It is said that the major driver of tourism around the world is cultural festivals, and If you are searching for Top Cultural Festivals around the World, then you are at the right place. Famous festivals around the world present guests with strange celebrations and traditions in a relatable manner that highlights shared experiences.
Fun seekers latch on to cultural heritage festivals for a better understanding of the people around them or in far-flung places while enjoying themselves. This leads to a better appreciation of a community’s soul, art, music, dance, cuisines, costumes and rituals.
From these global ceremonies, backpackers come away with new discoveries and the satisfaction of a vacation and funds well spent. But to have this outcome, the tourist must know the uniqueness of these cultural events and how best to enjoy them.
It’s for this reason that this article brings you select top cultural festivals around the world, detailing what is special and captivating about each and how best visitors can enjoy them. The following made the cut because a Google search of top cultural festivals around the world will definitely feature them as first-page results.
Introducing the Top Cultural Festivals Around the World
Rio Carnival – Brazil’s cultural festival gift to the world
Reputed as the world’s biggest party, and considered one of the top cultural festivals around the world. Rio Carnival in Brazil attracts millions of tourists to Rio de Janeiro. At the heart of this top cultural festival in the world is the Samba Parade. This includes ornately decorated floats and dancers clad in feathered and sequined costumes representing different samba schools in the competition that is fierce and festive.
By immersing themselves in this traditional celebration that lasts five days, visitors experience firsthand Brazil’s rich cultural heritage and the people’s infectious spirit of Alegria (joy) which offers a veritable escape from the cares of the world. The best way to enjoy the Rio Carnival is to find a seat in Sector 9 of the Sambadrome.
That is like the VIP section where visitors can move around with more freedom, and get panoramic views of the action including of the drummers as they take turns to perform in front of the judges. Meanwhile, sitting in any of the sectors comes with the added benefit of sitting with locals for a shared sense of excitement.
Diwali – Cultural heritage of the Indians
If there is a time to experience India at its sweetest, then it is during Diwali. This is the cultural heritage festival that sees Indian families cleaning their homes, preparing feasts, and lighting up their homes and public spaces with diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (colourful patterns created on the floor using coloured rice or powder).
During this Festival of Lights, the sky gets illuminated with a spectrum of colours in firecrackers. Although it marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, Diwali is now embraced by fun seekers regardless of religion to depict the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Guests to this top cultural festival in the world should target to be in the spiritual and magical Varanasi where 15 days after Diwali, the “Devs” or gods wake up and people celebrate their awakening.
In the thick of this famous festival that stretches five days is Jaipur, the “pink city” in Rajasthan where oil lamps decorate the homes and palaces as well as local markets, presenting spectacular displays throughout the city. There is an annual competition for the best decorated and most lit-up market with the Johari Bazar (Jewelry Market) usually emerging tops.
Oktoberfest – Germany’s cultural festival
This is the world’s top beer festival and travelling funfair, held from late September to the first weekend in October yearly. This festival of the City of Munich attracts millions of visitors from around the world who quaff a wide variety of locally brewed beers while enjoying traditional Bavarian cuisine, including sausages, pretzels and roast chicken.
The 16 to 18-day event dates back to the wedding celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810 and has since become a global sensation, offering a lively experience of German culture and hospitality. During this festival tourism, three large festival tents with a customs programme and a museum tent are situated on the festival grounds.
- Taking a seat in one of the historic rides comes recommended as this enables guests to experience real Bavarian customs in the cosy beer tent. Visitors to this top cultural festival of the world can enjoy the circus wagon from the 1970 historic tram benches square.
- This tent contains bar tables that can accommodate 30 guests in total. Oktoberfest is a testament that cultural festivals can attract people from diverse backgrounds in a spirit of friendship and good cheer.
Mardi Gras
This is an iconic cultural festival celebrated with a series of parades, masquerade balls, and street parties, leading up to Ash Wednesday, the commencement of the Lenten season. Mardi Gras was first celebrated in America on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana.
This traditional celebration climaxes the Carnival season in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mardi Gras, blending African, Spanish, French, and American cultures into New Orleans’ rich cultural tapestry. One significant feature of this cultural festival also called Fat Tuesday is the vibrant costumes and elaborate floats handcrafted by Krewes (social clubs) Each krewe has a “royal court” with kings, queens, dukes, and duchesses.
Mardi Gra illustrates themes from mythology, history, and popular culture, embodying the artistic creativity and spirit of the New Orleans community. It encourages all participants to enjoy life’s pleasures before the solemn season of Lent in an atmosphere of indulgence and festivity.
To celebrate Mardi Gras like an insider, the visitor would have to score bespoke King Cake, join a Walking Krewe, dine like Royalty at Antoine’s, use the Carnival Parade Apps, note that the party goes beyond being Fat Tuesday, return to an earlier time and find an escape hatch.
Chinese New Year
Also known as the Spring Festival, this is the most celebrated cultural festival within Chinese communities around the globe. It marks the commencement of a new lunar year in the Chinese calendar. During this 15-day-long festival, Chinese joined by people from other parts of the world treat themselves to vibrant lion and dragon dances, grand fireworks displays, street festivals, crafts, parties and live music.
The 15th day of the first lunar month, which is the final day, is the Lantern Festival. This is when families and organizations from across China and Chinese communities place lanterns along the street for people to enjoy.
Some lanterns are simple while others are quite elaborate. Some people also hang riddles along the streets for visitors to solve. If a person can solve the riddle, he or she goes to the owner of the riddle to collect a prize. Prizes usually come in the form of small trinkets, baked goods, or candy.
Families also gather to share meals, give red envelopes (hongbao) containing money to children for good luck, and clean their homes to sweep away bad fortune and make way for incoming good luck. Visitors are not expected to speak of illness, death, or other things with a negative connotation during this festival. It is also forbidden to use the unlucky number four unless it is expedient.
You may want to wish someone a happy new year in Chinese during the festival. In Mandarin, the greeting is “春节快乐” (Chūn Jié Kuài Lè), which means “Happy Spring Festival”. In Cantonese, it’s “恭喜发财” (Gong hei fat choi), which means “Congratulations and be prosperous”.
Holi: The Festival of Colors
The Holi cultural festival has gained global ascendancy from its India and Nepal roots. It marks the arrival of spring and the end of winter’s gloom. Guests to this traditional celebration will enjoy the lighting up of large pyres, with wood, dried leaves, debris, and twigs thrown into the bonfires. This burnfire depicts the burning of evil spirits. Families dance and sing around the fire praying for happiness, love, and prosperity.
On the final day of this top cultural festival, locals visit their friends and family to wish them a happy Holi. They share sweets, gifts, and traditional food and put vibrant colours on one another’s faces. Participants, irrespective of their age and social status, hit the streets to throw coloured powder at themselves. This is what creates a vibrant spectacle of rainbow hues during Holi.
Holi also sees participants having water gun fights, singing, dancing, and pranking one another as well. The cultural celebration is on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month. The cultural festival is held in the Philippines, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius, Barcelona, Fiji, and the major cities in the UK, USA, and Canada.
Recommended 📌: Solo Trips: 10 Best Solo Travel Destinations in 2024
Conclusion
The above-discussed top cultural festivals around the world show that there is a perfect get-away for you that comes with the added benefits of unique insight into diverse traditions and rich history. Isn’t it fascinating that one convivial event can offer you all there is to know about people and their societies? This is what each of these top cultural festivals around the world delivers, including interactions with locals that breed new friends and relationships.
Rather than traversing an entire country like Germany as a tourist, you can be in Munich for the Oktoberfest and have the whole country come to you. The same for all the famous festivals discussed above. Cultural festivals come across as a one-stop shop where everything about a people’s cultural identity and history comes to the fore even if as symbolism. What to do? Go ahead and plan that vacation to coincide with the dates of any of these traditional celebrations, guided by the information provided in this article. It will definitely turn out to be a satisfying adventure.
