Events & Festivals
Discover travel events, festivals, and cultural celebrations around the world.
Hoi An Lantern Festival
On the 14th day of each lunar month, Hoi An's ancient town turns off its electric lights and glows entirely by the light of hundreds of colorful silk lanterns floating on the Thu Bon River. The monthly festival preserves a tradition dating back centuries and creates an enchanting atmosphere throughout the UNESCO heritage town.
Autumn Foliage
Mountain colors
Deepavali (Malaysia)
Festival of Lights
Deepavali (Singapore)
Hindu Festival of Lights
Diwali Festival of Lights
India's most beloved holiday, the Festival of Lights, fills the country with millions of clay diyas, colorful fireworks, and elaborate rangoli designs for five days in October or November. Families exchange sweets, worship Lakshmi the goddess of prosperity, and illuminate their homes in a nationwide celebration of the triumph of light over darkness.
Tihar Festival of Lights
Nepal's five-day Festival of Lights honors crows, dogs, cows, and oxen before celebrating Laxmi puja with thousands of oil lamps illuminating homes and streets. The festival also includes Deusi and Bhailo singing traditions where groups go door-to-door performing songs in exchange for blessings and gifts.
Advent in Zagreb
Zagreb's Christmas market has been voted Europe's best Advent destination multiple times, transforming the Croatian capital into a magical winter wonderland from late November through January. Ice skating rinks, mulled wine stalls, artisan craft markets, and spectacular light installations create an enchanting festive atmosphere throughout the city.
Athens Marathon
Bonfire Night Guy Fawkes
On November 5th, Britain lights up with bonfires and fireworks commemorating the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Christmas Season
Festive decorations
Day of the Dead
Mexico's UNESCO-recognized DÃa de los Muertos is a vibrant two-day celebration honoring deceased loved ones with elaborate altars, marigold-strewn processions, and cemetery vigils on November 1st and 2nd. Far from mournful, the festival is a joyful reunion with ancestors featuring music, food offerings, and the iconic calavera face paintings.
German Christmas Markets
Germany's enchanting Weihnachtsmärkte from Nuremberg to Cologne are the world's most beloved Christmas markets.
Loy Krathong
Festival of floating decorated baskets
Petronas Lights
Petronas Twin Towers light displays
Pushkar Camel Fair
The Pushkar Camel Fair is one of the world's largest camel fairs, drawing over 200,000 visitors to the sacred desert town of Pushkar in Rajasthan each November for trading, camel races, and cultural competitions. The five-day fair coincides with the Kartik Purnima full moon, making it both a commercial spectacle and a deeply religious pilgrimage.
Seoul Lantern Festival
Thanksgiving Day
America's most cherished family holiday on the fourth Thursday of November features turkey feasts and the Macy's Parade in NYC.
Water Festival Bon Om Touk
Cambodia's Water Festival celebrates the reversal of the Tonle Sap River with three nights of spectacular boat races on the Mekong River in Phnom Penh, watched by over a million spectators. The November festival marks the end of the rainy season and features illuminated boat processions, fireworks, and massive riverside crowds.
Yi Peng Lantern Festival
A magical northern Thai festival where thousands of paper lanterns are released into the night sky, creating a breathtaking spectacle above Chiang Mai. The glowing lanterns are believed to carry away bad luck and release wishes into the heavens.