Top 10 Best Cultural Festivals Of The World That You MUST Experience! [Travel Video]

Have you ever felt like there's just not enough diversity in your life? Same old thing, day in, day out. Don't get me wrong, I love the daily grind of life, but sometimes I need a break. And that's where culture festivals come in. There are so many amazing events happening all around the world all year long, and they're sure to give you a breath of that fresh air that you so longingly desire. And maybe an opportunity to travel, too. Cultural festivals are a fantastic way to learn about a particular place or a culture. You get to interact with people and participate in events that have been passed down from generation to generation. In this video, we're going to be taking a look at the top 10 best cultural festivals around the world. I hope you guys enjoy it. Travel Goals brings you the best in travel destinations, travel tips, and accommodations around the world. Before we dive into today's video, please hit that like button and subscribe to our YouTube channel if you haven't already done so. And also tap the bell icon to turn on notifications. Yada yada yada. Alright, without further ado, let's jump into our list. 10. White Nights Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia St. Petersburg White Night Festivals are one of the top 10 cultural festivals in the world, because it basically combines classical entertainment with a uniquely beautiful atmosphere and a rich historical background. The festival takes place the same time each year, between mid-June and mid-July, which coincides with the midnight sun season, when St. Petersburg rarely gets dark. The festival usually lasts for about a month, and it was first held in 1993, but it has its roots in 1872, when composer Tchaikovsky premiered his famous ballet, Swan Lake. In the past 25 years, the festival has grown so much to include a variety of classical events, ranging from operas to ballets and musical performances by Russian singers and dancers, as well as international guest stars. Artists have often chosen to perform on the anniversaries of prominent artists' birthdays, such as Tchaikovsky's birthday on April 25th or Shostakovich's birthday on September 25th. The White Nights Festival has earned its place among top 10 cultural festivals in the world, because it pays tribute to classical music and dance while simultaneously celebrating modernism by including a wide spectrum of international performing arts, making it appealing to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. 9. Carnival of Venice, Venice, Italy Each year, cities across Europe and America host carnivals to celebrate the onset of spring. The Carnival of Venice, Italy is perhaps the most famous of these festivals because it traces its history back to the 14th century. Venice's 16th century palaces, along with its narrow canals, provide a romantic backdrop for modern-day festival-goers who wear elaborate Venetian masks as they dance in costume groups called masks. Each mask has its own theme and costume style. Some are more elaborate than others. At the end of each carnival day, masks gather again in the square and perform their dances one last time before heading off to the dinners or balls at restaurants and hotels throughout the city. When it's finally time to leave this magical place, most people find themselves wanting to return year after year, just like me. 8. Apellia Fire Festival, Scotland This festival takes place in Scotland's Shetland Islands and is one of the most spectacular festivals in the world. It features a huge replica of a Viking longship that burns at the end of the festival, as well as other torching ceremonies. The festival kicks off with a parade featuring more than 1,000 participants in elaborate costumes, and it concludes with 36 hours of straight partying. It celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage. It was settled by Vikings in the 9th century and it commemorates the time when the last Viking king died in battle against another warlord who sought to unite all of Scotland under his rule. This is much more than just a huge party. It's also an important cultural celebration, featuring skits and performances by local artists. 7. Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival, Thailand Loy Krathong and Yipeng are festivals that are celebrated simultaneously in Thailand every year. Loy Krathong is a major festival celebrated annually by the Thai people, who consider it an occasion to honor the water deities and pay respect to the Buddha. Every year during the Festival of Lights, people gather around the lakes, the rivers, the canals to release Krathongs. Krathongs are lotus-shaped rafts decorated with banana leaves and flowers and candles. People float down these waterways while making a wish and asking for forgiveness from the goddess of water. During Yipeng, local people will release paper lanterns into the sky. With the release of the lanterns, goddesses are basically requested to bless the coming year, and they are asked for good karma and luck. The city is aglow with thousands of lanterns in the sky. Both holidays are celebrated every year during the twelfth full moon. This is a celebration that has been going on for hundreds of years in Thailand, and it is a beautiful sight, I just gotta say. 6. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The Rio de Janeiro Carnival is a festival held every single year before Lent, and it's considered to be the biggest carnival on the planet. It takes place for four days, and about two million people per day attend Rio de Janeiro alone. The festival has its roots in Catholicism, but these days it's all about partying, and wild partying at that, and the glitzy costumes, and it's about the music that'll get you hopping on your feet and dancing. This festival is world-famous for its elaborate costumes and energetic shows. It's one of the world's most popular and biggest dance parties. The typical carnival parade is filled with revelers, floats, and decorations from numerous samba schools located in Rio. Millions of people celebrate in the streets. They drink, they dance, they party day and night for almost a week. There are street parties all over the city, but the main events take place in Sambadrão, which is where the samba schools show off their talents every year under lights. Another spectacle that shouldn't be missed during the festival is which are organized by local groups. These groups parade down many streets playing music and dancing. It's a festival that combines religion, music, food, dance, and color to create a five-day event that stimulates every single one of your senses. The festival ends on a Tuesday with a parade of samba schools that compete for the yearly title of best school. Each school has up to 5,000 members and brings with them a 30-minute performance that is judged on creativity and organization, and again, dancing. 5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany Oktoberfest is one of the most famous Bavarian celebrations in the world. The festival first started in 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Theresa. The citizens were invited to attend the grand celebration, after which they continued their celebration for six days. The event has been held annually since then, except for during wartime. Over the years, Oktoberfest has become the world's largest fair, and the German celebration attracts over 6 million people each year. The festival itself is held in Munich's Theresienwiese, which translates to Therese's Fields. During the 16-18-day period, there are 14 large and beautifully decorated beer tents that can hold an average of 5,000 people, and multiple smaller ones which hold around 100-150 people. Around the tent is a so-called Biergarten, or a beer garden. Beer lovers from all over the world visit Munich during this time to try out some of Germany's best beers. Traditionally, the best beer is only served in a so-called mass, which is a beer glass with a capacity of one liter. There's also an assortment of food available that you can indulge yourself in while you drink your beer, including some roasted chicken. 4. Pingxi Lantern Festival, Taiwan Also known as the Yuanjiao Festival, the Lantern Festival began in the early 1990s to celebrate and ward off evil and illnesses from the land. The most important part of this festival is a ceremony at Wumi Temple, in which firecrackers are burst in a 25-foot-high wooden stand. Thousands of people attend this festival every year. At night, participants release balloons into the sky that are decorated with flowers and colorful drawings and even messages. Like many festivals in Taiwan, this one has its roots in ancient Chinese tradition, over 2,000 years ago during the Dan Han Dynasty. Families would celebrate this holiday by setting off fireworks to scare away evil spirits. Today it looks very different, but it's still a beautiful expression of hope for good things to come. 3. Chinese New Year, China The Chinese New Year celebration is a great way to reconnect with family and reflect on your hopes for the year ahead. The holiday includes a lot of traditions, most of them involving food. For example, it's customary to give red envelopes containing money to children, elders, and friends. It's also traditional to visit the Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong and listen to hundreds of prayers spoken by these seeking spiritual renewal. Also, if you want to stay in good health and bring good luck into your life, it's customary that you write down your hopes on a piece of paper and then tie it to an orange tree at Lam Tsuen Tai Po. Then throw this wishing fruit up as high as you can into the artificial tree, and so that all your dreams might come true. The fireworks over Victoria Harbor at night are the highlight of this holiday. 2. Holi, India Holi is a spring festival celebrated in India by people of all ages. Families gather, they sing, and they dance around a bonfire on the evening before the holiday, and then participate in a carnival of colors on the following day. Everyone dresses in bright, colorful clothing, and they just run through the streets, squirting each other with water guns, throwing brightly colored powder at anybody that they can reach. Groups often travel from house to house, carrying drums, musical instruments, and even more colored powders. Nothing's off-limits for this fun-filled celebration of life. Even if you're rich, poor, man, woman, child, or elder, it's for you and it's for fun. Holi also carries great significance for Hindus. For them, it's not just about having fun. It's also about remembering major Hindu legends that relate to the Lord Vishnu, the Lord Krishna, and the Goddess Radha. 1. Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA If you go to Burning Man, you'll never be the same again. That's a quote, by the way. This warning is often given to people considering going to one of the world's most famous and mysterious festivals. Burning Man is a week-long annual festival taking place in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert, where thousands of people come together to create and express their individuality. It's a celebration of art, community, and self-expression, where you can be yourself and leave everything behind. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy, which is set ablaze on Saturday evening. The event is described as an experiment in community, art, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. People who have gone to Burning Man gatherings claim that you need to go there to really understand what it's like. So, what are your thoughts on all these amazing festivals? Do share them in the comments section below, do give this video a thumbs up if you liked it, and do not forget to subscribe and hit that bell icon for more videos like this. See you in the next video and ka-chow!