We’ve come to the end of 2018. The New Year means new hopes, new memories and new adventures. Mark your calendars if you wish to chase fun and visit some cities and countries full of festivals in 2019: There are colourful international festivals bringing visitors from all over the world together. And these festivals are so great that your travel plans will be inspired… For those who announce 2019 as “the year of the joy of living and fun”, we chose nine international festivals.
1- Sweeping Fire of Samba: Rio Carnival
Photo Credit: NTV
Country: Rio / Brezilya
Date: March 1-6, 2019
Alisonzm: A once in a lifetime experience
Oh my my. Even if you arent a keen Carnival lover you will surely enjoy this never ending spectacle of dance, colours, singing and fun. Just be ready to endure the heat. We purchased open seating so make sure to arrive early to get a good seat. Its concrete so take a soft cushion otherwise your bum wont make it through the night. We were in Rio for three days with a cruise and took a package with Do Brazil Right for the 3 days and the Carnival and it was just simply amazing.
Music, lights, dance, and a never-ending array of bright colours: Rio Carnival… You will be amazed by the performance of the samba dance girls in their unique costumes. Rio Carnival that engraved its name in gold letters to the list of the best festivals in the world so to say warms your blood.
Thousands of dancers, with their never-ending energy, take the stage at the festival. With the support of hundreds of sponsors, the city of Rio lending its name to the carnival is preparing for the festival for almost one year. Thousands of dance schools are competing with each other during this festival to show their best performances. The roots of this dance and colour fest, which is held annually, extend to the ceremonies of local people who want to thank God.
2- The Most “Colourful” Festival: Holi
Photo Credit: Hurriyet
Country: Delhi / India
Date: March 20-21, 2019 (not exact)
Negy: Holi Festival
You are lucky that you are in India during Holi festival. A ceremonial procession with chariots, camels, dance, music etc.) takes place. You may also get a chance to mount the elephant and play with colors. I am a localite and i really love these festivals. I am sure you will enjoy your stay here !
Colours, colours, and colours… There is nothing beyond the colours at the Holi Festival. It is such a festival that fits the brightness of India. The Hindus chose to celebrate the arrival of spring every year with colours and by throwing colourful powder or liquid paints at each other. An extraordinary joyful festival. This stirring festival, dating back to the 4th century, not just entertains people but also presents a visual feast for the attendants. It is not just the colour that features the festival but there are more such as the close connection and communication of people with each other and their celebration of a fest together… The legendary colours and fun of the festival should have inspired many countries that they have also organized their own “Holifestivals.” But all these imitations just lead to the glorification of the originality.
3- We’re going to the city of masks: The Carnival of Venice
Photo Credit: Akşam
Country: Venice / Italy
Date: February 16 – March 5, 2019
Azin H: Dream came true!
For me it was completely like a dream to see people wearing those spectacular costumes, like you are walking in the history of art and theater!
The Carnival of Venice known for its masks is full of visitors coming for fun with their masks from all around the world to Italy. During the carnival, the participants are walking around with their delicately carved masks as well as colourful Gothic, baroque, and rococo dresses of the Italian-inspired European fashion. Like many other believes, the carnival, which has been celebrated since 1268, owes its origins to the celebration of the spring in Pagan traditions. In addition to the celebration of the spring, watching people with masks and costumes around the streets and canals of Venice preserved their originality is priceless… To be a part of the carnival is like having the chance of travelling through history.
4- A Music and Arts Festival that Takes Place in the Desert: Coachella
Photo Credit: Akşam
Country: Indio Desert- California / USA
Date: Scheduled for April, 12-14 and 19-21
Travelnica: Greatest music festival
Been going to Coachella for years and it’s a excellent experience. Year after year, some of the greatest artists in music history have taken stage here. The weather is usually great, the venue is awesome and the vibe is always great.
The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival hosts famous fashion icons, in addition to worldwide known artists. Who would have thought that such a place in the desert could become so cheerful with a fantastic festival and be full of the visitors? In this festival which is the climax of music and art, people from all over the world, especially celebrities, are also interested. Those who want to experience an American classic can rent a caravan or enjoy camping in tents and sleeping bags in the desert. In addition to music in the air, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival named after the region makes you experience a festival of a completely different concept with original clothes, strange decorations, and make-up styles. DJs and the world-renowned singers who could be seen on the posters on your walls take the stage to energize the crowd. In the lively atmosphere of the festival, not only singers but also those listen to and sing along the musicians have fun.
5- Burning Man: The festival makes you feel the fire and joy in your body
Photo Credit: Gaia
Country: Nevada / USA
Date: August 9, 2019
Gypsyarab: What an experience!
It’s a once in a lifetime experience! Was insane, amazing, crazy, wild, spiritual, uplifting, sexy, dirty, loud, awesome, nuts, etc! I can never truly express this most awesome experience in words! You just have to GO and experience BURNING MAN! Absolutely crazy but so awesome!
Another festival of fire, dance, and music is Burning Man. It was named after the burning of a very big human sculpture at the festival. The event organizers described the festival as an experiment in community and art. For this reason, you will see many artistic and striking designs when you look around. Visitors from all around the world are expected to participate in the festival to be held for the 29th time in 2019. Organizers are very confident about the fun and energy of the festival based on their previous experience. Just like Coachella, Burning Man has also hosted the world-renowned singers, bands, and DJs both taking the stage and enjoying the festival in the Black Rock Desert since 1986.
6- Latin Fire: Tenerife Carnival
Photo Credit: Webtenerife
Country: Santa Cruz de Tenerife / Canary Islands – Spain
Date: February 27 – March 10, 2019
Geordieboy: Carnaval 2018
We are going to be in Santa Cruz for the carnival on 13th Feb 2018, but I can’t find any specific details about times or parade routes, can anyone help.
Dave G: Just follow the other 200,000 people along the front (Avenida de Anaga)
Dance, costumes and colours… But the fire of this carnival is completely Latin! The carnival held each February in Santa Cruz de Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain, promises a fascinating entertainment. Along with colourful parades and breath-taking dance performances, the carnival provides an opportunity of concerts and colourful firework displays together with thousands of people who are having fun in their enthralling costumes. Aside from the carnival, hundreds of alternatives for those who want to enjoy the island are the cherry on the top… The girl with the best costume is selected as the Carnival Queen of Santa Cruz De Tenerife… As every girl competes for the queen title, you can see many dazzling displays. Almost half a million people participate in the 24-hour ceremony, what the islanders called “the burial of the sardine.” The carnival ends with the burning of a symbolic gigantic sardine. You can breathe the fresh air of the Atlantic Ocean while letting yourself enjoy the very colourful carnival.
7- The Triplet of Summer, Jazz, and Cape Town: Joy of Jazz Fest
Country: Cape Town / South Africa
Date: March 29-30, 2019
Ilka M: Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Very spacious. Clean. Well organized. Music – was not all jazz?! Drinks prices were steep. Food was good.
The festival, which is known as “the largest gathering of Africa”, has brought kings of the jazz and music lovers together for 20 years. Both forty South African and international jazz musicians perform in two-day Jazz Fest, which attracts fans of jazz and blues like a magnet. The festival that aims to host almost 40 thousand jazz fans and music lovers in two days is attracting travellers who want to drop by South Africa, especially Cape Town. It is open to everyone who wants to bring her/his Africa tour to perfection by a music feast even if s/he does not like jazz. Those who want to relieve the tiredness of safaris and intense city sightseeing tours will find themselves in the magic of jazz while sipping their drinks.
8- The Motherland of Beer: Oktoberfest
Photo Credit: Abendzeitung Muenchen
Country: Munich / Germany
Date: October 5-7, 2019
Vernonexit: Beers, Food and Entertainment.
After spending a week in Munchen Germany on visiting Oktoberfest. I have to say this has been a very fun time and surpassed my expectation. the food was just amazing, first time having pork knuckle on the rotisserie and it was just delightful. The non-stop flow of beers, music, good food and friendly people has definitely created a desire to return for Oktoberfest next year.
Oktoberfest is a festival that attracts six million people like a magical magnet. Everyone either a beer lover or not sees being a part of the festival as a privilege. We are talking about a festival that welcomes anyone who wants to experience a warm cultural environment and contrasting ice-cold beers. As the name suggests, the purpose of the Oktoberfest is to celebrate the advent of October. The honoured guest of the festival is beer. Hundred types of beer that came from different fermentation processes and made from various types of barley with numerous flavours… Almost a heaven of barley water! The festival begins with the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer by the Mayor of Munich. The festival provides a gorgeous atmosphere to the visitors in a huge tent where you could see thousands of people. With the beer barrels that the visitors occasionally use to sit on, the Oktoberfest is one of the most popular and visited festivals of the world. Pleasure-seekers can enjoy plenty of beers while fulling their stomach with German cuisine. The Oktoberfest is also interesting due to the striking display of Northern European folkloric culture, especially those of women.
9- Interesting but True: The Day of the Dead is very colourful
Photo Credit: The Independent
Country: Mexico City / Mexico
Date: November 2, 2019
EliaMssawir: Day of the Dead!
Beautiful celebration of the Día de Muertos! I was blessed enough to witness it during my business trip to Mexico city. If you’re there between October 27 and November 2nd, make sure to see the parade!
Not every festival means fun, music, and dance. There is a festival that is held for the dead and remembering deceased ones. Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, hosts the Day of the Dead every year. Costumes and the concept are like Halloween but the purpose of this festival is to commemorate the dead. This is because of the Pagan belief that a person never dies until he is forgotten. The costumes revealing a scary feeling and a cute looking make the festival even more colourful. In the festival held to pray for the dead and to conjure souls, people also visit graves. Celebrants not only visit the graveyards but also build private altars with food, chocolate, and alcohol as well as with candles. They have a picnic in the graveyards and spend all night next to the graves of their relatives by dancing and playing music. During the three days of the Day of the Dead, churches and houses are garnished by skulls made of sugar or chocolate. You could also see Calaveras, which are the sculptures dancing and drinking tequila.
BONUS:
Break the Fantasy of Safari: East African Arts Festival in Nairobi Tells it Geography
Photo Credit: Afro Tourism
Country: Nairobi / Kenya
Date: Not specified yet
Every year in March, the East African Art Festival of Nairobi takes place in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, which gives its name to the festival. The festival witnesses a tourist influx from all around the world. Various events regarding culture and art are carried out for three days, including music, theatre, literature, fashion, sculpture, architecture, and traditional handicrafts. The East African Arts Festival, pulling people from the fantasy of safari being full of elephants and giraffes and shocking them by culture and art, is organized by the Kenya National Museum. Those who want to know African culture closely and meticulously come to this festival. The festival is ready to provide an unforgettable experience for those who think that such activities are the most proper way of getting to know a culture.
Could you advise us any other international festivals of 2019? Let us know in the comments below, tweet us, or tell us on Facebook
Cover Photo: theentrepreneurfund