10 Festival Destinations Worth Planning a Trip Around in 2025
If you’re already dreaming about where to travel in 2025, start with the festivals that turn entire cities into celebrations. These events aren’t just about music or parades they’re full blown cultural experiences that capture the spirit of their destinations. From lantern lit skies in Asia to rhythm packed nights in Europe and the Americas, each one offers something special. Here are ten festival destinations worth building your travel plans around next year.
1. Rio Carnival, Brazil
Few events can match the pure energy of Rio Carnival. Every February, samba parades take over the streets with dazzling floats, elaborate costumes, and nonstop music. You’ll feel the rhythm of drums echoing through the city as locals and travelers dance until sunrise. Beyond the parades, neighborhood blocos offer spontaneous street parties where you can join in without tickets or schedules. It’s the perfect mix of freedom, artistry, and joy that defines Brazil at its best, and a memory that stays with you long after the confetti settles.
2. Holi Festival, India
Holi, the Festival of Colors, turns entire towns into clouds of pink, yellow, and green powder each March. The celebration marks the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil, but it’s also a time when strangers become friends with a single splash of color. Music, sweets, and water balloons fill the air, and every corner feels alive. To experience it fully, head to cities like Mathura or Vrindavan, where traditions run deep, and the joy is impossible to fake. It’s one of those experiences that makes you feel truly alive.
3. Oktoberfest, Germany
Oktoberfest in Munich is more than a beer festival it’s a world famous celebration of Bavarian culture that attracts millions every autumn. You’ll find massive tents filled with traditional music, pretzels the size of your head, and people from around the globe raising steins together. It’s the kind of place where you can share a table with strangers and leave with new friends. Between the parades, folk costumes, and carnival rides, Oktoberfest blends tradition with pure fun, making it an unforgettable trip for any traveler in 2025.
4. Cherry Blossom Festival, Japan
Spring in Japan is magical, and the Cherry Blossom Festival captures that beauty perfectly. From late March through April, cities like Tokyo and Kyoto transform into pastel dreamscapes as sakura petals blanket parks and riversides. Locals gather for hanami picnics under the blossoms, sharing food, drinks, and laughter. It’s not just about the flowers it’s about appreciating fleeting moments of beauty. Planning a trip during this time gives you a glimpse of Japan’s cultural heart, wrapped in one of nature’s most stunning displays.
5. Burning Man, United States
Set in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, Burning Man isn’t just a festival it’s a temporary city built around creativity, self-expression, and community. Each August, thousands gather to create massive art installations, perform music, and live by a gift economy for a week before dismantling it all. The experience feels otherworldly, from the surreal sculptures to the giant wooden effigy that’s burned at the end. If you crave something unconventional, Burning Man challenges you to rethink how people connect and create together.
6. La Tomatina, Spain
In the small town of Buñol, Spain, locals and visitors gather every August for the world’s biggest food fight. La Tomatina turns the streets into a sea of red as thousands toss overripe tomatoes at one another for pure fun. The chaos lasts about an hour, followed by laughter, dancing, and local food festivals. What started as a quirky tradition has become an iconic celebration of joy and freedom. It’s messy, absurd, and entirely unforgettable a reminder that travel should sometimes just be about having fun.
7. Mardi Gras, United States
Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a party that’s been running for centuries, rooted in French Creole tradition. The parades, costumes, and jazz bands fill the city with a sense of magic you can’t find anywhere else. Beads fly from balconies, music spills from every bar, and the scent of Creole food fills the air. Yet beneath the party is deep history and community pride. If you want a festival that blends chaos and culture in equal measure, Mardi Gras in 2025 will deliver exactly that.
8. Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland
Every August, Edinburgh becomes the global capital of performance art during the Fringe Festival. Comedians, actors, dancers, and musicians take over every stage, basement, and street corner. You can wander from an intimate play to a stand-up show within minutes, surrounded by creative energy unlike anywhere else. It’s the kind of event that redefines what art can be and gives you a front-row seat to the next generation of talent. The city’s charm only amplifies the excitement of this cultural marathon.
9. Lantern Festival, Taiwan
The Taiwan Lantern Festival marks the end of Lunar New Year with a breathtaking display of lights. Thousands of lanterns float into the night sky, each carrying a wish or message of hope. Cities like Taoyuan and Tainan host grand events featuring illuminated floats, fireworks, and performances. The sight of lanterns rising together is both peaceful and mesmerizing, offering a rare sense of calm amid celebration. For travelers, it’s a moment to slow down, reflect, and be part of something quietly spectacular.
10. Day of the Dead, Mexico
The Day of the Dead is a vibrant tribute to life and memory. Celebrated in early November, it transforms Mexican towns with marigolds, candles, and ofrendas altars honoring loved ones. You’ll see parades, painted faces, and music that blends joy with reverence. The beauty lies in how it celebrates remembrance without sorrow, turning grief into gratitude. Visiting during this time offers more than sightseeing; it’s a chance to understand a culture that embraces death as a natural part of living.
