Top 100 Festivals Around the World

1.Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The single most iconic carnival on Earth - Sambadrome parades, two million people in the streets, the festival everyone pictures when they hear the word 'carnival.'

2.Oktoberfest

Munich, Germany

The world's largest folk festival and the definitive beer celebration; six million visitors in lederhosen and dirndls make it instantly recognizable worldwide.

3.Burning Man

Black Rock Desert, Nevada, United States

The ultimate 'wow, you went to THAT?' badge - a temporary art city in the desert built on radical self-expression that people plan years to attend.

4.Day of the Dead

Oaxaca, Mexico

Globally iconic since the films and parades - marigolds, calaveras and altars make it one of the most visually unmistakable cultural festivals in the world.

5.Holi

Mathura, India

The festival of colors is universally recognized; being doused in pigment in the streets of India is on nearly every global bucket list.

6.Mardi Gras

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

America's defining carnival - beads, krewes, masked balls and the French Quarter parade make it instantly nameable by anyone.

7.La Tomatina

Bunol, Spain

The world's biggest food fight; tens of thousands hurling tomatoes is a one-of-a-kind spectacle everyone has seen footage of.

8.San Fermin

Pamplona, Spain

Hemingway-famous adrenaline ritual - running ahead of bulls through Pamplona's streets is one of the most recognized and daring festival acts alive.

9.Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival

Harbin, China

A city of illuminated ice castles the size of buildings - the largest ice festival on Earth and an unforgettable 'you went there in winter?' flex.

10.Yi Peng Lantern Festival

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thousands of glowing lanterns released into the night sky at once - one of the most photographed and dreamed-about scenes in travel.

11.Kumbh Mela

Prayagraj, India

The largest gathering of humanity on the planet - tens of millions of pilgrims bathing in sacred rivers; attending is a profound, rare experience.

12.Réveillon de Copacabana (New Year's Eve)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Guinness-certified largest New Year's Eve celebration on Earth — 2.5+ million people in white on Copacabana Beach for a 12-minute fireworks spectacle launched from offshore barges. A genuine global pilgrimage, distinct from Rio Carnival.

13.Venice Carnival

Venice, Italy

Elaborate masks and Baroque costumes drifting through misty canals - the most elegant and recognizable masquerade in the world.

14.Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

The largest hot-air balloon event on Earth; hundreds of balloons ascending at dawn is one of the most spectacular sights in any festival.

15.Up Helly Aa

Lerwick, United Kingdom

Torch-bearing Vikings burning a longship in the dead of a Shetland winter - the definitive 'wow, you went to THAT?' fire festival.

16.Naadam Festival

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Mongolia's 'three manly games' - wrestling, archery and horse racing across the steppe; a deeply adventurous, in-the-know cultural experience.

17.Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo, Japan

Monumental snow and ice sculptures draw millions to Hokkaido; Japan's premier winter spectacle and a top cold-weather bucket-list pick.

18.Gion Matsuri

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto's thousand-year-old summer festival with towering wooden floats; the most prestigious and atmospheric of Japan's matsuri.

19.Inti Raymi

Cusco, Peru

The Inca Festival of the Sun re-enacted at Sacsayhuaman above Cusco - a vivid, in-the-know link to a vanished empire.

20.Las Fallas

Valencia, Spain

UNESCO-listed fire festival where colossal satirical sculptures are paraded then burned in the streets - a spectacle of fire and gunpowder unlike anything else.

21.Carnival in Oruro

Oruro, Bolivia

UNESCO Masterpiece carnival with the famous Diablada devil dances high in the Andes - the kind of festival that marks you as a real traveler.

22.Trinidad Carnival

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

The 'Mother of All Carnivals' - soca, mas and J'Ouvert that spawned Caribbean carnivals worldwide; the connoisseur's choice over Rio for many.

23.Glastonbury Festival

Pilton, United Kingdom

The world's most famous greenfield music festival - a rite of passage for music lovers and the festival every other festival is measured against.

24.Tomorrowland

Boom, Belgium

The most iconic electronic dance music festival on the planet, with fantastical mainstage builds that define modern festival spectacle.

25.Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Indio, California, United States

The trend-setting desert music-and-art festival that dominates pop culture every spring; a name everyone recognizes instantly.

26.Songkran

Bangkok, Thailand

Thai New Year turned into the world's biggest water fight - a joyful, internationally famous street celebration.

27.Carnaval de Barranquilla

Barranquilla, Colombia

UNESCO-listed and second only to Rio in the Americas - cumbia, congo and Caribbean folklore make it a serious carnival traveler's prize.

28.Timkat

Gondar, Ethiopia

Ethiopian Orthodox Epiphany - white-robed pilgrims, Ark replicas and sacred pool baptisms in a 17th-century royal city; deeply exotic and moving.

29.Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Widely cited as the world's second-largest carnival after Rio, with legendary drag galas, elaborate costumes and a quarter-million revelers in the Canary Islands — iconic yet off the usual path.

30.Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The largest arts festival in the world; an entire city becomes a stage every August - the definitive performing-arts pilgrimage.

31.Semana Santa

Seville, Spain

Seville's Holy Week processions of hooded penitents and float-borne icons are among the most solemn and visually striking events in Europe.

32.Diwali

Jaipur, India

The festival of lights - millions of lamps, fireworks and decorated cities; one of the most universally known celebrations on Earth.

33.Cologne Carnival

Cologne, Germany

Germany's 'fifth season' and one of Europe's biggest street carnivals - Rosenmontag parades and a million costumed revelers.

34.Battle of the Oranges

Ivrea, Italy

Italy's wildest carnival - teams pelt each other with tons of oranges re-enacting a medieval revolt; a gloriously bizarre 'you did WHAT?' experience.

35.Kandy Esala Perahera

Kandy, Sri Lanka

A 10-night Buddhist procession of caparisoned elephants, fire-dancers and drummers honoring the Sacred Tooth Relic — the only perahera of its kind, and a festival that marks you as a serious traveler.

36.Palio di Siena

Siena, Italy

A bareback medieval horse race around Siena's main square between rival contrade - 90 raw seconds of centuries-old passion seen by few outsiders.

37.Junkanoo

Nassau, Bahamas

The Bahamas' dawn street parade of crepe-paper costumes and goombay drums on Boxing Day and New Year's - a vibrant, lesser-known Caribbean gem.

38.Crop Over

Bridgetown, Barbados

Barbados's harvest carnival culminating in Grand Kadooment - feathers, soca and Rihanna's hometown party; a stylish Caribbean bucket-list trip.

39.Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Sydney, Australia

One of the world's largest and most iconic Pride celebrations — 12,000+ marchers and 200+ floats down Oxford Street watched by hundreds of thousands. Globally recognized and distinct from New Orleans Mardi Gras.

40.Cannes Film Festival

Cannes, France

The most prestigious film festival in the world - the red carpet, the Palme d'Or, the Riviera glamour everyone recognizes.

41.Loy Krathong

Sukhothai, Thailand

Tens of thousands of candlelit floats set adrift on rivers under a full moon - the water counterpart to Yi Peng and breathtakingly beautiful.

42.Hogmanay

Edinburgh, Scotland

The world's most famous New Year's celebration outside Times Square - torchlight processions, street parties and Loony Dook in the heart of Scotland.

43.Pushkar Camel Fair

Pushkar, India

Thousands of camels, traders and pilgrims fill the desert - a riot of color and tradition that's a photographer's and adventurer's dream.

44.Notting Hill Carnival

London, United Kingdom

Europe's biggest street festival - Caribbean sound systems and mas bands take over London; a must-do summer institution.

45.Calgary Stampede

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

'The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth' - rodeo, chuckwagon races and a whole city in cowboy hats; North America's definitive Western festival.

46.St. Patrick's Festival

Dublin, Ireland

The original and most authentic St. Patrick's celebration - the Dublin parade and a city awash in green is a global bucket-list staple.

47.Nebuta Matsuri

Aomori, Japan

Giant illuminated warrior floats parade through Aomori while dancers chant - one of Japan's most dramatic and least-touristed great festivals.

48.Awa Odori

Tokushima, Japan

Japan's largest dance festival - over a million revelers join the 'fool's dance' through Tokushima during Obon; infectious and immersive.

49.Sundance Film Festival

Park City, Utah, United States

The premier independent film festival in the world - where breakout movies are discovered amid the snowy Utah mountains.

50.Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Pingxi, Taiwan

Hundreds of wish-bearing lanterns rise together over the hills near Taipei - one of CNN and Nat Geo's top-rated must-see events.

51.Quebec Winter Carnival

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

The world's largest winter carnival - Bonhomme, ice palaces and canoe races on the frozen St. Lawrence; a quintessential cold-weather adventure.

52.Thaipusam

Batu Caves, Malaysia

Devotees carry ornate kavadi and pierce their bodies in a procession to the Batu Caves - one of the most intense and unforgettable rituals you can witness.

53.Nice Carnival

Nice, France

One of the world's oldest and grandest carnivals - flower battles and giant papier-mache floats along the French Riviera.

54.Carnival of Viareggio

Viareggio, Italy

Italy's premier float carnival - towering, satirical papier-mache giants parade along the Tuscan seafront; a beloved Italian institution.

55.Boi Bumba (Parintins Folklore Festival)

Parintins, Brazil

A stadium showdown between two ox teams deep in the Amazon - Brazil's third-biggest festival and a true off-the-map spectacle.

56.Cherry Blossom Festival in Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

Hanami under clouds of pink sakura is one of the most romantic and universally beloved seasonal experiences in the world.

57.Toronto International Film Festival

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The launchpad of awards season and the most influential public film festival in North America.

58.Gerewol

Dourbali region, Chad

The Wodaabe male beauty contest - nomadic men in dazzling makeup court brides in the Sahel; about as remote and astonishing as festivals get.

59.AfrikaBurn

Tankwa Karoo, South Africa

Africa's Burning Man - radical art and self-expression in a remote Karoo desert; a serious in-the-know counterculture pilgrimage.

60.Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Fes, Morocco

Sufi chants and global sacred music performed in the courtyards of an ancient imperial city - a soulful, sophisticated traveler's festival.

61.New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The definitive American roots-music festival - jazz, blues, gospel and Creole food in the city that birthed jazz.

62.Carnaval de Quebec

Quebec City, Canada

Retained as the iconic Bonhomme winter carnival listing - a marquee North American cold-season celebration.

63.Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling

Brockworth, England

Competitors hurl themselves down a near-vertical hill chasing a wheel of cheese - gloriously absurd and a viral 'you actually did that?' classic.

64.Essence Festival of Culture

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The largest celebration of African American music and culture in the US - 'the party with a purpose' draws hundreds of thousands every July.

65.Bastille Day Celebration

Paris, France

France's national day - the Champs-Elysees parade and fireworks over the Eiffel Tower; an iconic date to be in Paris.

66.Fuji Rock Festival

Yuzawa, Japan

Asia's premier outdoor music festival set in stunning mountains - famously clean, scenic and a discerning music fan's destination.

67.Vesak (Buddha's Birthday)

Kandy, Sri Lanka

Lantern-lit streets and free almsgiving across the Buddhist world on the full moon - serene, beautiful and deeply meaningful to witness.

68.Obon

Kyoto, Japan

Japan's festival of ancestral spirits - bon-odori dances and floating lanterns, capped by Kyoto's mountainside Gozan no Okuribi bonfires.

69.Boryeong Mud Festival

Boryeong, South Korea

Korea's wild summer party - mud wrestling, mud slides and EDM on Daecheon Beach; a million visitors and pure messy fun.

70.Montreal International Jazz Festival

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The largest jazz festival in the world by Guinness - a music-lover's summer pilgrimage that takes over downtown Montreal.

71.Roskilde Festival

Roskilde, Denmark

Northern Europe's legendary nonprofit mega-festival - a week of music, art and activism that's been a Scandinavian institution since 1971.

72.Sziget Festival

Budapest, Hungary

The 'Island of Freedom' - a week-long city of music on a Danube island in Budapest; one of Europe's most beloved festival experiences.

73.Venice Film Festival

Venice, Italy

The world's oldest film festival - red carpets on the Lido and the Golden Lion; pure cinematic glamour every September.

74.La Mercè

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona's biggest street festival - human towers, fire-running correfocs and giants parading through the city for its patron saint.

75.Mawazine

Rabat, Morocco

One of the largest music festivals in the world by attendance, bringing global superstars to Morocco's capital - a surprising North African heavyweight.

76.Lunar New Year in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Spectacular harbour fireworks, a night parade and flower markets make Hong Kong one of the great places to ring in the world's biggest annual celebration.

77.Cape Town International Jazz Festival

Cape Town, South Africa

'Africa's Grandest Gathering' - the continent's largest jazz festival pairing world-class music with one of the planet's most beautiful cities.

78.Lunar New Year in Singapore

Singapore, Singapore

Chingay parade, riverside light-ups and Chinatown bazaars make Singapore a dazzling, accessible place to experience Lunar New Year.

79.Wacken Open Air

Wacken, Germany

The 'Mecca of heavy metal' - a tiny German village overrun by 80,000 metalheads; a legendary pilgrimage for any rock fan.

80.Rock in Rio

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One of the largest music festivals in the world - a sprawling 'City of Rock' that has hosted the biggest names on the planet since 1985.