Top 10 most impressive foreign holidays and festivals 2025
Visiting carnivals or parades abroad is the dream of many travelers. Bright costumes, traditional treats, concerts and decorated streets leave an unforgettable impression. Enjoy the atmosphere: Don’t forget to just enjoy the moment – dance, sing and soak up all the energy around you!
In the top collected music and art festivals, folk holidays and costumed processions.
Hungary. Sziget
This is an annual festival of music, culture and art, which takes place on the island of Obuda in Budapest. In August, during the week the festival performs artists of various genres - from rock and metal to blues, jazz, classics and alternatives. In addition to concerts, there are theater and dance performances, art zones and fairs, as well as charity events.
The first festival (then called Diaksziget, translated from Hungarian – “student island”) was held in 1993. Even then, it attracted as many as 40,000 people from all over Europe and the world, and today Sziget’s attendance steadily reaches half a million people.
Date: 6-11 August 2025
Location: Hungary, d. Budapest
Ticket price: from 150 €
Camping price: included in the ticket
Germany. Oktoberfest
The annual Munich Beer Festival begins in the second half of September and lasts two weeks. In the city center there are tents with food and drinks, scenes, attractions and shopping pavilions. There are concerts and costumed processions in traditional Bavarian outfits.
Date: Second half of September
Location: Munich, Germany
Georgia. Black Sea Jazz
The International Jazz Festival is held annually, traditionally in July, in Batumi and surrounding areas on the Black Sea coast of Georgia. Along with the Tbilisi Jazz Festival, it is one of the main jazz events in the country. The festival was founded in 2007.
Date: 26-28 July 2025
Location: Batumi, Georgia
China. Mid-Autumn Festival
The second name is the Festival of the Moon. This holiday is timed to the end of the harvest and is celebrated in China and other countries of East Asia in late September - early October. The date of the celebration changes every year. On this day, streets and parks are decorated with lanterns, families come together, eat moon gingerbread – round cakes with various fillings, launch fireworks and enjoy the beauty of the night sky.
Date: 6 October 2025
Location: China
Mexico. Day of the Dead
The celebration takes place on November 1 and 2 across the country. This is a family holiday dedicated to the memory of departed relatives. It is believed that these days their souls return home. People decorate their homes with flowers, create altars and prepare treats for the spirits. Carnival processions take place on the streets, where participants dress up in skeleton costumes, dance and sing.
Date: 1 -2 November 2025
Location: Mexico
Portugal. Waking Life
Concerts on the lake, six days of life in the campground, the atmosphere of creative experiments and musical collaborations.
Date: 26-28 July 2025
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
USA. Burning Man
It is a festival of radical self-expression held annually in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. It begins on the last Monday of August and lasts eight days. Participants create a tent city, build art objects, drive fantastic cars and dress up in unusual costumes. The festival ends with the burning of a giant wooden statue of a man and other installations.
The first "Burning Man" was held in 1986, when about twenty people gathered on the beach of San Francisco to celebrate the summer solstice and burn a two-meter wooden figure of a man. A couple of years later, the height of the statue increased to 9 meters, and 200 people came to the event.
By 2022, Burning Man was one of the most significant events in the world and probably the most interesting. Where and when will the festival take place?
Date: August 24 – September 1
Location: Black Rock Desert,
Ticket price: from $575
Thailand. Wonderfruit
Wonderfruit has always been more than just a music festival. It is the study of miracles through art, food, culture, music and nature. It is not just an event, but a cultural phenomenon in which music, art and an unwavering commitment to sustainable development are harmoniously intertwined.
Finland. Flow
Flow Festival is an urban music and art festival held in Helsinki, Finland. The festival features a variety of music covering a wide range of performers: from indie rock to soul and jazz, from folk to modern club sounds – from both the Finnish and international scenes.
Date: 10-15 August
Location: Finland
Japan. Gion-matsuri
It is one of the largest festivals in Japan, which takes place in Kyoto every July and lasts all month. The most famous part of the festival is a parade of huge decorated platforms depicting scenes from Japanese history and mythology. The festival has been held for centuries and is believed to protect the city from epidemics.
Date: 1 - 31 July
Location: Yasaka Shrine
Text and photo: personalguide
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