Best Festivals Around the World Worth Traveling For
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations Best Festivals Around the World Worth Traveling For Festivals are travel's cultural high-water marks - moments when a city or country reveals itself most fully, when entire communities come together, and when the traveler gets to participate in something larger than tourism. The 2026 festival calendar offers a remarkable spread, from Carnival in Rio to Holi in Mathura, from Oktoberfest in Munich to Day of the Dead in Oaxaca. This guide ranks the world's most genuinely rewarding festivals to plan a trip around - not just the most famous, but the ones where the experience justifies booking a year ahead, paying premium prices, and dealing with the crowds. Short Answer The top festivals worth traveling for in 2026 are: Carnival (Rio de Janeiro / Salvador, Brazil) , Carnival (Venice, Italy) , Holi (Mathura/Vrindavan/Pushkar, India) , Diwali (Jaipur/Varanasi, India) , Songkran (Chiang Mai/Bangkok, Thailand) , Day of the Dead ...