Festivals
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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.
Kanto Matsuri, Japan
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.
Double Seventh Festival
The Double Seventh Festival, or Qixi Festival, is similar to Valentine's Day in China. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
Spicemas Festival, Grenada
Grenada (known as the "Spice Island" for its tremendous production of nutmeg) hosts its annual carnival called the Spicemas Festival.
Obon Festival, Japan
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, China
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, Spain
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.
Aloha Festivals
Aloha Festivals occur annually all over the state of Hawaii. These festivals are celebrated to acknowledge and preserve the unique traditions of the Hawaiian Islands. The celebrations are enjoyed for the entire month of September.
Mid-Autumn Festival, China
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival and Mooncake Festival, is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Traditionally, the Chinese share cakes (mooncakes) with people they appreciate and love. It is a national holiday in China, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Learn more HERE. …
Tet Trung Thu, Vietnam
Tet Trung Thu, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival or Children's Moon Festival, is a significant Vietnamese celebration. It is a time for family gatherings, feasting, and activities such as lantern parades. The festival is especially focused on celebrating children and is characterized by the sharing of mooncakes, traditional performances, and the lighting of lanterns…