Cultural Festivals

Lantern festivals are among the most visually spectacular events available anywhere in the world. The image of thousands of illuminated paper lanterns rising into a dark sky is one of those rare festival moments that genuinely lives up to its photographs — and in the United States, a growing number of well-organised events deliver exactly...

The Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia is one of the most genuinely unusual events on the American festival calendar. It celebrates a cryptid — a creature whose existence has never been scientifically verified — that allegedly terrorised a small Ohio River town in 1966 and 1967, in the months leading up to the...

Venice Carnival is one of the oldest and most visually extraordinary festival traditions in the world. The Carnevale di Venezia has roots going back to at least the 11th century, when the Republic of Venice celebrated a victory over the Patriarch of Aquileia with public celebrations that became an annual tradition. By the 18th century,...

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world. Every August, the Scottish capital hosts around 50,000 performances across approximately 300 venues over three weeks, drawing performers and visitors from across the globe to one of the most beautiful and walkable cities in Europe. For American visitors, the Edinburgh Fringe represents one...

Renaissance faires occupy a unique space in the American festival calendar. They are simultaneously historical re-enactment, theatre, craft market, food festival, and community gathering — and the communities that have built up around the best of them are among the most devoted and creatively engaged audiences of any event type in the country. The American...

The complete guide to New Orleans Jazz Fest — what to expect at one of the greatest music and food events in the world, what to eat, how to navigate the fairgrounds, and how to make the most of your first visit.

From the Diwali Festival of Lights in Houston to Carnaval Miami, the Dragon Boat Festival in Philadelphia, and Native American powwows across the country, here are the best cultural festivals in the USA celebrating the world's traditions.

Everything first-time Burning Man attendees need to know — from what the festival actually is and how to survive the Black Rock Desert, to what to pack, what to wear, and how to get the most out of your first burn.