Festivals from Around the World

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 0

With the sun making an occasional appearance and festival season just around the corner, MMGY Hills Balfour has compiled some of the most unique festivals around the world worth travelling for. With a mixture of emerging, experimental and established festivals for locals and visitors alike, this list of live events will ensure travellers are making the most of their summer.

Relive the Roaring 20s at the Jazz Age Lawn Party, NYC

The Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island is the greatest Prohibition-era-inspired festival in America. Feathers and fedoras in tow, guests can enjoy a gourmet picnic market, vintage clothing vendors, an antique car show, Charleston and peabody dancing competitions and much more! Founded and hosted by Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra, the Jazz Age Lawn Party offers a unique opportunity to relive the roaring ‘20s in all of its glory. In under 10-minutes, guests can hop off the ferry from Manhattan, straight into the prohibition era. With live Jazz music and dance acts and stunning city vistas as a backdrop, the colourful festival invites people of all ages and should not be missed. nyctourism.com

Join the party at Bermuda Heroes Carnival Festival, Bermuda

Those looking for the ultimate party this summer should look no further than The Bermuda Heroes Carnival. Taking place from 16-19 June 2023, the four day extravaganza is full of feathers, music, live performances and the main event – Revel the Road. Featuring a parade of bands, a raft up and more, the carnival coincides with Bermuda’s National Heroes Day, honouring Bermudians who are admired for their courage and achievements. Expect the streets to be filled with a lively parade of bands, colourful costumes, an all-night J’ourert celebration and much more. No party is complete without trying a few Rum Swizzles, Bermuda’s national drink, which serves a delectable mix of Gosling’s Rum and fruit juices. With a gorgeous island setting as the backdrop, Bermuda Carnival is one of the newest and fastest-growing Carnivals in the world and is one of the island’s biggest summer celebrations, bringing together revellers for several days and nights of pure island excitement. gotobermuda.com

Celebrate the start of monsoon season at Yi Peng in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Yi Peng is a festival unique to northern Thailand, celebrated on the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar to mark the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of the cooler months. Like a magical scene straight out of the movies, thousands of paper lanterns float up into the sky against the backdrop of the full moon, with locals believing that the making and releasing of lanterns is a virtuous act and a means of earning karma for the next life. Travellers will find the main celebrations at the Three Kings Monument, Thapae Gate and at the old town moat area, or can view the spectacle from any rooftop bar. Le Meridien Chiang Mai offers the perfect base during the festival with its convenient location only a short drive away from The Thapae gate, as well as being close to vibrant night markets to explore local arts & crafts and eateries. Marriott.co.uk

Indulge in a weekend of punk rock music, bowling and comedy at the Punk Rock Bowling Festivals in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Punk Rock Bowling festival takes place on 26 – 29 May 2023 and offers attendees an eclectic variety of activities to enjoy over a fun-filled weekend. With each day of the festival beginning with a bowling tournament to find the winning team in over 200 participating teams, the days move into punk rock performances from many bands including Rancid, Bad Religion and Dropkick Murphys. At the end of the day, performances are taken over to many of the bars across Downtown Las Vegas, so visitors can watch performers in a more intimate setting along with comedy shows. The festival also offers mouth-watering on-the-go food options and exciting pool parties to further add to the festival experience. visitlasvegas.com

Discover Puerto Rico at the oldest festival in the Western Hemisphere

Set in the historic city of Ponce, on Puerto Rico’s idyllic south coast, Carnaval Ponceño has been celebrated annually for 165 years, making it one of the longest running traditions in the Western Hemisphere. Marking the beginning of Lent each year, the festival is an explosion of colour and music, a vibrant celebration that reflects the rich and diverse cultures in Puerto Rico where a bustling selection of floats, musical collectives and dancers make their way through the streets. The festivities dominate the historic downtown area of Ponce, with an average attendance of 100,000 carnival goers, many of whom dress in the traditional Vejigante costumes, consisting of a striking mask and cape, designed to represent demonic figures from mediaeval Spanish folklore. Visitors can also expect a mouth-watering feast of traditional Puerto Rican fare, including mofongo (fried plantains) and sancocho (meat and vegetable broth). discoverpuertorico.com

Experience the sweetness of Saudi at the Buraidah Date Festival, Saudi Arabia

The annual Buraidah Date Festival, the largest of its kind, will be held from 3 August 2023 for 36 days in Al-Qassim, north-central Saudi Arabia. The celebrations showcase over 45 varieties of dates of which 200,000 tonnes are sold each year. Saudi Arabia accounts for 25% of the world’s date production and the fruits are an important part of Saudi culture and Arabian hospitality, with guests often welcomed with the sweet treat. The dates sold at the Buraidah Date Festival are of an unmatched quality, attracting date producers and buyers from all over the world to learn the tricks of the trade and purchase the famously tasty dates themselves. An information office helps customers find their desired date variety and date related activities and informative social and cultural programmes make the festival a family affair. Vendors sell delicious date related products including date syrup, date paste and date gift boxes, all made from the exquisite Saudi Arabian dates. This annual marketplace is a celebration of an amalgamation of Saudi culture and cuisine as well as a lifeline for thousands of date farmers who depend on the income generated by farming the sweet treats. visitsaudi.com

Taste the sweetness at the National Cherry Festival, Traverse City, Michigan

Referred to as the ‘Cherry Capital of the World’, Traverse City’s proximity to Lake Michigan means that the cherry orchards stay cool even in the summer, an important factor as cherry trees need a certain amount of time spent dormant in order to develop flowers and fruit. July and early August are the perfect time to visit as the countryside around Traverse City is dotted with stands and markets selling these world-famous sweet, dark cherries. From 1-8 July 2023 the city will host the 97th National Cherry Festival where visitors can enjoy cherry products from local businesses at the Cherry Farm Market or try a slice of ‘Cherry Crumb Pie’ made with northern Michigan Montmorency cherries. Whilst at the festival guests can listen to live music from local Michigan bands, watch the United States Air Force Thunderbird airshow or even take part in the Great American Picnic. visittheusa.co.uk

Stop and smell the roses at Floriade, Canberra

Canberra’s Floriade Festival is the ultimate celebration of spring, as evenings get warmer and days get longer, Floriade comes into bloom in Australia’s capital. From 28 September- 1 October 2023, extensive displays of flowering bulbs fill the Commonwealth Park, on the picturesque shores of Lake Burley Griffin in a springtime extravaganza. There will be a delicious selection of gourmet food stalls featuring eats from Lobster and Co. and The Fudge People, arts and crafts stalls including a perfume workshop, as well as clothing and accessories, homewares, health and beauty and of course garden products for those green-fingered festival goers. The flowers are brought to life with integrated sculptures and live entertainment scattered amongst the flowers. From 6:30-10:30pm the garden beds of the Commonwealth Park will be illuminated with colourful light installations and filled with live music, DJs, roving performers, comedians, face painting and even more delicious food and market stalls, with Floriade’s Nightfest. Tickets start at $25 for an adult, $15 for child or concession and children under 15 go free to Australia’s biggest celebration of spring. visitcanberra.com

Watch the 40th anniversary of Canada’s largest hot air balloon festival in Québec

The International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, brings the largest number of hot air balloons in Canada to Québec’s Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu just 40 minutes south of Montréal. This visual extravaganza is held over two different weekends on 11-13 and 17-20 August 2023 and on top of the balloon festivities will have musical and culinary programmes, as well as a wide variety of rides and activities to further add to the carnival atmosphere. Québec is renowned for its live events and year round festivals including the winter time celebrations at Québec Winter Carnival and IglooFest . bonjourquebec.com

Celebrate the Kyoto culture at Gion Matsuri, Japan

With a history that is over 1,000 years old, Kyoto Gion Matsui is one of Japan’s biggest and most important annual events, taking place across the whole of July. Originally held to pray for deliverance from plague, the festival has evolved to become a huge celebration of Kyoto culture. Local and visitors gather across the month to promenade in colourful yukata robes and enjoy street food and beer, with the two processions of traditional parade floats, held on 17 July and 24 July, marking the festival’s main events. Travellers can stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, which celebrates the culture of its locale with a range of authentic experiences available for guests, such as the chance to help preserve the local Zuiho-in Temple by helping with cleaning, followed by tea with the priests and their family to forge a true connection with the local community. Marriott.co.uk