55 Unique World Festivals for Your 2026 Bucket List
The best festival of the world is of course, subjective, but here are 50+ awesome world festivals to add to your festival bucket list. This list of celebrations around the world is going to give you some serious festival wanderlust – you have been warned!
The best world festivals can be the top way of experiencing somewhere new. Go to a world festival and you get to sample the local cultural traditions in one place, you can mingle with the locals, and see their twist on festival fun.
I’ve been to over 60 festivals around the world, so let me introduce you to some of my favourites, and the famous festivals in the world I want to go to in the future.
Festivals don’t all have to be welly-wearing, rain dodging affairs – and you can actually learn a lot from going to different festivals around the world. When it comes to the best festival in the world, you need to visit a few of these before you decide. If you already know which is your favourite festival in the world, let me know in the comments box at the end.
To help you compile your own list of world festivals you need to attend, here are just some of the top festivals in the world for your festival bucket list.
Festivals and celebrations around the world calendar
If you want to know more about festivals in January, I have a whole blog post dedicated to the month.
January world festivals calendar
1. Thaipusam Festival
Malaysia
Fancy popping over to Malaysia to celebrate that little thing called good versus evil?
Every year Hindus, more specifically the Tamil community, gather at their local temples to express their thanks and pay penance for anything bad they may have done.
Although you can see the celebrations anywhere in the country, the Batu Caves in Selangor is one of the most popular places. People journey here on a pilgrimage, cleanse themselves and fast as part of their homage to Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war.
– When is Thaipusam festival? Thaipusam usually falls in January or February.
– Where is Thaipusam festival? Malaysia
2. Timkat Festival
Ethiopia
If Ethiopia wasn’t on your travel list before, slide it right in there. Next up on the international festivals list is Timkat – taking place on the 19th of January every year. It’s also Ethiopia’s biggest festival.
Otherwise known as the Feast of Epiphany, Timkat celebrates the baptism of Jesus with a few special ceremonies followed by neighbourhood parties. Locals reenact the baptism, people make the pilgrimage from other countries and the streets are decorated in the colours of the Ethiopian flag.
While there’s loads of places in Ethiopia to see some of the traditions, the capital Addis Ababa is by far the best.
Timkat is one of many deeply religious festivals around the world, and one of the best festivals in Ethiopia.
– When is Timkat festival? 19th January
– Where is Timkat festival? All over Ethiopia
3. Hogmanay Festival
Scotland
A wee dram of whisky, some ceilidh numbers and a few degrees from freezing makes for the best way to see in the new year. Hogmanay is one of the best New Year festivals in the world.
Held in Edinburgh, the midnight main event takes place in Princes Street Gardens, right in front of the famous Edinburgh Castle. It could definitely be the best festival of the world, on NYE anyways.
Although today much of New Year’s Eve in Scotland is about the swally and the street parties, the night actually has a pretty significant role in Scotland’s history. Back when it wasn’t getting on with church, Scots didn’t get to celebrate Christmas and so they stockpiled all their party spirit ready to be unleashed on NYE in full force.
Obviously times have moved on but the strength of the celebrations remains strong and Scots still see in the bells with a good old knees up whether it be in a Highland bar, Glasgow house party or at the famous Edinburgh street party.
The centre of the city is closed off to cars, so pedestrians can wander free and bring their own alcohol in plastic containers to party on the streets.
Real life vikings come over from the Shetland Islands to lead the city’s procession with fire torches, before the hourly firework displays light up the skies. This is definitely one of those bucket list festivals you need in your life.
I WENT: My Hogmanay Experience in Edinburgh
– When is Hogmanay festival? New Year’s Eve
– Where is Hogmanay festival? Edinburgh, Scotland
4. Kumbh Mela Festival
India
The Kumbh Mela is a gathering of over 1 million people around the River Ganges. It’s the biggest festival in the world.
I went a few years ago, when it was reported there was over 70 million people in attendance over the month. SEVENTY MILLION!
I very nearly got lost at the biggest festival in the world – it wasn’t fun. You can read more about my Kumbh Mela experience here. This is one of the most important festivals in the Hindu calendar.
I feel like this festival doesn’t make it onto best world festivals lists for some reason, so I’m happy to include it here!
– When is Kumbh Mela festival? Jan / Feb
– Where is Kumbh Mela festival? India
I’ve written a book about festivals around the world – check it out here!
February world festivals calendar
For more great festivals in February read this post.
5. Venice Carnival
Venice
If you love mystery, magic and masquerade, pop this one on your own list of world festivals to attend. Each February, Venetians put two weeks aside to party. Back in the 12th century when this first became of thing, lent was a party-free zone. It also meant you couldn’t eat any rich food so to make up for what they’d be missing, Venetians would cram all their wild ways into the two weeks before lent and the tradition has since carried on.
Back then, wearing a mask was very much the norm and so the locals’ love of them is revived every year with masked balls, mask contests and masquerade pub crawls. Loads of the events are invite-only and are super fancy, but there are a fair few concerts and street parties you can join for free.
The Venice Carnival is definitely on my festival bucket list for next year!
– When is Venice Carnival? Around 8th to 25th February
– Where is Venice Carnival? Err, Venice.
6. Sky Lantern Festival
China
For all the amazing festivals China has, the Sky Lantern one is the mothership. Celebrating Chinese New Year, usually around February or March, no doubt you’ll have seen plenty of pictures of the Sky Lantern Festival.
Thousands of lanterns are let go at night creating the most magical experience. The festival is over 2000 years old and is traditionally a time to be spent with family before socialising with other loved ones.
You can catch the festivities, including a parade of a traditional Chinese dragon, all over the country, but some of the best places include Nanjing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
One of the most amazing festivals around the world to experience as a bystander.
– When is China’s Sky Lantern Festival? Around February 8th
– Where is China’s Sky Lantern Festival? All over China.
READ MORE: The Best Present Ideas for Festivals
7. Rio de Janeiro Carnival
Brazil
Known as one of the biggest and best festivals in the world, Rio de Janeiro Carnival is an iconic Brazilian parade that has the celebs flocking and backpackers saving just to be a little part of this colourful extravaganza.
Held around February to March depending on the start of lent, the Rio Carnival floats and costumes take months to put together and are some of the most amazing you’ll ever see. You can line the city streets to watch the parade go by or else buy spectator tickets for The Sambodromo where the themed floats go by to the sounds of samba, steel drums and screams of onlookers.
Tickets cost upwards of $60 and while it’s not a bank breaker, the cost to get to Brazil might mean a little saving. Take a look at my top tips for saving money at festivals to help you get by. Add this to your celebrations around the world calendar!
– When is Rio Carnival? Around Fri, 21 – Wed, 26 Feb
– Where is Rio Carnival? Rio, in Brazil.
READ MORE: I’ve Written a Book About Festivals!
March world festivals calendar
For more festivals in March, check out my dedicated post here.
8. Holi Festival
India
We’ve all heard of Holi right?
To experience the dust throwing, colour crazy fest in all its glory, you have to head to its home country of India come March time. An ancient Hindu festival, it goes way beyond good insta-photos and signifies the start of spring and the coming together of friends and family to rid of bad blood.
As one of the world’s most iconic and best festivals, Holi is celebrated nationwide meaning you can pick your preferred Indian location and start joining in the bonfire displays and street parties wherever you are.
It’s just one of many festivals in India, although the most important one, which I’ve been to, is the Kumbh Mela. There are so many Indian national festivals to choose from, but this is definitely the most renowned.
– When is Holi Festival? Around 9th to 10th March
– Where is Holi Festival? All over India, but also celebrated around the world
9. St Paddy’s Day
Ireland
An easy one to tick off given its close proximity to us in the UK, is St Paddy’s Day in Ireland. It’s one of the most popular world festivals and although the epicentre is in Ireland, Paddy’s Day is celebrated around the world.
If you want to go to one of the craziest festivals in the world, fly over to Dublin and then either stay in the city or go on from there to any Irish town where you’ll find friendly locals, a decent pub and a load of Guinness to help you celebrate the patron saint of Ireland.
No matter where you end up on March 17th, you can guarantee there’ll be decent music, a lot of partying and loads of green clothing to honour the day their favourite saint died.
St Patrick’s Day may be one of the most popular festivals in Ireland, but it’s also one of the biggest and most famous festivals in the world. It’s celebrated wherever you can find an Irish pub.
– When is St Patrick’s Day? 17th March every year
– Where is St Patrick’s Day? Mainly Ireland, but there are also huge celebrations in Chicago, New York, Sydney and London.
10. Mardi Gras
USA
It’s all about New Orleans, especially around Easter time; when Mardi Gras takes place on the day before Ash Wednesday. Despite taking place in New Orleans, its roots actually originated from Europe and the celebrations held by Pagan people that were then adopted by Rome and brought to New Orleans by explorers.
Over the centuries Mardi Gras festival has garnered more steam with over 100 different parades taking place in and around New Orleans. In fact, Louisiana is the only state that makes this day a national holiday. This is a huge world festival.
Mardi Gras is a huge thing for New Orleans, and people turn up in their thousands to celebrate it. If you’re planning on visiting, I have a great cheap guide to New Orleans and a comparison of the decent priced accommodation too.
– When is Mardi Gras? Around 25th February
– Where is Mardi Gras? All over New Orleans