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World’s best festivals in January
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Festivals are a living, dancing museum of cultures and traditions in an increasingly globalised world. There is no better place for travellers to understand a country than an event where it proudly celebrates its individuality, whether through music, camel races or monumental food fights.
The top festivities for January are listed below. Start the year with a bang, a drum, a chant, a bath, etc.
Junkanoo
Location: Nassau, Bahamas.
Dates: 1 January and 26 December
Celebrated throughout the country, Junkanoo is at its wildest best in the capital city, Nassau, where the first ‘rush’ (as the parade is known) takes place on Boxing Day and the second on New Year’s Day. Read more.
Dates: 1 January and 26 December
Celebrated throughout the country, Junkanoo is at its wildest best in the capital city, Nassau, where the first ‘rush’ (as the parade is known) takes place on Boxing Day and the second on New Year’s Day. Read more.
Kaapse Klopse (Cape Minstrel Carnival)
Location: Cape Town, South Africa.
Dates: Starts 2 January, and goes for a month
Cape Town’s largest carnival is a noisy, joyous and disorganised affair featuring marching troupes adorned in practically every colour of satin, sequin and glitter. Read more.
Dates: Starts 2 January, and goes for a month
Cape Town’s largest carnival is a noisy, joyous and disorganised affair featuring marching troupes adorned in practically every colour of satin, sequin and glitter. Read more.
Carnaval de Blancos y Negros (Carnival of Blacks & Whites)
Image by Carlos Adampol
Location: Pasto, Colombia
Dates: 5–6 January
One of South America’s oldest festivals, Pasto’s piebald celebration dates back to the time of Spanish rule, when slaves were allowed to party on 5 January, with their masters showing approval by painting their faces black. Read more.
Dates: 5–6 January
One of South America’s oldest festivals, Pasto’s piebald celebration dates back to the time of Spanish rule, when slaves were allowed to party on 5 January, with their masters showing approval by painting their faces black. Read more.
Bikaner Camel Festival
Location: Bikaner, India
Dates: Varying dates in January (during the 10th month of the Indian lunar calendar)
Held over two days, it’s a homage to the humped ones. There are camel races, camel rides, camel tugs-of-war, a camel pageant, dancing camels, competitions for the best decorated camel and the best camel haircut, and even a camel beauty contest. Read more.
Dates: Varying dates in January (during the 10th month of the Indian lunar calendar)
Held over two days, it’s a homage to the humped ones. There are camel races, camel rides, camel tugs-of-war, a camel pageant, dancing camels, competitions for the best decorated camel and the best camel haircut, and even a camel beauty contest. Read more.
Festival in the Desert
Location: Essakane, Mali
Dates: Second weekend in January
For three days a year, a desolate patch of Saharan sand, 65km north of Timbuktu, hosts ‘the world’s most remote music festival’. Read more.
Dates: Second weekend in January
For three days a year, a desolate patch of Saharan sand, 65km north of Timbuktu, hosts ‘the world’s most remote music festival’. Read more.
Voodoo Festival
Location: Ouidah, Benin.
Date: 10 January
The celebrations begin when the supreme voodoo priest slaughters a goat to honour the spirits, and are marked by much singing, chanting, dancing, beating of drums and drinking of gin. Read more.
Date: 10 January
The celebrations begin when the supreme voodoo priest slaughters a goat to honour the spirits, and are marked by much singing, chanting, dancing, beating of drums and drinking of gin. Read more.
Yamayaki
Image by Sam Sheffield
Location: Mt Wakakusa-yama, Nara, Japan
Date: Second Sunday in January
Winter in the Japanese region of Kansai would seem a good enough excuse for one of the world’s biggest bonfires, but in Nara they point to history as the reason for setting alight an entire hill each year. Read more.
Date: Second Sunday in January
Winter in the Japanese region of Kansai would seem a good enough excuse for one of the world’s biggest bonfires, but in Nara they point to history as the reason for setting alight an entire hill each year. Read more.
Black Nazarene Procession
Location: Quiapo, Manila, Philippines
Date: 9 January
The miracle-wielding Black Nazarene is a life-size statue of Christ carved from ebony. It was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in the 17th century and placed in Manila’s Quiapo Church in 1767. Read more.
Date: 9 January
The miracle-wielding Black Nazarene is a life-size statue of Christ carved from ebony. It was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in the 17th century and placed in Manila’s Quiapo Church in 1767. Read more.
Ati-Atihan
Image by martiniko
Location: Kalibo, Philippines.
Dates: Third week in January
The amazing Ati-Atihan is the Philippines’ biggest, wildest and best Mardi Gras, a week-long street party that rages from dawn to dusk, peaking on the third Sunday in January. Read more.
Dates: Third week in January
The amazing Ati-Atihan is the Philippines’ biggest, wildest and best Mardi Gras, a week-long street party that rages from dawn to dusk, peaking on the third Sunday in January. Read more.
La Tamborrada (Drum Festival)
Image by Bichuas (E. Carton)
Location: San Sebastian, Spain.
Date: 20 January
At the stroke of midnight a flag is raised in Plaza de la Constitucíon and regiments of soldierly drummers begin parading through the resort town, banging and thumping at drums and barrels to celebrate (or wake from the dead) the city’s eponymous patron saint. Read more.
Date: 20 January
At the stroke of midnight a flag is raised in Plaza de la Constitucíon and regiments of soldierly drummers begin parading through the resort town, banging and thumping at drums and barrels to celebrate (or wake from the dead) the city’s eponymous patron saint. Read more.
Timkat (Epiphany)
Image by Giustino
Location: Fasilidas’ Bath, Gonder, Ethiopia
Dates: 18–20 January
Ethiopia’s most colourful festival commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and is celebrated around the country, though it’s most spectacular in the former capital of Gonder. Read more.
Accompong Maroon Festival (Accompong, Jamaica; 6 January) Celebrates the ongoing legacy of the Maroons (descendants of runaway slaves) with traditional dance, song and Maroon war drums.Dates: 18–20 January
Ethiopia’s most colourful festival commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and is celebrated around the country, though it’s most spectacular in the former capital of Gonder. Read more.
Rose Parade (Los Angeles, USA; 1 January) www.tournamentofroses.com Cavalcade of floral floats along Pasadena’s Colorado Blvd, followed by the Rose Bowl football game.
Polar Bear Swim (Vancouver, Canada; 1 January) Welcome in the New Year on English Bay Beach, joining hundreds in an ice-cold winter dip.
Winter Festival (Moscow, Russia; 25 December-5 January) Outdoor funfest in which competing teams build elaborate ice sculptures in front of the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum and on Red Sq.
Kite Festival (Jaipur, India; 14 January) Celebrated all over India on Makar Sankranti, it’s most spectacular in Jaipur where, Kite Runner–style, participants compete to cut down each others’ kites in a crowded sky.
Gangasagar Mela (Sagar Island, India; 14 January) Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims converge to bathe en masse at the point where the Ganges meets the sea.
Vogel Gryff (Basel, Switzerland; 12, 20 or 27 January) www.vogel-gryff.ch, in German Symbolically chases away winter from Kleinbasel, with three key figures – the griffin (Vogel Gryff), the savage and the lion – dancing to a drum beat on a raft on the Rhine.
Dubai Shopping Festival (Dubai, United Arab Emirates; dates vary in January) www.dubaishoppingfestival.com Month-long shoppers’ bonanza in Arabia’s retail ringleader.
Tamworth Country Music Festival (Tamworth, Australia; culminating on last full weekend in January) www.tamworthcountrymusic.com.au Ten-day festival featuring more than 700 artists.
World Buskers Festival (Christchurch, New Zealand; mid-January) www.worldbuskersfestival.com Ten-day gathering of the world’s best street performers.
Sundance Film Festival (Utah, USA: beginning on the third Thursday in January and running for 10 days) www.sundance.org/festival The USA’s largest independent film festival.
International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo (Monte Carlo; from the third Thursday in January) www.montecarlofestivals.com, in French. Clowning around for 11 days in the cashed-up principality.
World’s best festivals in April
View gallery
Festivals are a living, dancing museum of cultures and traditions in an increasingly globalised world. There is no better place for travellers to understand a country than an event where it proudly celebrates its individuality, whether through music, camel races or monumental food fights.
The top festivities for April are listed below.
Semana Santa (Holy Week)
Location: Antigua, Guatemala and Seville, Spain. Seville’s carrera oficial (official route) begins on Calle Campana, follows Calle Sierpes to Plaza de San Francisco and then joins Avenida de la Constitución to the cathedral.
Dates: Easter week
Easter week is a big deal across the Spanish-speaking world but, an ocean apart, it’s Antigua and Seville that celebrate it with the most gusto. In the Americas, Antigua really comes alive during Semana Santa, when the streets are covered in breathtakingly elaborate alfombras (carpets) of coloured sawdust and flower petals. Read more.
Dates: Easter week
Easter week is a big deal across the Spanish-speaking world but, an ocean apart, it’s Antigua and Seville that celebrate it with the most gusto. In the Americas, Antigua really comes alive during Semana Santa, when the streets are covered in breathtakingly elaborate alfombras (carpets) of coloured sawdust and flower petals. Read more.
Holy Week
Location: Braga, Portugal. Celebrations are centred on Sé Cathedral.
Dates: Easter week
A religious power base since the 6th century, Braga is known as the Rome of Portugal, so it should be no surprise that, like Seville and Antigua, it holds one of the world’s great Easter celebrations. To help drive out worldly thoughts during Holy Week, Gregorian chants are piped throughout the city centre, and at night streets are ablaze with makeshift candlelit altars. Read more.
Dates: Easter week
A religious power base since the 6th century, Braga is known as the Rome of Portugal, so it should be no surprise that, like Seville and Antigua, it holds one of the world’s great Easter celebrations. To help drive out worldly thoughts during Holy Week, Gregorian chants are piped throughout the city centre, and at night streets are ablaze with makeshift candlelit altars. Read more.
World Marbles Championships
Location: The Greyhound, Tinsley Green, England
Date: Good Friday
You probably played marbles as a kid but did your parents ever tell you that if you knuckled down and worked on your tolleys you could be a world champion? The championships are held each year in the car park of this West Sussex pub – the Wembley of marbles. Read more.
Date: Good Friday
You probably played marbles as a kid but did your parents ever tell you that if you knuckled down and worked on your tolleys you could be a world champion? The championships are held each year in the car park of this West Sussex pub – the Wembley of marbles. Read more.
Kumbh Mela
Image by -.-Paul-.-
Location: Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain or Nasik, India
Dates: Vary widely, occurring when Jupiter enters Aquarius and the sun enters Aries. The event lasts for more than one month.
The largest religious gathering on earth occurs four times every 12 years, when tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims come together to take a ceremonial dip in the sacred Ganges, Shipra or Godavari Rivers. Location:s for the gathering hopscotch across the plains between Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, cities where drops of the nectar of immortality were spilled from its kumbh (pitcher) during a battle between demi-gods and demons. Read more.
Dates: Vary widely, occurring when Jupiter enters Aquarius and the sun enters Aries. The event lasts for more than one month.
The largest religious gathering on earth occurs four times every 12 years, when tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims come together to take a ceremonial dip in the sacred Ganges, Shipra or Godavari Rivers. Location:s for the gathering hopscotch across the plains between Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, cities where drops of the nectar of immortality were spilled from its kumbh (pitcher) during a battle between demi-gods and demons. Read more.
Bisket Jatra (Nepali New Year)
Location: Khalna Tole, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Dates: Mid-April (the beginning of the Nepali month of Baisakh)
Bisket Jatra heralds the start of the Nepali New Year and is celebrated with the most aplomb in Bhaktapur. In one of the most exciting annual events in the Kathmandu valley, a huge and ponderous chariot carrying images of the god Bhairab is hauled by dozens of villagers to Khalna Tole. Read more.
Dates: Mid-April (the beginning of the Nepali month of Baisakh)
Bisket Jatra heralds the start of the Nepali New Year and is celebrated with the most aplomb in Bhaktapur. In one of the most exciting annual events in the Kathmandu valley, a huge and ponderous chariot carrying images of the god Bhairab is hauled by dozens of villagers to Khalna Tole. Read more.
Sisters’ Meal Festival
Location: Shīdòng, China
Dates: Begins on the 15th day of the third lunar month (usually mid- to late April)
Love is in the air in this courtship ritual in eastern Guìzhōu, when young Miao (or Hmong) women and men set about finding themselves partners through the medium of sticky rice. Read more.
Dates: Begins on the 15th day of the third lunar month (usually mid- to late April)
Love is in the air in this courtship ritual in eastern Guìzhōu, when young Miao (or Hmong) women and men set about finding themselves partners through the medium of sticky rice. Read more.
Songkran Water Festival (Thai New Year)
Location: Throughout Thailand
Dates: 13–15 April
The Lunar New Year in Thailand marks a time when the country literally goes to water. Part a time of respect and part riot, Songkran is an occasion when images of the Buddha are ‘bathed’ and young Thais seek the blessing of their elders by pouring scented water over their hands (a ceremony known as rod nahm dum hua). Read more.
Dates: 13–15 April
The Lunar New Year in Thailand marks a time when the country literally goes to water. Part a time of respect and part riot, Songkran is an occasion when images of the Buddha are ‘bathed’ and young Thais seek the blessing of their elders by pouring scented water over their hands (a ceremony known as rod nahm dum hua). Read more.
Feria de Abril (April Fair)
Location: El Real de la Feria, Seville, Spain
Dates: Two weeks after Semana Santa (the week leading up to Easter Sunday)
A jolly postscript to sombre Semana Santa, the Feria de Abril is the biggest and most colourful of all Andalucía’s ferias (festivals). If the name suggests pie bake-offs and apple bobbing, it’s misleading, for the Feria de Abril promises a week of full-blown partying. Read more.
Dates: Two weeks after Semana Santa (the week leading up to Easter Sunday)
A jolly postscript to sombre Semana Santa, the Feria de Abril is the biggest and most colourful of all Andalucía’s ferias (festivals). If the name suggests pie bake-offs and apple bobbing, it’s misleading, for the Feria de Abril promises a week of full-blown partying. Read more.
Feria de San Marcos (Festival of St Mark)
Location: Expoplaza, Aguascalientes, Mexico
Dates: Dates: vary: starts mid-April and runs for almost a month
Mexico’s largest annual state fair started out in 1828 as a simple agriculture and livestock show but now routinely attracts one million visitors with exhibitions, a beauty pageant, rodeos, free concerts (recent performers have included Shakira and Julio Iglesias), the National Poetry Award and an extravaganza of other cultural events. Read more.
Dates: Dates: vary: starts mid-April and runs for almost a month
Mexico’s largest annual state fair started out in 1828 as a simple agriculture and livestock show but now routinely attracts one million visitors with exhibitions, a beauty pageant, rodeos, free concerts (recent performers have included Shakira and Julio Iglesias), the National Poetry Award and an extravaganza of other cultural events. Read more.
Walpurgisnacht (Witches’ Night)
Location: Brocken, Harz Mountains, Germany
Date: 30 April
What better way to see out April than on a mountain top in the company of witches and warlocks. According to local mythology, said witches and warlocks gather on Walpurgisnacht (which takes its name from Saint Walburga, whose feast day is 1 May) at locations throughout the Harz Mountains before flying off to 1142m Brocken on broomsticks or goats. Read more.
Date: 30 April
What better way to see out April than on a mountain top in the company of witches and warlocks. According to local mythology, said witches and warlocks gather on Walpurgisnacht (which takes its name from Saint Walburga, whose feast day is 1 May) at locations throughout the Harz Mountains before flying off to 1142m Brocken on broomsticks or goats. Read more.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Location: Fair Grounds, New Orleans, USA
Dates: Last weekend of April and first weekend of May
Where else would you want your jazz than in the city that spawned it? After Mardi Gras, ‘Jazz Fest’ is New Orleans’ second-biggest reason to party, a feel-good musical smorgasbord served up on more than 10 stages across two weekends. Jazz Fest began as a celebration of the city’s 250th birthday in 1968, an event that attracted musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck. Read more.
Dates: Last weekend of April and first weekend of May
Where else would you want your jazz than in the city that spawned it? After Mardi Gras, ‘Jazz Fest’ is New Orleans’ second-biggest reason to party, a feel-good musical smorgasbord served up on more than 10 stages across two weekends. Jazz Fest began as a celebration of the city’s 250th birthday in 1968, an event that attracted musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck. Read more.
Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos (Moors & Christians Festival)
Location: Alcoy, Spain. The processions converge on Alcoy’s main plaza.
Dates: 22–24 April
More than 80 towns and villages south of Valencia hold a Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos to celebrate the Reconquista, the region’s liberation from Muslim rule in the 13th century. Biggest and best known of the festivities are those in Alcoy, where hundreds of locals dress up in elaborate traditional costumes representing different ‘factions’ or filaes. Read more.
Dates: 22–24 April
More than 80 towns and villages south of Valencia hold a Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos to celebrate the Reconquista, the region’s liberation from Muslim rule in the 13th century. Biggest and best known of the festivities are those in Alcoy, where hundreds of locals dress up in elaborate traditional costumes representing different ‘factions’ or filaes. Read more.
Queen’s Day
Image by celesteh
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date: 30 April (if 30 April is a Sunday it’s celebrated on 29 April)
Birthday celebrations for queens are supposed to involve tea and polite conversation, but the Dutch like to give their queen a more rollicking party. This nationwide holiday honours Queen Beatrix (though it’s held on the birth Date: of her mother Queen Juliana) and in Amsterdam in particular it’s a crazy, wonderful madhouse celebration. Read more.
Golden Mask Festival (Moscow, Russia; throughout April) www.goldenmask.ru Two weeks of performances by Russia’s premier drama, opera, dance and musical performers, culminating in a prestigious awards ceremonyDate: 30 April (if 30 April is a Sunday it’s celebrated on 29 April)
Birthday celebrations for queens are supposed to involve tea and polite conversation, but the Dutch like to give their queen a more rollicking party. This nationwide holiday honours Queen Beatrix (though it’s held on the birth Date: of her mother Queen Juliana) and in Amsterdam in particular it’s a crazy, wonderful madhouse celebration. Read more.
Carnaval Des Soufflets (Bellows Festival; Nontron, France; first weekend in April) A bizarre day in which the townsfolk use bellows to blow air up each others’ nightshirts, claiming that they’re blowing away evil spirits
Kanamara Matsuri (Kawasaki, Japan; first Sunday in April) The ‘Festival of the Steel Phallus’ sees a huge pink penis paraded through the streets…it’s all about protecting 17thcentury prostitutes from syphilis, apparently
One World Unity Party (Rustler’s Valley, South Africa; Easter) Music festival in a remote and stunning valley near the Lesotho border.
Trelawny Yam Festival (Albert Town, Jamaica; Easter Monday) Capers such as yam-balancing races, best-dressed goat and donkey and the crowning of the Yam King and Queen.
Aurudu (Throughout Sri Lanka; 14 April) The Sri Lankan New Year is a time of family rituals and special Aurudu food; Sri Lankan expats like to celebrate it in the cooler hills around Nuwara Eliya.
French Quarter Festival (New Orleans, USA; second weekend in April) www.fqfi.org Jazz Fest’s smaller cousin, with the advantage of less people, an intimate Vieux Carré setting and free admission.
Bun Pi Mai Lao (Luang Prabang, Laos; 13–15 April) The Lao New Year is celebrated in similar, damp style to Thailand’s Songkran.
Chaul Chnam (Cambodia; 13–15 April) A lively New Year in Cambodia, when the Khmers go wild with water and talcum powder, as well as exchanging gifts and making offerings at wats
Tyme (Iqaluit, Canada; second or third week in April) www.tooniktyme.com Arctic Canada welcomes back the sun with five days of dog races, fishing, igloo building and seal hunting.
Beltane Fire Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland; 30 April) www.beltane.org A Scottish variation on Walpurisnacht, this pagan fi re festival sees more than 10,000 people converge on Calton Hill for an incredibly wild and wacky night.
Fêtes Des Masques (Dogon Country, Mali; April) Five days of dance featuring traditional Dogon masks.
Coachella (Coachella Valley, USA; last weekend of April) www.coachella.com Three-day Californian music festival that has featured the likes of Björk and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
World’s best festivals in February
View gallery
Festivals are a living, dancing museum of cultures and traditions in an increasingly globalised world. There is no better place for travellers to understand a country than an event where it proudly celebrates its individuality, whether through music, camel races or monumental food fights.
The top festivities for February are listed below.
Chūn Jié (Spring Festival/Chinese New Year)
Location: Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong
Dates: Lunar New Year (between 19 January and 20 February)
Chinese New Year is celebrated around much of the world – where there’s a Chinatown there’s invariably a Chinese New Year party – but there’s something special about being in one of China’s major cities for the the high point of the Chinese year. Read more.
Dates: Lunar New Year (between 19 January and 20 February)
Chinese New Year is celebrated around much of the world – where there’s a Chinatown there’s invariably a Chinese New Year party – but there’s something special about being in one of China’s major cities for the the high point of the Chinese year. Read more.
Tet Nguyen Dan (Festival of the First Day)
Location: Throughout Vietnam
Dates: Lunar New Year (between 19 January and 20 February)
In Vietnam, Tet ushers in the New Year and is by far the biggest day on the national calendar. Tet rites begin a week before New Year’s Day, and the first three days of the New Year are official holidays, but the event visitors will really want to experience is New Year’s Eve. Read more.
Dates: Lunar New Year (between 19 January and 20 February)
In Vietnam, Tet ushers in the New Year and is by far the biggest day on the national calendar. Tet rites begin a week before New Year’s Day, and the first three days of the New Year are official holidays, but the event visitors will really want to experience is New Year’s Eve. Read more.
International Ice & Snow Festival
Image by harryalverson
Location: Zhaolin Park and Sun Island Park, Hāěrbīn, China
Dates: 5 January–15 FebruaryChina’s northern Hēilóngjiāng province may be cursed with one of the coldest climates in Asia, but its capital Hāěrbīn has made the best of a bad thing with its International Ice and Snow Festival. Read more.
Dates: 5 January–15 FebruaryChina’s northern Hēilóngjiāng province may be cursed with one of the coldest climates in Asia, but its capital Hāěrbīn has made the best of a bad thing with its International Ice and Snow Festival. Read more.
Thaipusam
Image by beggs
Location: Batu Caves, outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: Full moon day in the 10th Tamil month of Thai (mid-January to mid- February)
The most spectacular Hindu festival in Malaysia is a wild orgy of seemingly hideous body piercings, marking the day when Lord Shiva’s son, Murugan, was given a lance to vanquish three demons. Read more.
Date: Full moon day in the 10th Tamil month of Thai (mid-January to mid- February)
The most spectacular Hindu festival in Malaysia is a wild orgy of seemingly hideous body piercings, marking the day when Lord Shiva’s son, Murugan, was given a lance to vanquish three demons. Read more.
Carnaval de Québec (Winter Carnival)
Location: Old Town, Québec City, Canada. Events centre on Parc de l’Esplanade.
Dates: Late January to mid-February (varies each year)
Billing itself as the world’s largest winter carnival, the 17-day Carnaval de Québec was first created in 1894 as a way to beat the winter chills, though it only took on its current form in the 1950s. Read more.
Dates: Late January to mid-February (varies each year)
Billing itself as the world’s largest winter carnival, the 17-day Carnaval de Québec was first created in 1894 as a way to beat the winter chills, though it only took on its current form in the 1950s. Read more.
Carnevale Venezia (Venice Carnival)
Location: Venice, Italy. Piazza San Marco is the focus of the festival.
Dates: Begins two Fridays before Ash Wednesday, finishing on Fat (Shrove) Tuesday
The high point in Venice’s social calendar, Carnevale is a masked extravaganza, and your chance to spend 12 days looking like the Phantom of the Opera. The world’s best-known baroque fancy-dress party, it’s as extravagant as Rio’s Carnaval is riotous, celebrating the approach of spring with refined gusto. Read more.
Dates: Begins two Fridays before Ash Wednesday, finishing on Fat (Shrove) Tuesday
The high point in Venice’s social calendar, Carnevale is a masked extravaganza, and your chance to spend 12 days looking like the Phantom of the Opera. The world’s best-known baroque fancy-dress party, it’s as extravagant as Rio’s Carnaval is riotous, celebrating the approach of spring with refined gusto. Read more.
Pasola
Location: Sumba, Indonesia
Dates: During February and March; the timing is determined by the arrival of a type of sea worm called nyale
A riotous tournament between two teams of spear-wielding, ikat-clad horsemen, the Pasola has to be one of Asia’s most extravagant, and bloodiest, harvest festivals. Read more.
Dates: During February and March; the timing is determined by the arrival of a type of sea worm called nyale
A riotous tournament between two teams of spear-wielding, ikat-clad horsemen, the Pasola has to be one of Asia’s most extravagant, and bloodiest, harvest festivals. Read more.
Argungu Fishing Festival
Location: Argungu, Nigeria
Dates: Around mid-February
Don’t come to this fishing festival expecting to see a few people lazily casting lines into the river; this is one of the more unusual events you’re ever likely to witness. Read more.
Dates: Around mid-February
Don’t come to this fishing festival expecting to see a few people lazily casting lines into the river; this is one of the more unusual events you’re ever likely to witness. Read more.
St Valentine’s Day
Location: Terni, Italy. The feast takes place outside the Basilica di San Valentino.
Dates: Throughout February, but particularly 14 February
Where better to swing hands with a loved one on St Valentine’s Day than at the St Valentine’s feast in the eponymous saint’s Umbrian hometown. Read more.
Dates: Throughout February, but particularly 14 February
Where better to swing hands with a loved one on St Valentine’s Day than at the St Valentine’s feast in the eponymous saint’s Umbrian hometown. Read more.
Saidai-ji Eyō (Naked Festival)
Location: Kannon-in temple, Saidai-ji, Japan
Date: Third Saturday in February
Naked Festivals are common (if a little overstated, since participants wear loincloths) throughout Japan in the early New Year but the most extraordinary is the one in the Kannon-in temple outside of Okayama. Read more.
Date: Third Saturday in February
Naked Festivals are common (if a little overstated, since participants wear loincloths) throughout Japan in the early New Year but the most extraordinary is the one in the Kannon-in temple outside of Okayama. Read more.
Carnaval de Binche
Location: Binche, Belgium. The parade begins at the town hall.
Date: Fat (Shrove) Tuesday
Come prepared for a bruising at Belgium’s most bizarre carnival celebration. Listed by Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the Binche carnival sees local men, known as Gilles, stomp around while wearing strange green-eyed masks and shaking sticks to ward off evil spirits. Read more.
Date: Fat (Shrove) Tuesday
Come prepared for a bruising at Belgium’s most bizarre carnival celebration. Listed by Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the Binche carnival sees local men, known as Gilles, stomp around while wearing strange green-eyed masks and shaking sticks to ward off evil spirits. Read more.
Battaglia delle Arance (Battle of the Oranges)
Image by pigliapost
Location: Ivrea, Italy. The battle takes place in the town’s main square.
Dates: Concludes on Fat (Shrove) Tuesday
A part of Ivrea’s carnival celebration, Battaglia delle Arance is something of an orange version of Valencia’s famed La Tomatina. For three consecutive days, nine teams of ‘revolutionaries’ (3,500 people in all) pound each other with 400,000kg of oranges. Read more.
Dates: Concludes on Fat (Shrove) Tuesday
A part of Ivrea’s carnival celebration, Battaglia delle Arance is something of an orange version of Valencia’s famed La Tomatina. For three consecutive days, nine teams of ‘revolutionaries’ (3,500 people in all) pound each other with 400,000kg of oranges. Read more.
Art Deco Weekend
Location: Venues around Napier and Hastings, New Zealand
Dates: Third weekend of February
When the Hawkes Bay town of Napier was all but destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, Art Deco moved in. Rebuilt almost entirely in Art Deco style (with a splash of Spanish Mission thrown in), the town – along with neighbouring Hastings – is now one of the world’s best examples of Art Deco design. Read more.
Dates: Third weekend of February
When the Hawkes Bay town of Napier was all but destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, Art Deco moved in. Rebuilt almost entirely in Art Deco style (with a splash of Spanish Mission thrown in), the town – along with neighbouring Hastings – is now one of the world’s best examples of Art Deco design. Read more.
Oruro Carnival
Image by CassandraW1
Location: Oruro, Bolivia
Dates: 10 days around Ash Wednesday
Listed by Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, Bolivia’s largest annual celebration is a massive event said to draw in around 400,000 people. Its centrepiece is La Diablada, the ‘Dance of the Devils’, an extraordinary parade that showcases demonic dancers in extravagant costumes. Read more.
Dates: 10 days around Ash Wednesday
Listed by Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, Bolivia’s largest annual celebration is a massive event said to draw in around 400,000 people. Its centrepiece is La Diablada, the ‘Dance of the Devils’, an extraordinary parade that showcases demonic dancers in extravagant costumes. Read more.
Jenadriyah National Festival
Location: Al Jenadriyah, Saudi Arabia
Dates: Late February or early March
Held at a special site 45km northeast of central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s major cultural event promotes and fosters traditional cultures and crafts. The festival opens with an epic camel race that sees up to 2,000 participants sprinting across a 19km track, and then settles into a less frenetic pace. Read more.
Dates: Late February or early March
Held at a special site 45km northeast of central Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s major cultural event promotes and fosters traditional cultures and crafts. The festival opens with an epic camel race that sees up to 2,000 participants sprinting across a 19km track, and then settles into a less frenetic pace. Read more.
New Orleans Mardi Gras
Image by dsb nola
Location: St Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Date: Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, also known as Shrove Tuesday
In 2006, the Zulus were supported for the first time by dancers from South Africa. A testament to the city’s resilience, the 2006 Mardi Gras was held just six months after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. No matter what battles it has to fight, New Orleans will be New Orleans on Mardi Gras. Read more.
Date: Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, also known as Shrove Tuesday
In 2006, the Zulus were supported for the first time by dancers from South Africa. A testament to the city’s resilience, the 2006 Mardi Gras was held just six months after the devastation of hurricane Katrina. No matter what battles it has to fight, New Orleans will be New Orleans on Mardi Gras. Read more.
Rio de Janeiro Carnaval
Location: Sambódromo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dates: Culminating on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday), but beginning in earnest on the previous Saturday
In Rio de Janeiro, Indian costumes and African beats were incorporated into the celebrations in a rebellious show of indigenous identity. Today, the anticipation of Carnaval fills the air months before the actual event. A key feature here is the Brazilian bandas – street parties guided by drummers and singers through the streets of Rio and tailed by whoever wants to dance behind them. Read more.
Dates: Culminating on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday), but beginning in earnest on the previous Saturday
In Rio de Janeiro, Indian costumes and African beats were incorporated into the celebrations in a rebellious show of indigenous identity. Today, the anticipation of Carnaval fills the air months before the actual event. A key feature here is the Brazilian bandas – street parties guided by drummers and singers through the streets of Rio and tailed by whoever wants to dance behind them. Read more.
Tenerife Carnaval
Location: Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Date: Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, also known as Shrove Tuesday
Tenerife, a tiny Spanish island off the coast of Africa, is home to one of the world’s largest Carnival celebrations. Some quarter of a million partygoers converge on the Canary Island capital of Santa Cruz. This three-week event (culminating in the 24-hour party on Fat Tuesday) draws in everyone, if only because no-one can escape the action which captivates the whole island. Read more.
Date: Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, also known as Shrove Tuesday
Tenerife, a tiny Spanish island off the coast of Africa, is home to one of the world’s largest Carnival celebrations. Some quarter of a million partygoers converge on the Canary Island capital of Santa Cruz. This three-week event (culminating in the 24-hour party on Fat Tuesday) draws in everyone, if only because no-one can escape the action which captivates the whole island. Read more.
Trinidad Carnival
Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago
Date: Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, also known as Shrove Tuesday
Today, the steel-pan band Panorama competition is a key feature of this Carnival, as are the Calypso Monarch talent battle, and the Kings and Queens Costume Competition, in which towering creations are embellished with light and sound special effects. Read more.
Date: Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, also known as Shrove Tuesday
Today, the steel-pan band Panorama competition is a key feature of this Carnival, as are the Calypso Monarch talent battle, and the Kings and Queens Costume Competition, in which towering creations are embellished with light and sound special effects. Read more.
Maslenitsa
Location: Vassilyevsky Spusk, Moscow, Russia
Dates: Last week before Lent
Akin to Mardi Gras, Russia’s only surviving pagan festival celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring, kicking off Orthodox Lent on a very full stomach. The word ‘Maslenitsa’ comes from the Russian for butter, which is a key ingredient in the festive treat, bliny (pancakes). Read more.
Dates: Last week before Lent
Akin to Mardi Gras, Russia’s only surviving pagan festival celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring, kicking off Orthodox Lent on a very full stomach. The word ‘Maslenitsa’ comes from the Russian for butter, which is a key ingredient in the festive treat, bliny (pancakes). Read more.
Viareggio Carnevale
Image by cidibee
Location: Viareggio, Italy
Dates: Four Sundays leading up to Lent
Famous either as a sun-and-sand resort or the spot where the poet Shelley drowned, Viareggio is otherwise known to festival-goers as host to one of Europe’s finest carnival celebrations. In Italy, it’s second only to Venice’s Carnevale for party spirit. Read more.
Groundhog Day (Punxsutawney, USA; 2 February) www.groundhog.org Watch Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his burrow to forecast the year’s weather…it all depends on his shadow.Dates: Four Sundays leading up to Lent
Famous either as a sun-and-sand resort or the spot where the poet Shelley drowned, Viareggio is otherwise known to festival-goers as host to one of Europe’s finest carnival celebrations. In Italy, it’s second only to Venice’s Carnevale for party spirit. Read more.
Madurai Float Festival (Madurai, India; full moon of the Tamil month of Thai — between mid-January and mid-February) www.madurai.com The goddess Meenakshi and her consort are paraded in a colourful float around an island shrine in Lake Teppakolam.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival (Chiang Mai, Thailand; first weekend in February) Colourful floats exhibit Chiang Mai’s cultivated flora.
Setsubun (Japan; 3 or 4 February) To celebrate winter’s end and drive out evil spirits, the Japanese indulge in bean-throwing while chanting ‘fuku wa uchi oni wa soto’ (‘come in happiness, get out devils’).
Jaisalmer Desert Festival (Jaisalmer, India; dates vary in February) Tourist-oriented festival with camel races, dances, turbantying contests and the famous Mr Desert competition.
Jorvik Viking Festival (York, England, mid-February) www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk Celebrate York’s Viking heritage, bar the pillage and plunder.
Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race (Caribbean Sea; February) www.montegobayrace.com A bi-annual yacht race between Florida and Montego Bay (Jamaica), that’s also an excuse for four days of partying in Montego Bay.
Sauti Za Busara (Zanzibar, Tanzania; around the second week of February) www.busaramusic.com Four-day celebration of Swahili music in the Stone Town.
Lantern Festival (Mainland China and Taiwan; 15th day of the first month in the Chinese Lunar Year) Marks the end of the New Year period and is the day for lovers; people walk the streets at night with paper lanterns and make dumplings of glutinous rice with sweet fillings.
Berlinale (Berlin, Germany; begins on the first or second Thursday of February) www.berlinale.de Berlin’s international film festival, with flicks vying for the coveted Golden Bear.
Basant (Lahore, Pakistan; second weekend of February) Lahore celebrates the onset of spring with this one-day kite-flying festival.
Holland Flowers Festival (Zwaagdijk-Oost, Netherlands; starts on the third Wednesday of February) www.hollandflowersfestival.nl
Festival of Dance (Khajuraho, India; 25 February–2 March) The cream of Indian classical dancers performing amid floodlit temples in the western enclosure.
Abu Simbel Festival (Abu Simbel, Egypt; 22 February) Twice-yearly festival (also in October) to mark the occasion when the sun shines directly into the interior of Abu Simbel temple.
Festival de Jerez (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain; last week of February and first week of March) www.festivaldejerez.es Two-week festival dedicated to music and dance, particularly flamenco.
Cape Town Pride (Cape Town, South Africa; mid to late February) www.capetownpride.co.za Cape Town’s gay and lesbian community flies the rainbow flag during this 10-day festival, which includes arts events as well as dance parties and a street parade.
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