Seasonal discoveries
Events & Festivals
Discover travel events, festivals, and cultural celebrations around the world.17 events
Cultural experiences
9 events
Date pending official confirmation
Hoi An Lantern Festival
Hoi An Lantern Festival is a monthly cultural tradition held on the 14th day of the lunar month in Hoi An’s UNESCO-listed Old Town. As electric lights are switched off, the streets and historic trading-port setting are illuminated by colorful silk lanterns, while floating water lanterns add a gentle glow along the Thu Bon River. The tradition reflects Hoi An’s long history of cultural exchange and the wider Vietnamese use of lanterns in festive life. Visitors can experience the atmospheric old town and observe lantern-lit scenes, though specific arrangements may vary. Check current official dates and arrangements before visiting.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Athens Epidaurus Festival
The Athens–Epidaurus Festival is an annual arts festival held in Athens and Epidaurus from May to October, with much of its programme taking place in summer. Set partly in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, on the archaeological site of the Asclepion, it brings together music, theatre and other cultural events. Visitors may encounter performances of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, comedies by Aristophanes, revivals of ancient myths, and contemporary plays inspired by ancient drama. The programme and practical arrangements can vary, so check the current official dates, performances and access information before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Summer Music Festivals
The UK's summer music festivals bring together a wide range of sounds, from folk traditions rooted in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to modern styles such as rock, pop, metal and drum and bass. The festival season usually runs from late May to early September, with June included in this broad period. Visitors can explore major events and discover performances across varied genres; Glastonbury is one long-established example, held since the 1970s. Because programmes and arrangements vary from year to year, check current official dates, locations and visitor information before making plans.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival, known locally as Dubrovačke ljetne igre, is an annual celebration of classical music, theatre, opera and dance in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Established in 1950, it brings performances to more than 70 open-air settings across the city’s Renaissance-Baroque historic core. Visitors can experience Croatian and international performing arts while surrounded by Dubrovnik’s distinctive architecture and fortifications, including the atmosphere of its UNESCO-listed Old City. The festival traditionally runs through the heart of summer, from July into August. Programme details and arrangements can change, so check the current official dates, performance information and access details before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Palio di Siena
The Palio di Siena is Siena’s historic bareback horse race, held twice each summer in the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. Ten horses and riders represent ten of the city’s seventeen contrade, or districts, continuing a rivalry rooted in 17th-century tradition. A richly costumed Corteo Storico pageant precedes the race, whose intense spectacle draws visitors and spectators from around the world. The July contest honours the Madonna of Provenzano, while the August Palio honours the Assumption of Mary. Visitors can experience Siena’s medieval pageantry and passionate civic identity, but should check current official dates and arrangements before planning a visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Rambu Solo (Toraja Funeral Ceremony)
Rambu Solo is the elaborate funeral ceremony of the Torajan people, an Austronesian community from the mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is an important social occasion, reflecting Torajan traditions and beliefs surrounding ancestors, family and remembrance. The rites may unfold through communal gatherings and ritual observances, while Toraja is also known for cliff-carved burial sites, colourful wood carving and tongkonan, its distinctive boat-roofed ancestral houses. Visitors may encounter ceremonies or related cultural places, but access and participation are local and occasion-specific; respectful observation is essential. The event is listed for July, so check current official dates and arrangements before travelling.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man is a week-long desert gathering in the western United States, centered on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. Since 1990, it has been held in Black Rock City, a temporary city created in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Participants make the art, activities, and events themselves, from interactive sculptures and buildings to performances and art cars; there are no headliners or scheduled performers. A central tradition is the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy called the Man on the event’s second-to-last night. The remote desert setting requires careful preparation, so check current official dates and arrangements before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh’s August festival season is a major celebration of arts and culture, most famously represented by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Established in 1947 as an unofficial offshoot of the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe is an open-access performing arts festival encompassing theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, children’s shows, music, spoken word and more. Visitors can explore performances presented across the city and discover both established and emerging artists. “Edinburgh Festival” can also refer broadly to several festivals held together in August, rather than one single event. Check current official dates, programmes and arrangements before travelling.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Obon Festival
Obon Festival, or Obon, is a three-day Japanese Buddhist and folk tradition honoring ancestral spirits. It has also become a family-reunion holiday: people return to ancestral homes, visit and clean family graves, and tend household altars as spirits are believed to revisit them. Bon Odori, its traditional dance, is a central feature, and visitors may encounter community dances and other local observances across Japan. Timing differs by region, with observance falling in different summer periods rather than on one nationwide date. If you plan to take part, check current official dates and local arrangements before traveling.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn moreFestivals
4 events
Date pending official confirmation
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, commonly called the Edinburgh Fringe, is an open-access performing arts festival held in Edinburgh every August. Established in 1947 as an unofficial offshoot of the Edinburgh International Festival, it helped give rise to the term “fringe theatre.” There is no selection committee, so performers can present a wide variety of work. Visitors can choose from theatre, comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, children’s shows, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and other events, with comedy forming the largest section. As programmes and arrangements can change, check the current official dates and details before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Kuta Beach Festival
Kuta Beach Festival is presented as an August beach-focused festival in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Kuta is a long-established tourist area and former fishing village, known for its long sandy beach, restaurants, bars, varied accommodation and surfing. The wider island provides a Balinese cultural setting, recognized for Hindu traditions and rich dance, music and other arts. Visitors can realistically enjoy Kuta’s coastal atmosphere and explore the beach-resort area while taking part in whatever festival arrangements are announced. The current date and programme are pending official confirmation, so check official dates, arrangements and any access information before travelling.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
La Tomatina
La Tomatina is a lively Spanish festival held in Buñol, Spain, each August. Participants throw tomatoes at one another in a huge, good-humoured food fight—an event that began among friends in the 1940s and grew into a famous tourist attraction. Visitors can join the tomato-throwing spectacle and experience a distinctive form of communal public celebration. Since 2013, admission has been ticketed and limited to no more than 20,000 participants, helping avoid overwhelming Buñol, whose population is about 9,000. The current date and arrangements may change, so check official information before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Singapore Night Festival
Singapore Night Festival is an annual August celebration that turns the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct into an outdoor nocturnal arts setting. Local and international artists contribute performances and programmes, while the Night Lights component features illuminated installations that add a visual dimension to the evening experience. Visitors can explore the precinct after dark, encounter light-based artworks and enjoy a range of artistic presentations in a lively cultural district. The programme and access arrangements may change from year to year, so check the current official dates, programme and visitor information before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn morePublic holidays
3 events
Date pending official confirmation
Ferragosto
Ferragosto is Italy’s popular mid-August public holiday, traditionally observed on 15 August alongside the Catholic Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Its roots reach back to Feriae Augusti, a Roman period of rest created by Emperor Augustus after the agricultural season’s intense work. Today, Ferragosto also describes the wider summer vacation period around mid-August. Visitors may find Italians heading to the seaside or cultural cities, often with packed lunches and barbecues, and may encounter a long holiday weekend. Travel services and local arrangements can vary, so check current official dates and arrangements before planning.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Indonesian Independence Day
Indonesia’s Independence Day, known locally as Hari Kemerdekaan or Tujuhbelasan, commemorates the proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945 and has been a national holiday since 1946. Across the country, visitors may encounter flag-hoisting ceremonies, patriotic and cultural parades, neighborhood competitions, and community festivities. Traditional games such as panjat pinang, or greasy-pole climbing, and sack races are especially associated with the celebration, while patriotic songs may be performed. Experiences vary by locality, so visitors should check current official dates and local arrangements before planning, particularly for ceremony access, broadcasts, and event schedules.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn more
Date pending official confirmation
Singapore National Day
Singapore’s National Day is the public holiday commemorating the country’s establishment as an independent and sovereign state on 9 August 1965. It is marked by the National Day Parade, where military and civil contingents appear alongside cultural performances and aerial displays. Visitors may also encounter the Prime Minister’s annual message and fireworks celebrations, while the occasion offers a window into Singapore’s multicultural public life and national story. Festivities and viewing arrangements can vary from year to year, so check current official dates, locations and access arrangements before planning your visit.
Data updated: 2026-07-08Learn moreSeasonal experiences
1 events
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