Whether it’s for music, food, or movies, festivals are a great time for all parties involved. Thousands upon thousands of people come together, usually in a large field, to celebrate a common interest that they hold dear. Ever since around the days of Woodstock, there has been a large demand for massive gatherings where people get together to enjoy a common interest. So out of all the festivals in the world, which ones are the coolest? We are going to take a quick look at ten of the most amazing festivals that are out there.
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10. The Holi Festival – India
The Holi Festival is a Hindu celebration in the spring that has now spread to other parts of the world. The festival starts the beginning of the vernal equinox. The night before the event, people celebrate and have bonfires. The next day it’s an all-out color war. People gather together in major cities and throw colored chalk, die, and use water guns to fight each other. It doesn’t matter if your rich or poor, young or old, everyone is a potential “target” on that special day.
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9. The Full Moon Party – Thailand
If you like to party, than there are no parties quite like the Full Moon Party in Thailand. The origins of the event aren’t really clear, but it’s an all-night beach party that goes down on every night there’s a full moon in Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand. Thousands of people come out to the event, and it’s just a massive party. There’s no real specific meaning to party, however it has become a major attraction for tourists that look to visit Thailand. People actually plan their entire trip around when the next Full Moon Party occurs.
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8. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – California
Coachella is a massive music and arts festival that takes places each year in Indio, California. The festival can trace its roots back to the 1990’s, and now it’s one of the largest and most famous music festivals in the world. Tickets to the event typically sell out in minutes, and thousands of people come out for the weekend. Typically, the line up features the best artists and bands currently in music. AC/DC, Paul McCartney, Daft Punk, The Cure, Beck, Radiohead, Prince, and Eminem are all but a few artists that have played at Coachella. If you like music, this is the festival to come out to.
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7. La Tomatina – Spain
La Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Buñol, Spain. Essentially it’s one of the largest food-fights in the entire world where town members and tourists engage in an all-out war that is fought with tomatoes. The festival doesn’t really celebrate anything significant, however it has become extremely popular over the years. If you come out just be sure to wear clothing that you don’t care about as things get quite messy.
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6. The Albuquerque International Ballon Festival – New Mexico
Held each year in October, the Albuquerque International Ballon Festival is a massive hot air ballon festival that is totally unreal. During the festival, thousands of hot air balloons will show up for the nine day event, and the skies are filled with the craziest looking hot air balloons around. It’s the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, and there really isn’t anything quite like it.
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5. The Battle of The Oranges – Italy
Similar to La Tomatina, the Battle of The Oranges is a festival that is observed each year in the town of Ivrea, Italy. Essentially people come together in organized teams, and then have a town-wide food-fight where people throw oranges at each other. It’s all in good fun, however things get pretty sticky by the end of the day.
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4. Glastonbury – England
Glastonbury is essentially the English version of Coachella. It’s a massive music and arts festival where all the best musicians and bands come out to put on a massive show. The festival typically lasts three to four days out in a field near Pilton. Somewhere around 175,000 people typically turn up, and Glastonbury is the largest greenfield festival in the entire world.
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3. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival – Brazil
The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is essentially Mardi Gras times a thousand, and then injected with steroids. It’s arguably the most famous carnival in the world, and it is observed every year on the days that lead up to Lent. The festival can trace its roots back to 1723, and now millions of people come out for the event. The carnival is filled with strange costumes, massive floats, dancers, and it is just generally a crazy party.
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2. Oktoberfest – Germany
While it’s now celebrated pretty much throughout the world, the “real” Oktoberfest is held in Munich, Germany each year. It’s a 16-day festival that begins in the last week of September and goes to the first weekend in October. It’s a celebration of all things beer and beer-related, and some 6 million people turn out each year which makes it the largest beer festival in the entire world.
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1. Burning Man – Nevada
Held each year out in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada, Burning Man is a week-long festival that celebrates art, music, self-expression, and counterculture. It’s definitely a massive hippy-fest, but it’s probably the strangest and most unique festival in the entire world. It’s attended by over 50,000 people each year who often dress up in strange outfits and costumes. Essentially if the Alice in Wonderland universe became real and was a festival, it would be Burning Man. The event gets its name as a massive wooden figure that’s hundreds of feet tall is ignited each year, and it’s probably the largest bonfire in the world.
Photo from Andy Barron/Reno Gazette-Journal/AP Photo
