The best festivals around the world
Experience how the world parties with these fabulous festivities. These festivals aren’t just staged for tourists; they give a real insight into the culture of the host nation and are a chance to watch people celebrate in their own unique way.
Sapporo Snow Festival, Japan, February
This is one of the biggest festivals in Japan as two million people descend on the city to see hundreds of huge snow and ice sculptures in parks and lining the streets. Odori Park is the festival epicenter and it is transformed into a snow museum stretching 1.5 kilometres. The sculptures range from cartoon characters to traditional figures or scale models of the Taj Mahal and castles towering up to 125 metres high. Teams from around the world compete in the International Snow Statue Contest, creating themed sculptures from tonnes of snow and ice.
Las Fallas, Spain, March
Las Fallas has its origins in an historic ritual whereby carpenters burnt scrap wood to welcome the start of spring. Each neighbourhood in the historic city of Valencia spends all year raising money to create a huge fallas (a papier mache doll or puppet) just for the festival. The fallas are huge and elaborate, towering up to five storeys high and made from paper, wax, wood and Styrofoam. The five days and nights of the festival are a non-stop party with processions, fireworks, music and dancing – and everyone from little children to grandparents gets involved. One the final night of the festival all the fallas and their supporters gather in the main square. One is chosen as the best by public vote and sent to the museum, while the rest are thrown onto a huge bonfire.
Rainforest World Music Festival, Malaysia, August
This annual festival in the state of Sarawak brings together international world musicians and indigenous performers from Borneo in a three-day event that attracts more than 30,000 visitors. The festival is held in the Sarawak Cultural Village north of the capital of Kuching and has a laid back, relaxed feel – workshops take place in traditional houses and performances often place musicians and the audience on the same level to encourage interaction. It’s one of Malaysia’s biggest events and is frequently rated among the top music festivals in the world.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival, Thailand, September or October
You wouldn’t think a vegetarian festival would be so violent, but this annual Thai festival is a bizarre and exciting celebration with fireworks, piercings and possession by deities. The festival was started by Chinese immigrants to invoke their Tao gods and rituals include walking over hot coals, piercing the face with up to 72 blades or climbing ladders with rungs made of swords, all while hypnotised. While the festival has a carnival atmosphere there is a serious religious commitment behind it and even spectators are encouraged to abstain from meat during the festival.
Pushkar Camel Fair, India, November
This five-day livestock trading fair has expanded to become a huge festival with hundreds of thousands of visitors. There are camels everywhere (even though much of the real trading takes place in the week prior), often beautifully groomed and bedecked with colourful halters, beads or feathers, and their owners race them or give rides to visitors. Foreigners are eagerly welcomed into the festival with cricket matches and tug of war competitions between locals and visitors, and you can even participate in the moustache competition if you feel yours is particularly impressive. 60 tented camps (of varying quality and price) spring up around the festivals perimeter to host guests.