55 Epic Holidays & Festivals Around the World to Enjoy in 2024

There are so many incredible holidays and festivals around the world to enjoy! From carnival celebrations to lantern festivals, there is a wide variety of wild parties and traditional rituals that  you can find across the globe.

Each year we look to tick off a couple of these festivals around the world from our bucket list, and we're here to help you do the same!

We've worked hard to gather all of the holidays this year, and each of the festivals around the world that are worth experiencing. Not only will you learn about the traditions, but we've included the dates, airports to fly to, and have linked all relevant articles of the places we've been, so that you can organize an epic 2024! Enjoy!

Epic Festivals Around The World in January

January is a month where most people become hermits. They feel the financial burden from the holiday season, and the winter blues. However, we're here to tell you that January is an incredible month to tick off some things from your winter bucket list! Here are two particular festivals around the world we suggest checking out.

1. Canary Islands Carnival

Typically carnival in the Canary Islands is held throughout February. However, Easter is early this year, which means carnival is too!

There are a ton of cool carnival celebrations around the world, but the Canary Islands is personally one of my favorites. Expect massive street parties, warm weather, and ridiculous costumes.

The two islands that embrace carnival the most are Tenerife and Gran Canaria, which are also two of the most popular islands of the archipelago.

🎭 Carnival in Tenerife

Held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the streets fill with people partying all day and night, until the sun comes up! Expect all different funny costumes, parades, and a variety of entertainment throughout the city. 

The carnival in Tenerife is one of the biggest in the world (right behind Brazil), and is the biggest one in Spain. The first time I went, it was on a full flight from Madrid to Tenerife, and the entire plane was filled with people in costumes and passing around drinks in anticipation of this epic carnival. Needless to say- this is definitely one for the bucket list!

🎭 Carnival in Gran Canaria

After Tenerife, Gran Canaria is known to have the second biggest carnival in the Canary Islands. Held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (the capital), this celebration is similar to Tenerife's, but is well known for its Drag Queen Gala.

2. Up Helly Aa

Located in Shetland, Scotland, Up Helly Aa is a festival to celebrate the end of the Yule season.  Each year thousands prepare for this massive fire festival, where there will be around 1,000 torch bearers that are disguised in costumes.

Up Helly Aa is a full 24-hour celebration, and you can expect singing, dancing, drinking, and of course, lots of fire!

Epic Festivals Around The World in February

February is hands down the best month when it comes to epic festivals around the world. This month is when the majority of the carnivals around the world are held, and you can expect a ton of epic celebrations in February. Here are the top 10 ones to add to your bucket list for 2024.

3. Venice Carnival

While many carnivals around the world are rather wild, Venice is a bit more of a classier one. The floating city fills with people dressed in elegant gowns and elaborate masks.

The celebration is held for the two weeks leading up to lent, and has a variety of events going on. such as theatrical shows, acrobatics, and the famous gondola parade.

4. Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival

Know to be one of the "most dangerous festivals in the world", the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival is definitely a unique one.

Located in one of the oldest towns in Taiwan, Tainan has a festival dedicated to fire. The streets fill with people shooting bottle rockets, firecrackers, and fireworks. Some people even bring helmets for this wild experience!

5. Brazilian Carnival

If you're looking for the biggest celebrations in the world, then look no further than Brazil - the part capital of the world!

Brazilian carnival is a country-wide celebration, and is the most anticipated time of year for Brazilians. Extravagant costumes, parades, and street parties are just some of the fun you can experience during carnival in Brazil.

The most famous celebration is held in Rio de Janeiro, but some other incredible ones for the bucket list are Salvador (the biggest in Brazil), Recife (a nice local one), and Sao Paulo (the most amount of parties in total).

🎉 Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is seriously a bucket list experience! It is the most famous celebration, as it's where the Sambadrone is located - a stadium specifically created for carnival that has parades of the best dancers in the entire country.

The city also has a ton of smaller street parties, which are constantly moving, so it's important to join the Facebook and Whatsapp groups for constant updates!

🎉 Carnival in Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo is the perfect place to spend a couple of days for carnival, as it's typically where most people can fly into for the best prices. The city has a week of official carnival dates, but the city actually has scattered parties throughout all of January and February! Our personal favorite parties are the ones held at Ibirapuera.

🎉 Carnival in Salvador

If you ask Brazilians which carnival is their favorite, then Salvador will oftentimes be the answer. 

While most tourists flock to Rio for carnival, the real deal is truly in Salvador. This is the country's biggest carnival, and is just a few days. Sadly, we didn't know that the dates were different, so missed it by just a day! By the videos we saw on the news though, it's clear that this is one of the best carnivals in the entire world.

We also love Salvador as a destination itself, so highly recommend saving time to explore the city and the beaches around it!

🎉 Carnival in Recife

Carnival in Recife is hardly visited by tourists, but is truly one of the best ones that I have been to! If you're looking for authentic carnival vibes, then check out Recife and Olinda, which is a neighboring beach town beloved by Brazilians.

6. Trinidad & Tobago Carnival

Just like Brazil, Trinidad & Tobago shows off during carnival with its elaborate costumes, bright colors, and people partying in the streets. One thing that makes the Trinidad & Tobago carnival unique is that the kickoff party starts on a Monday at 4 am!

7. Spain Carnival

We've already mentioned the incredible celebrations of the Canary Islands, but all of Spain celebrates carnival!

While living in Madrid, I was able to attend a ton of different celebrations. But interestingly enough, the biggest celebrations are not in the biggest cities! The largest carnival celebration is held in Cadiz, a port city in the south of the country.

Behind Tenerife, Cadiz has the biggest carnival in Spain, where the main plaza fills with people dressed in costumes, and those of all ages partying all day and night.

8. Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is the carnival of the US, and is known for a few different things from the other countries. While many other carnivals include elaborate costumes, Mardi Gras is known for its colors and bead tradition.

Gold, purple, and green can be found decorated everywhere, and women flash people to win a string of beads. It's certainly not the classiest festival, but definitely one for the bucket list.

While you can find a variety of celebrations across the country, the main Mardi Gras celebration is held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and occurs for the four days leading up to Fat Tuesday.

9. Chinese New Year 

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China, and is definitely one of the coolest festivals around the world to experience.

This day is celebrated with parades, fireworks, special dinners, and gift giving, making it a magical time to experience Chinese traditions. Unlike the traditional calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. The date depends on the lunar calendar, which can be anywhere from mid January to the end of February. 

10. Malaysia Spring Festival

While Chinese New Year is celebrated mainly in China, it is actually also celebrated in Malaysia! Also known as the spring festival, the celebrations are revolved around the lunar calendar, and include red lanterns, cultural events, and fireworks to kick off the new year.

11. Barranquilla Carnival 

If you're looking for one of the best carnivals in Colombia, then you won't want to miss out on the one in Barranquilla.

While the city itself doesn't have as much to offer as Cartagena or Santa Marta, February this city comes to life with its incredible carnival celebrations, full of parades, beautiful costumes, and a lot of dancing.

Don't have time to read the whole article and want to save it for later? Just pin it!

12. Battle of the Oranges 

This is one of the most unique festivals around the world and one of the wildest events in Italy. While the carnival in Venice is full of gorgeous masks, parades, and dances, the carnival in Ivrea is one of the crazier ones out there.

Every year the small northern town of Ivrea hosts "Battle of the Oranges" where thousands gather to have the largest food fight in the country. It's similar to "La Tomatina" in Spain, but it's done with oranges, and it's definitely one to add to the bucket list!

The three day long festival stretches from Sunday to Shrove Tuesday every year. This year the dates are February 11th to the 13th, starting at 10 am.

13. Singapore Sky Lantern Festival

Welcome to one of the most magical festivals around the world. Located on Sentosa Island in Singapore, the festival is one where thousands of lanterns are lit and then released into the sky to make wishes come true.

Epic Festivals Around The World in March

If you thought all of the best festivals around the world were in February, then you were wrong! March is actually a month with several carnival celebrations, as well as some other fun and unique festivities. Here are 4 of the coolest festivals around the world to check out in the month of March.

14. Cayenne Carnival

Most people have never even heard of French Guiana, no less think there is an incredible reason for visiting. Well, the Cayenne Carnival may just change your mind! Similar to many of the other carnivals in South America, this carnival is full of beautiful costumes, lively parades, and many parties in the streets.

15. La Fallas

Spain has a ton of unique festivals, but this is certainly one of my personal favorites.

The origin of Las Fallas comes from the old carpenter’s tradition of celebrating the arrival of spring on March 19th by burning pieces of wood which were used to prop up their lights during the wintertime.

Now, the festival is celebrated with aspiring artists contributions. They work for months on end to create their best massive and colorful structure. The artwork is spread throughout the city of Valencia for tourists and local to admire, while having various festivities throughout the work. Some of these include parties in the streets, fireworks, and massive paellas being served.

The last day of Las Fallas there is a winner chosen of all of the art pieces, and all of them are burned to the ground with enormous bonfires. This is definitely one of the most unique festivals around the world, and one of the top reasons to visit Valencia.

16. St Patrick’s Day

Another one of our favorite places to travel in March is Dublin, for the famous celebration of St Patrick's Day. 

Every year on March 17th locals and tourists gather for a big parade and parties along the streets and bars of the city. Dublin is covered from top to bottom in green, as well as all of those that are celebrating. So get ready for a pint of Guinness and to experience one of the best festivals around the world!

If you can't make it to Dublin, New York City also has a massive St Patricks Day parade, and you can also find a ton of different parties and places to celebrate.

17. Semana Santa

Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays around the world, and each country has their own way of celebrating. In Spain and Latin American countries, they don't celebrate the day of Easter, as much as they celebrate steadily throughout the whole week.

Head over to Spain and they really take Semana Santa to a whole other level. Most businesses are off of work (kind of like a spring break for all ages), and there are large parades. The biggest celebrations are in Sevilla, where it is one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

Don't be scared though. The typical dresses are large hooded capes. They come in groups of all different colors, and the white ones look creepily like the KKK. Of course this is not what the intent is, so there is nothing to worry about!

18. Holi Festival

Welcome to one of the bucket list celebrations for us this year- Holi Festival.

This popular Hindu Celebration is also known as the "Festival of Lights", "festival of colors", or "festival of love", and is one where the country fo India is covered in color.

The celebration is a night and a full day following. It starts with a bonfire the night before, and then follows with a day full of parties in the streets, and colorful powder being thrown at one another. This symbolizes the triumph of good over the bad, and let's people unite to get rid of resentment and bad feelings. 

Holi Festival is celebrated all across the country, but some of the best celebrations are held in the cities of the north.

Epic Festivals Around The World in April

It's springtime, and a great month to get out and enjoy the warm weather, as well as some other fun festivals around the world! Here are 4 of them that we particularly recommend.

19.  Coachella 

Want to see one of the biggest music festivals around the world? Each year in April is the famous festival of Coachella. Held in the desert of Indio, California, this is so much more than just a music festival, but a full experience.

People travel from all over the world, and have the most extravagant outfits for this iconic event. The Coachella Valley and Music Arts Festival occurs over a course of two weeks on consecutive weekends. It may be a little pricey, but definitely one to experience once in your life.

20. Songkran

Did you know that Thailand also has a unique New Years celebration? Held in April each year, this festival is a massive water fight, meant to wash away people's sins and misfortunes from the previous year. 

21. Feria de Abril

Want to dive into the culture of the south of Spain? Well, head over to Sevilla for the biggest festival of Andalusia.

Also known as the "Feria de Abril", this celebration is held two weeks after Semana Santa (Easter break). It starts at midnight on Saturday, and runs a full 7 days. The Spring Fair is characterized by typical Flamenco dresses, tents with music and food, and of course a massive fair.

Feria de Abril is a ton of fun to experience, and while it at times seems exclusive, there are also plenty of tents for the public to enjoy as well.

22. King’s Day

One of our favorite places to travel in April is the Netherlands- but it's not just for its famous tulip fields! It's actually for King's Day, which is the country's biggest national holiday.

This celebration happens on the kings birthday, which is on April 27th. You can find large gatherings, concerts, and boat parties all along the canals of Amsterdam during King's Day. The city comes to life with everyone covered from head to toe with orange attire, and drinking and eating with friends and family.

Epic Holidays & Festivals Around The World in May

May is a pretty quiet month for festivals around the world, but there are 3 fun reasons to visit the US during this month!

23. Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is actually a Mexican holiday, but ironically only celebrated by the US!

We're not sure how this holiday started being celebrated by Americans, but it's a day where massive Mexican-themed parties happen. So if you like tacos and tequila, then Cinco de Mayo is definitely a day you'll want to be in the US for. 

Each city has its own celebrations, but you can certainly find a Cinco de Mayo party no matter where you are (and mostly in places like California, New York, and Texas).

24. Bay to Breakers

Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace held in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May each year. It is named "Bay to Breakers" because the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero and goes west through the city, finishing at the Great Highway.

This isn't any run though, it's actually a 12k of people partying to the finish line. You can find people festively dressed, music, and dancing amongst over 100,000 people at this unique event!

25. Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend isn't necessarily a festival, but it certainly is a fun weekend to experience in the US.

While it's formally known to commemorate soldiers, it's unofficially known as the kickoff to the summer season, and a 3-day weekend full of barbecues and beach parties.

You can celebrate Memorial Day Weekend anywhere around the US, but we personally love the celebrations mostly in the beach areas. We may be biased, but for us, New Jersey is one of the most fun places to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend, as New Yorkers and locals alike flock to the jersey shore for the best parties.

Epic Festivals Around The World in June

The summer is kicking off, and people are ready to party more than ever! June is pride month, summer solstice, and a month with some of the best festivals around the world.

26. El Colacho Baby Jumping Festival 

Looking for one of the weirdest festivals around the world? Well, we can assure you that this is one of them.

Held in the small town of Castrillo de Murcia, Spain, this festival is a blend of Pagan and Christian rituals. The festival has costumed men jump across babies under one year of age lying on mattresses.

It dates back to the 1620's, and is supposed to be a form of a "baptism" which protects the babies.

27. Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a celebration of Chinese culture, and is held each year in Hong Kong. It consists of traditional dragon boats racing down the river, as well as eating rice dumplings. The festival lasts three days, and is a symbolism of unity and patriotism.

28. Bermuda Carnival

Bermuda has a ton of fun events throughout the summer, but the biggest one is certainly their carnival. The Bermuda Carnival is a 4-day celebration with street parties, music, parades, and food held in Hamilton.

29. Midsummer 

Midsummer is a celebration of summer solstice, and is popular amongst Northern European countries. This is the day with the most sunlight in these countries, which in many places is up to 24 hours!

Summer solstice takes place on the third weekend of June, and is celebrated mostly in Sweden, Reykjavik, or the islands surrounding Helsinki.

In Sweden, Midsummer is actually the most important day of the year! Girls gather flowers and make wreaths to put on their heads and around the maypole. There is a ceremony where the maypole is raised, and then everyone sings and dances with traditional songs around it, before partying the night away.

There are a ton of great places to celebrate Midsummer, but the most traditional celebration is held in Dalarna, a rural area of Sweden. Other popular places are islands around Stockholm, or the seaside area of the country.

30. Haro Wine Festival

Have you ever heard of a wine festival? We're not talking about just drinking wine, but also wearing it. Well, of course you could only find this kind of festival in Spain, the capital of unique festivals around the world.

Every 28th-30th of June you can head over to the small town of Haro for one of the most wild and bizarre celebrations there is. Batallo de Vino includes bull fights, partying, and having a massive wine fight!

That's right. The town becomes a battlefield of wine starting at 7 am, going all day long on Saturday. Make sure not to wear anything you care about for this one!

Epic Holidays & Festivals Around The World in July

July is a great month for fireworks and festivals around the globe. Here are 4 festivals around the world to visit during this month.

31. Fourth of July (US Independence Day)

While this isn't necessary a festival, it certainly is a holiday you'll want to experience, whether you are from the US or not.

If you're from the US, well, we obviously don't need to explain why the Fourth of July is significant, but if you're not from the US, then come ready for barbecues, beach parties, and lots of fireworks. Also, since the Fourth of July falls on a Thursday this year, you can expect celebrations to continue throughout the entire weekend!

32. San Fermin (Running of the Bulls)

The second week fo July is another one of the craziest festivals around the world, and it's no surprise that it's happening in Spain.

Also known as "the running of the bulls", San Fermin is a week long festival held in the small town of Pamplona. It's full of people in the streets traditionally dressed in white with red bandanas, and partying the day and night away. The festival kicks off with a firecracker, music, and people spraying their drinks everywhere.

Every morning there is an event where people can go and run alongside bulls. It's certainly a bit dangerous, and not something to do while under the influence, but definitely one for the bucket list!

33. Bastille Day

Another National Day to add to your bucket list is France's. Formally known as Bastille Day, you can find people celebrating in the streets, as well as one of the best firework displays you'll ever see.

34. Tomorrowland 

As far as music festivals go, Tomorrowland is the biggest one in the entire world, and certainly one for the bucket list.

It has become so popular that each year people have to sit at their computers ready to purchase tickets to the festival before it sells out.

Tomorrowland is held in Boom, Belgium, and you can get tickets for two different weekends at the end of July each year.

35. Boryeong Mud Festival 

While the majority of the most unique festivals around the world happen in Spain or around Europe, it's time to head to Asia for one of the craziest yet!

Each year in Boryeong, South Korea, there is a mud festival that is more than two weeks. Originally created to promote the city's mud-based products for cosmetics and skincare, this is now an event held on the beach with tons of games and fun in the mud!

Epic Holidays & Festivals Around The World in August

The summer is coming to an end, but the fun sure is not. August is full of festivals around the world, so we've narrowed it down to our top 5 experiences.

36. Zurich Street Parade

One of the wildest events throughout Europe is the Zurich Street Parade, which happens each August.

People dress up with costumes, glitter, and in all different styles and attend a massive street party in the center of Zurich. There is a variety of music with a few different venues, food stalls, drinking, and a whole lot of fun.

37. Burning Man 

If you're looking for one of the best festivals around the world, then Burning Man is definitely one of them. Next to Coachella, it's also one of the most popular ones to attend in the US. Unlike many other festivals around the world though, this one is much more than a music festival.

Held in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, this weeklong festival celebrates art, community, self-expression, and self-reliance, making it a wildly spiritual event to add to your bucket list.

38. Tomatina

Every August the small town of Buñol in Spain hosts one of the most unique festivals in the world. "La Tomatina" is a festival that happens on the last Wednesday of August each year, and is known as the world's biggest food fight.

Thousands of people travel to this Valencian suburb to party in the streets and participate throw tomatoes at one another.

After a full hour of the madness, you will find the streets of Buñol flooded in tomatoes, with tipsy tourists swimming through the juices. It is chaotic and messy, but a super fun and interesting event to attend at least once in your lifetime.

39. Labor Day Weekend

While Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer in the US, this holiday is known as the unofficial closing of summer.

The 3-day weekend is very similar to Memorial Day Weekend, and is full of barbecues and parties all weekend long. Again, you can celebrate anywhere, but we definitely suggest heading to one of the beach cities.

40. Las Bolas de Fuego 

This may just be one of the weirdest (and most dangerous) festivals around the world. Held in Najapa, El Salvador, Las Bolas de Fuego is an event where the locals paint their faces like skulls, and throw balls of fire at each other!

Epic Festivals Around The World in September

The summer is over, but that doesn't mean the fun is! September has a few cool festivals around the world to add to your bucket list in both Asia and Europe.

41.  Mid Autumn Festival (China)

Also known as the "Moon Festival", this is one of the biggest events held throughout China. It's held to commemorate the fall harvest, and it's celebrated during the full moon, which is the largest and brightest of the year.

Mid Autumn Festival is when families and friends gather to light lanterns, eat moon cakes, and admire the beautiful big moon.

42. Mid Autumn Festival (Vietnam)

In Vietnam they also celebrate Mid Autumn Festival, which is also known as the "Children's Festival". It is one of the biggest festivals in the country, and consists of feasts, a lantern parade, and a lion dance.

43. World Body Painting Festival 

This festival is held in the south of Austria, and brings together artists from over 50 nations for a body painting competition. It is one of the most colorful events in Europe, and definitely one of the most unique festivals around the world.

44. Rupertikirtag

Did you know that Austria has its own version of Oktoberfest? Actually, the Austrian festival dates back much earlier than Germany's, and is a festival with big tents of live music, long tables with traditional food, and lots of beer.

Rupertikirtag is held in Salzburg, and also has a large fair of rides, games, and plenty of food and drinks in the main plaza.

45. Oktoberfest

Speaking of Oktoberfest, this is one of the biggest festivals around the world, and definitely one for the bucket list.

While many people think this event is held in October, it actually starts in the end of September, going through the beginning of October.

You can find Oktoberfest celebrations all over the country of Germany, but the most famous one is in Munich, which has over a dozen tents and 420,000 square meters of rides, games, and food. It is visited by 6 million people each year who dress in traditional German attire and drink massive jugs of beer all day long.

Epic Holidays & Festivals Around The World in October

October has some of the creepiest and most spiritual festivals around the world, but some truly interesting ones to experience!

46. Phuket Vegetarian Festival

You may be thinking that this is just a big food festival with vegetarian food. Wrong! It's actually quite gruesome, and includes people piercing themselves with large, sharp objects. Sometimes they even make massive holes and put vegetables through them!

There are a lot of rules for the festival, including having to wear white, no drinking, and no eating animal products. But other weird rules include restricting pregnant women, and those that are on their period.

While this certainly isn't on the top of our list for festivals around the world to visit, it certainly is a unique one to experience!

47. Halloween

Alright, Halloween isn't necessarily a festival, but it certainly is a day worth celebrating in various parts of the world.

Interestingly enough, Halloween has very different ways of celebrating in different areas. For example, in the UK, people dress scarily, and have some parties, while in the US there is trick-or-treating, a variety of costumes (funny, sexy, or scary), and a lot of unique customs around the entire month of October.

If you aren't from the US, we would highly recommend spending Halloween there, as we definitely celebrate the biggest (sometimes even for two weekends!).

Epic Holidays & Festivals Around The World in November

November is a month of lights and thankfulness. Here are a few of our favorite holidays this year to celebrate, as well as festivals to go along with them.

48. Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead is one of the most significant holidays in Mexico, and definitely one of our favorite celebrations from around the world.

Dia de Los Muertos falls on the 1st of November, right after Halloween on October 31st. The holiday is a celebration of those that have passed, where you will find families visiting the elaborately lit cemeteries.

This isn't a sad holiday though! Day of the Dead is to actually celebrate those lives that have passed. There are parades, special foods, and plenty of festivities. One of our favorite parts of this holiday was dressing up like the traditional 'Catrinas and Catrins', with elegant clothing, and skeleton-like makeup.

Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in many places around Mexico, but Patzcuaro and Janitzio are two super traditional places, and Oaxaca is one of the most famous places to celebrate.

49. Diwali

Diwali is the Festival of Lights and is celebrated to honor the seventh avatar, Rama-chandra. It is a big Hindu religious festival that lasts for five days during the lunar months of Ashvina and Karttika.

Diwali is most largely celebrated throughout India, but can also be found being celebrated by millions of others in various countries around the world. Some other popular places to celebrate Diwali include Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. Malaysia, Myanmar, and Fiji.

The holiday starts with people cleaning their houses and decorating with gold, flowers, and lanterns. There are festivities with food, gift giving, and a ton of candles and lanterns lighting up the all of the establishments. Diwali is a magical holiday, and definitely one to add to your bucket list!

50. Yi Peng Festival 

Located in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is one of the most impressive lantern festivals in the world. Each year in November thousands of paper lanterns are released into the sky, making for one of the most magical experiences, and coolest festivals to add to your bucket list.

51. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is yet another holiday that we're mentioning rather than a festival, however it's because it truly is a unique day to experience whether you are from the US or not. This is one of the biggest holidays in the country, and is revolved around being thankful, feasting, and football. Pretty amazing right?

Each year families get together and prepare large dinners of traditional food, which many are only eaten on this particular day. The main star of the meal is the massive turkey, and some of the other dishes include stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. But of course, every family has their own twist on the feast.

Not only is the day of Thanksgiving revolved around eating all day, but the most important part of the activities leading up the the holiday is expressing gratitude and thinking about your blessings.

Football also plays a large part on this day, as the sport has a big game played on Thanksgiving Day (which lasts a few hours). Finally, let's not forget the parade! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is held each year in NYC, and features large floats, marching bands, and dancers through the streets. This is certainly one of the best things to experience as a tourist visiting during this time.

Epic Festivals Around The World in December

December is one of our favorite months, particularly because of the holiday season! Cities fill with beautiful lights, fun activities, and Christmas markets, meaning there are so many great places to visit in December. 

Other than Christmas though, we're here to share with you a few other cool festivals around the world in December.

52. Krampuscnacht

Also known as Krampus Night, Krampuscnacht celebrated across various countries in Central Europe, including Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia. The holiday is the day before the feast of St Nicholas, dating back to the 12th century.

The figure is a dark haired creature with horns and fangs, that carries a bundle of birch sticks to swat naughty children. Now though, the kids leave a boot outside their door and Krampus comes at night to leave a gift if they've been good, or a rod if they have been been.

The night of Krampus is one where many men will dress as Krampus and roam the streets scaring children, and many cities have parades, special meals, and other fun traditions to celebrate.

53. Santacon

Each year there is a huge event in December where thousands of people come together and dress like Santa, or in other Christmas attire. It is a huge party on the street, which then turns into a Santa bar crawl, starting early in the morning on Saturday, and going all day. It is actually a charity event which around 40 bars in Manhattan sign up for, and all of the profits are donated.

There are Santacon events now across the US, but the original one is in Manhattan, which happens on the second Saturday of each December. If you happen to be in the area the weekend before, there is also a Santacon in Hoboken! We love this one because it's a more local experience, and one we always attend.

54. Night of the Radishes 

Each year right before Christmas is a unique festival held in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is dedicated to the carving of oversized radishes, which are used to create artwork in a competition.

During the day people are able to admire the different works of art being made, and goes until the night when they are finished. The day also includes festivities such as concerts, light shows, and fireworks.

Epic Festivals Around the World (Monthly)

We have just one other event to be added to our favorite festivals around the world! This one isn't an annual event, but actually happens each month.

55. Full Moon Party

Every month during the full moon tourists flock to the island of Koh Samui in Thailand for the famous event of the full moon party.

The beach fills with thousands of people covering themselves in paint, fire shows, and massive drinks being served in pales. It's a messy party, but definitely one for the bucket list!

• January 25th
• February 24th
• March 24th
• April 24th
• May 23rd
• June 22nd
• July 21st
• August 20th
• September 18th
• October 17th
• November 16th
• December 15th
• December 31st (not a full moon- but the same celebration for the new year)

Holidays This Year

• 1/1 New Years Day
• 1/7 Orthodox Christmas
• 1/15 Martin Luther King Day USA
• 2/14 Valentine’s Day
• 3/31 Easter
• 4/22-4/30 Passover
• 4/24 Orthodox Easter
• 5/27 Memorial Day USA
• 6/19 Juneteenth USA
• 9/2 Labor Day USA
• 10/31 Halloween
• 11/29 Black Friday
• 12/7-15 Hanukkah 
• 12/24 Christmas Eve
• 12/25 Christmas Day
• 12/31 New Year’s Eve

So are you ready to experience some of the incredible festivals around the world? There are so many cool holidays this year to experience, as well as different cultural experiences to add to your bucket list. If you'd like all of these amazing festivals and holidays on a 2024 calendar, we'll have one printed for you!

Each year we try to attend at least a few of these events, and share all of our knowledge with you. While we've linked a few of the events we've been to, we encourage you to sign up for our newsletter, so that you can know about all of the new ones added each year!

Feeling overwhelmed about planning your trip? No worries- now with Scratch Your Mapa Travel Planning you can save both time and money on your next trip! Just email us for your free consultation today.

Here are some other articles that you'll love: