua New Guinea

Typically over 100 tribes join together in dancing, singing and ritual performances. Look out for vendors selling crafts like woven baskets or hawking traditional food such as barbecued pork, too.

Rio Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The first event most of us imagine when the word 'carnival' is uttered, Rio de Janeiro’s enormous celebration is one of the planet’s biggest parties. With pulsating samba music, gyrating dancers, wild parades and thousands of revellers in elaborate costumes, it’s an experience like no other.

Rio Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It’s attended by millions of people, so is certainly overwhelming, but the jubilant buzz, atmosphere and vibe is unforgettable. Make sure you attend a street party to dance your way down the tarmac, accompanied by drummers, samba music and plenty of gorgeous people. Staying quiet on the sidelines is simply not an option.

Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

If you love beer and sausages (and who doesn’t?), book your tickets to Munich immediately and make sure you attend Oktoberfest, which confusingly starts in September.

Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

The world’s largest beer festival sees over six million visitors travel to Munich to delight in beer, sausages, pretzels, costume parades, concerts and fairground rides. Even if you don't love beer, it's still definitely worth going for the jubilant atmosphere, great people-watching and delicious traditional food.

Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy

The food-fighting festivals don’t stop with La Tomatina. Italy’s biggest food fight, the Battle of the Oranges, takes place each year in the town of Ivrea. Thousands of people are divided into teams, with the sole aim of throwing oranges at each other.

Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy

Established in 1808, the festival apparently represents the civil war that broke out the day after the tyrant Ranieri di Biandrate was killed. Though it may not be quite as bloody as a war, be prepared to get hurt: participants wear armour and helmets and can even suffer from black eyes and cuts after the almighty food fight.

Crop Over, Barbados

The six-week festival of Crop Over celebrates the tradition of the last harvest and delivery of sugar canes for the season. Colourful and popular, it attracts visitors from all over the world, and honours everything Bajan with loud parties, dance performances and plenty of food. It’s not all dancing and eating, though: there are folk concerts and art exhibitions to highlight the history and culture of Barbados. There’s also the huge carnival of Cohobblopot, where participants show off elaborate costumes, and Grand Kadooment, where there are even more eye-catching outfits.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, USA

Is there anything more striking and beautiful to watch than the sight of hundreds of hot air balloons gaily floating in the air? If you’ve been to Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, chances are you’ll say no. From just a small gathering of a handful of balloons in 1972, the festival is now the biggest balloon event in the world, and takes place each year at the beginning of October.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, USA

Hundreds of thousands of guests visit each year to enjoy the visual feast of balloons floating above Albuquerque. But it’s not just about gawping at the balloons from far down on the ground: guests can visit the balloons as they inflate each morning and chat to the pilots too.

Just for Laughs, Montréal, Canada

The world’s largest international comedy festival, Just for Laughs sees over two million people descend on Montréal to take advantage of two weeks' worth of concerts, theatre productions and stand-up performances. 

Just for Laughs, Montréal, Canada

This isn’t a small festival by any means, typically with 1,700 artists from 19 countries, 1,600 performances and 1,200 free outdoor shows. Over the years, the festival has featured the likes of Jim Carrey, Jimmy Carr, Jerry Seinfeld and Laverne Cox, so there’s guaranteed laughs galore.

Songkran, Thailand

The Songkran Festival, which is also Thai New Year, is an explosion of water fights, parties and plenty of splashing that can last for up to a week. It marks the end of the dry season in serious style: there are water guns aplenty, and trucks filled with kids and water buckets just waiting for their next victims.

Songkran, Thailand

Thai people believe that splashing water will cause lots of rainfall in the coming year. There are other beliefs, too: some say water can cleanse oneself of bad things, it's a symbol of fertility and it's also seen as a sign of respect to pour scented water on elders’ hands. But it’s not just one big water fight: Thai people will also visit Buddhist monasteries during the festival to ask for forgiveness and think of their hopes and dreams for the coming year.

Holi Festival, India and Nepal

Taking place in both India and Nepal in areas with large Hindu populations, the Holi Festival, or the Festival of Colour, is celebrated with raucous colour fights and joyous parties.

Holi Festival, India and Nepal

As if that wasn’t enough, once all the messy fun is over, everyone washes off the colours, gets into their smartest clothes and hands out sweets. Dating back to the 4th century and originating from Indian mythology, Holi not only marks the end of winter, but the victory of good over evil.

Roswell UFO Festival, New Mexico, USA

Those with an interest in space and aliens will know that in July 1947, an unknown, mysterious object crashed in the New Mexico desert. The local newspaper reported that the object was a flying saucer, and the event has excited the world ever since and raised many a debate about the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. This incident has made Roswell, New Mexico, the motherland of all things UFO, with its climax being the Roswell UFO Festival.

Roswell UFO Festival, New Mexico, USA

This is when the crash is marked by thousands of visitors dressed as aliens, eager not only to commemorate that fateful day in 1947, but to learn more about the presence of extra-terrestrial life. Even if you’re not genuinely convinced aliens exist, you’ll still have a ball: there are costume competitions and laser shows, as well as live music, an alien street parade, a science fiction film festival and comedy performances.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, California, USA

The place to see and be seen each spring, Coachella has become one of the world’s most famous and sought-after music festivals. It unfolds in the scorched Coachella Valley, a little east of glittering Palm Springs, and it attracts some of the world’s leading music artists and most fashionable people. Over the years, big names including Beyoncé, Madonna and The Stone Roses have graced the stage at the event.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, California, USA

There’s plenty to see beyond the music too. Striking art installations are scattered across the valley and a giant Ferris wheel attracts celebs and influencers looking for the perfect photo spot (catch the view from the top at sunset). Best of all, some of the country’s finest restaurants and street-food venues descend on Coachella, serving up everything from dim sum to hot chicken. 

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