Festival calendar
Every festival we cover, month by month. Filter to plan your year.
January
Afan festival
Afan festival is a festival held in Nigeria.
Harbin Ice & Snow
A whole city of illuminated ice palaces in deep winter.
Up Helly Aa
Vikings, torches and a burning longship in the depths of winter.
Timkat
Ethiopian Orthodox Epiphany, a dazzling water celebration.
February
Sapporo Snow
Colossal, breathtaking snow and ice sculptures.
Chinese New Year
Lion dances, lanterns and fireworks welcome the lunar year.
Rio Carnival
Samba schools, sequins and the biggest street party on earth.
Venice Carnival
Elaborate masks and Baroque costume along the canals.
Mardi Gras
Beads, brass bands and float parades before Lent.
Pingxi Lantern
Sky lanterns carrying wishes over the mountains.
Battle of the Oranges
The whole town divides into teams and pelts each other with oranges.
Quรฉbec Winter Carnival
The world's largest winter carnival, led by Bonhomme.
March
Cape Town Jazz
Africa's grandest gathering of jazz.
St Patrick's Day
A city (and a planet) turns green for a day.
Holi
The festival of colours โ pigment thrown in joy at the arrival of spring.
Nyepi
Bali's Day of Silence โ the whole island stops.
April
May
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, is a globally renowned celebration of cinematic art that draws film enthusiasts and industry leaders from across the world.
Vivid Sydney
The harbour and Opera House transformed by light and projection.
Cannes Film Festival
The most glamorous week in world cinema.
Venice Biennale
Venice's magnificent canals and historic squares come alive with the vibrant energy of the Biennale, a global celebration of contemporary art and culture.
Seoul Queer Culture Festival
Seoul's vibrant Queer Culture Festival offers a welcoming space for celebration and connection within the city's creative heart.
Qoyllur Rit'i
Each year, the ancient rhythms of the Andes resonate at Santuario del Seรฑor de Qoyllorit'i in Peru, where this deeply rooted cultural festival unfolds.
Cheese Rolling
Chase a 4kg wheel of cheese down a near-vertical hill. Injuries expected.
Directors' Fortnight
Cannes, France hosts this intimate film festival where emerging voices share their cinematic visions.
Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain, transforms the city into a vibrant tapestry of sound and spirit where global music lovers gather under the open sky.
Shenyang China International Horticultural Exposition 2006
Shenyang welcomed visitors to a vibrant celebration where nature and culture intertwined in a colorful tapestry of gardens and traditions.
Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival
Experience the vibrant pulse of Jakarta as the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival unfolds, celebrating the rich musical heritage of Indonesia through captivating jazz performances.
Athens Epidaurus Festival
Experience the sun-drenched magic of Greece's premier classical festival where ancient amphitheaters echo with live performances under the open sky.
Melilla Film Week
Melilla Film Week invites you to experience cinematic magic in this vibrant Spanish coastal city.
June
Inti Raymi
The Inca festival of the sun, re-enacted at Sacsayhuamรกn.
Fes Sacred Music
Sacred and spiritual music from every faith and continent.
Napoli Pizza Village
The home of pizza throws a giant seaside celebration of it.
Gnaoua
Hypnotic Gnaoua trance music on the Atlantic coast.
Primavera Sound
Cult indie and electronic line-ups by the Mediterranean.
Glastonbury
Five days of music and mud on Worthy Farm โ the home of the British festival.
El Colacho
Costumed 'devils' leap over rows of babies. Yes, really.
July
Boryeong Mud
Two weeks of gloriously messy mud pools and wrestling by the sea.
Roskilde
Northern Europe's largest music festival, non-profit and gloriously muddy.
Montreux Jazz
Legendary lakeside jazz (and far beyond) since 1967.
Tomorrowland
The world's most spectacular electronic-music festival.
Wife Carrying
Race an obstacle course carrying a partner. Prize: her weight in beer.
San Fermรญn
The running of the bulls through the old town at dawn.
Fuji Rock
Japan's biggest festival, set in stunning mountain forest.
Gion Matsuri
Kyoto's grand month-long festival of towering floats.
Naadam
The 'three manly games': wrestling, horse racing and archery.
August
Burning Man
A temporary city of radical art that vanishes without a trace.
Notting Hill Carnival
Europe's biggest street festival, a Caribbean explosion.
Edinburgh Fringe
The world's largest arts festival โ thousands of shows across a whole city.
Lollapalooza
Four days of headliners in Grant Park.
Sziget
A week-long 'Island of Freedom' on the Danube.
La Tomatina
One hour. 150,000 tomatoes. The world's largest food fight.
September
October
November
Pushkar Camel Fair
50,000 camels, traders and pilgrims in the desert.
Dรญa de los Muertos
Marigolds, sugar skulls and joyful parades honouring the departed.
Monkey Buffet
A lavish feast laid out for thousands of temple monkeys.
Yi Peng
Thousands of glowing sky lanterns released into the night.