Best Festivals Around the World Worth Traveling For

In Rio, the drums start and the night fills with samba. In Thailand, a walk down the street becomes a water fight. In Mexico, families prepare a favourite meal for someone they miss.

A festival can change the whole reason for a trip.

The city's landmarks will be there next month. These moments will not. For a few days, a place reveals something that a sightseeing checklist rarely captures: what its people celebrate, remember and keep alive.

Here are eight festivals worth planning a journey around.

Find your kind of festival

Confirm the annual programme before booking. Local celebrations may extend beyond the main dates.

1. Timkat, Ethiopia: follow the procession into the morning

Timkat begins long before the water blessing.

Priests carry covered sacred objects through the streets, accompanied by worshippers. The procession reaches a pool or river, where prayers continue through the night.

By morning, the gathering becomes a celebration of the baptism of Jesus. Water is blessed and sprinkled over the faithful.

What makes Timkat memorable is watching a tradition unfold through the people who keep it alive. Arriving only for the main ceremony means missing the journey towards it.

Before planning: check regional travel advice. Gondar and Lalibela are in Amhara, where the UK currently advises against all travel.

2. Rio Carnival, Brazil: the story behind the spectacle

The floats catch your eye first. Then the drums take over.

At Rio's Sambadrome, samba schools tell stories through music, costumes and dance. What passes before the crowd is the result of months of preparation.

Outside, Carnival spills into the streets through blocos, neighbourhood celebrations where the city becomes part of the performance.

There are two experiences here: watching something extraordinary come together, and joining the celebration yourself. A Rio trip can make room for both.

Plan first: decide which parade or street celebration you want to experience, then choose your dates.

3. Holi, India: there is more than one way to turn colourful

At the start of the day, everyone's clothes are a different colour.

A few handfuls of powder later, that distinction becomes much harder to make.

Holi invites people into a shared celebration, but the experience changes with the place. Around Mathura and Vrindavan, local traditions are connected with Krishna. In Barsana and Nandgaon, Lathmar Holi brings its own distinctive rituals; elsewhere, flowers become part of the celebration.

Choose the celebration that interests you, rather than assuming every Holi event will look like the same photograph.

Plan first: check local dates. Some celebrations happen before the main Holi day.

4. Songkran, Thailand: a new year that starts with water

A waterproof phone pouch suddenly becomes the best thing in the suitcase.

Songkran's street celebrations can turn a short walk into a water fight. But the water has a quieter meaning too: renewal.

Thailand's traditional New Year is also a time for visiting temples, returning to family and paying respect to elders. These customs sit alongside the lively public celebrations.

Make time for both. The water fight is fun; understanding why water matters makes the experience stay with you longer.

For the customs behind the celebrations, explore our guide to Thai culture, food and local life.

Plan first: check the city's programme. The main dates are 13–15 April, but some celebrations last longer.

5. La Tomatina, Spain: the day the holiday gets messy

Most trips involve deciding what to wear.

For La Tomatina, the answer is simple: something you do not mind staining.

Every August, Buñol, near Valencia, hosts its famous tomato fight. The appeal is wonderfully uncomplicated. People arrive from different places and join the same enormous mess.

Build it into a Valencia holiday, leaving one day for the sort of experience that will require very little explanation when friends see the photographs.

Plan first: book entry and transport to Buñol. This is a ticketed event.

6. Burning Man, USA: arrive ready to help build the experience

In Nevada's desert, a temporary city takes shape.

Its participants bring art, build camps and create places to gather. At Burning Man, the people attending are also the people making it happen.

Gifting, participation and self-expression help shape Black Rock City. The attraction is discovering what a community can create together, then becoming part of it.

It takes serious preparation. Food, water, shelter and desert conditions need as much attention as the art.

Start with our international travel packing checklist, then use the official Survival Guide for desert-specific essentials.

Plan first: read the official Survival Guide before committing. This is the most demanding trip on the list.

7. Oktoberfest, Germany: a wedding celebration that kept going

In 1810, a royal wedding in Bavaria ended with a public horse race.

The celebration proved worth repeating. More than two centuries later, Munich is still gathering for Oktoberfest.

Today, the experience includes music, shared tables, Bavarian food and fairground rides. Beer is part of the story, but there is plenty to enjoy beyond it.

Despite its name, much of the festival happens in September.

Plan first: entry to the main grounds and tents is free. Check table reservations if a particular tent is central to your visit.

Before booking Munich, read what the ETIAS delay means for your Europe trip.

8. Día de los Muertos, Mexico: a favourite meal, a photograph, a memory

An altar can tell a life story through small things.

A photograph. Flowers. A drink someone loved. Food prepared with them in mind.

During Día de los Muertos, families honour loved ones who have died. Traditions vary across Mexico, but remembrance remains at the heart of the celebration.

In Oaxaca, offerings of food, marigolds and incense bring that remembrance into view. Spend time understanding these details, rather than looking only for the biggest public event.

Plan first: allow several days around late October and early November. Follow local guidance and ask before photographing private observances.

Before booking the flight

Pick the moment you most want to experience. Then check its local date, whether it needs a ticket and how to reach it.

For your first trip abroad, our airport immigration guide explains what to expect at the airport.

Leave a little time on either side too. The festival may bring you there, but the quieter days can help you understand the place behind it.

Frequently asked questions

Which festival should I choose for a first trip?

Choose by the experience you enjoy. Rio offers music and spectacle, Songkran invites participation, and Oktoberfest combines celebrations with an easy city itinerary. Consider your comfort with crowds before choosing.

Do all these festivals need tickets?

No. La Tomatina and Burning Man require tickets. Rio's Sambadrome parades are ticketed, while its street celebrations offer another experience. Oktoberfest's main grounds are free to enter.

How early should I plan?

Start several months ahead for an international festival trip. Check entry requirements, event tickets and accommodation first. Confirm the particular celebration you want to attend before booking flights.