If you have been bitten by a travel bug or are still contemplating which destination to go to, to begin your memorable travel life journey, we have curated the top festival experiences from across the globe you must experience once at least. What are you waiting for? Start packing now and tick off the locations from your bucket-list.CARNIVAL
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Brazil’s Carnival is the wildest party in the world! Nearly five million people come to experience, what is considered as the “The greatest show on earth” with almost half a million of them being visitors. It’s a religious celebration that takes place in February or March for five days after the Catholic season of Lent, which starts 40 days before Easter in the hot Brazilian summer. More than 70 samba schools compete for cash and fame, each representing a different neighbourhood with colourful costumes. There are annual themes for the competition along with the carnival parades.
LA TOMATINA
Valencia, Spain
If you have watched the Bollywood road trip movie Zindagi na Milegi Dobara, then this tomato-throwing festival might already be on your bucket list. There is no certain theory of how this festival started but the tradition is said to have begun in 1945. Although it is said that it originated as a local food fight among friends. It is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday in August in a small town called Buñol which is located in the province of Valencia, Spain.
ST. PATRICK’S FESTIVAL
Dublin, Ireland
The holiday was originally a religious celebration honouring the death of Saint Patrick. Traditions include wearing green clothing and shamrocks, public parades, live music, and dancing. The Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking are officially lifted for the day, Irish people enjoy their lovely feast with whiskey. According to IWA – Irish Whiskey Association additional five million bottles of whiskey consumed in the week of St. Patrick’s Day than in any other week.
VIVID SYDNEY
Sydney, Australia
Indian summers can be deadly at times and with vacations going around, here is the perfect destination to beat the heat–Sydney, Australia. The annual festival of “light, music, and ideas –
Vivid Sydney” is a perfect get away to forget about the heat waves in India. This event takes place over the course of three weeks in May and June. City’s skyline is lit up with colourful light projections. For musical events and business conventions, Darling Harbour is a must visit. The Vivid Light Walk stretches for about 2 km from The Rocks to the Sydney Opera House, through the Royal Botanic Garden.
MARDI GRAS
New Orleans, USA
Mardi Gras is celebrated in all of Louisiana—the home state of New Orleans. The parades in New Orleans are organised by social clubs known as krewes. Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French and is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, during the start of Christian Lent season leading up to Easter. In order to prepare for fasting, people traditionally eat a lot of fatty food in the run-up to Lent, and particularly on the last day. On Mardi Gras day, the biggest parades in New Orleans take place. It’s “The Greatest Free Show on Earth” as people call it and must be in your bucket it.
MONTREUX
JAZZ FESTIVAL
Montreux, Switzerland
It is the second largest annual jazz festival in the world after Canada’s Montreal International Jazz Festival. The Montreux Jazz Festival is held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. Finest musicians from all around the globe come to perform in Montreux. Though it’s centered on jazz, they have also implemented other styles of music, so there’s a lot for blues and rock fans too. This should be in the bucket list of every music lover and if you are not a music lover, you will fall in love with music after attending this festival.
