Scotland's capital hosts the largest performing arts festival in the world. Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes place annually in the month of August and is open to anyone, with any type of performance.
The Kanto Festival is an annual event held every year in Akita City, Japan. Eight-meter tall bamboo poles decorated with hanging lanterns are balanced by performers on their foreheads or lower backs. The lanterns are decorated to resemble bags of rice. This is a time for people to pray for a good harvest.
Obon or Bon is a traditional Japanese Buddhist festival to honor the spirits of ancestors. It is believed that their spirits return to visit during this time, so families visit the graves and make food offerings at altars and temples. Chochin (paper lanterns) are hung to guide the spirits.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated during the month-long Ghost Month. It is one of several traditional festivals in China to worship ancestors. It is believed that on this night many lost and hungry ghosts come to visit the living.
La Tomatina is a food fight festival held every year on the last Wednesday of August in the town of Buñol, near Valencia in Spain. Thousands of people make their way from all over the world to throw over-ripe tomatoes in the streets.