Love music, art, food, and dancing?
The summer and autumn festivals are the perfect place for you. From Europe to Asia and South America, almost everywhere you put your finger on the map there are local and international festivals, which offer an authentic cultural experience and attract revelers from all over the world. Here are some of the most worthwhile festivals for summer-autumn 2024.
August
The Edinburgh International Festival, Scotland (August 2-25) - a long-standing festival that has been held every summer since 1947 and is considered one of the most popular performing arts festivals in the world. For three weeks in the charming capital of Scotland, diverse cultural shows from different disciplines are held: theater, music, opera and dance. Throughout the years of its existence, other festivals have grown around it, such as the Fringe Festival, which washes the streets with spectacular fringe shows and contributes to the happy and festive atmosphere in the city.
For more details: https://www.eif.co.uk/
Zyget Festival, Budapest (August 7-12) - one of the biggest music and culture festivals in Europe, held every year on a small and magical island in Budapest. The festival offers a huge variety of shows and musical styles of the best artists from around the world: rock and pop, electronic music, hip hop and experimental world music. Alongside all these, you will find food complexes with foods from all over the world, including traditional flavors from Hungarian cuisine, arranged accommodation areas, a variety of sports and yoga activities, and special leisure complexes with children's activities, art and sustainability. A wonderful festival suitable for the whole family.
For more details: https://szigetfestival.com/en/
Burning Man Festival, Nevada, United States (August 25-September 2) - an iconic event that also made aliyah to Israel, which takes place in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada with thousands of revelers and a huge wooden display of the Burning Man. The festival is built on ten leading principles, including inclusion, self-expression and community. During it, beautiful art exhibitions are set up, mass parties and meditations are held, and cooperative tent and caravan neighborhoods are built. The burning of the "Burning Man" at the end of the festival is one of the most mesmerizing plays you'll see and it's worth going there for it alone.
For more information: https://burningman.org/
September
Regatta Storica Festival, Venice, Italy (September 1) - One of the most famous traditional events in the city, which began in the 13th century. It is a colorful holiday dedicated entirely to rowing competitions on the islands surrounding the city and the beautiful canals that cross it, and the highlight: a series of exciting rowing races held along the Grand Canal. Contestants, dressed in colorful period costumes, compete in different categories surrounded by cheering crowds. Apart from the rowing events, the festival features an exhibition of magnificent historic boats, and it has fine Italian food stalls, lots of alcohol and a happy atmosphere that you can't help but get swept up in.
For more details: https://www.venetoinside.com/en/venice/events/regata-storica
Mid-Autumn Festival, Hong Kong (September 17) - Asia's festival capital is among the most magical locations to visit in autumn and in general. The festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake, is held throughout Hong Kong on the night of the eighth full moon in the Chinese calendar. According to Chinese belief, a full moon signifies union and it is customary to meet with family and friends, fill the streets with lanterns, devour moon-shaped cakes and watch a colorful lantern procession in Victoria Park. It is a pleasant and elegant local festival that also attracts tourists and foreigners who live there.
For more details: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/us/explore/culture/mid-autumn-festival.html
Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany (September 21-October 6) - the largest and most popular beer festival in Germany and the world, attracting millions of visitors each year. For two weeks, Munich becomes a center of revelry and joy, with a colorful parade of horse-drawn carriages carrying huge beer barrels, traditional parades, many concerts and cultural performances, and of course millions of liters of the beloved golden drink. Crowds of revelers fill the pubs and giant tents set up especially for the festival, drinking, singing and dancing to the sounds of local bands, and gobbling up tons of grilled poultry and sausages.
For more details: https://www.oktoberfest.de/
October
Limassol Wine Festival, Cyprus (September 28-October 6) - a festival with a bubbly Cypriot atmosphere dedicated to the local wine industry. For two weeks, thousands of revelers, locals and tourists vacationing on the island, flock to the beautiful port city to savor fine wines, and enjoy Greek dance and music shows hosting artists from around the world, magician shows, stand-up and festive concerts by the municipal philharmonic orchestra. Fans of the genre will be happy to watch traditional grape treading, delight in the rich variety of traditional foods and free wine tasting. A beauty of a spontaneous outing festival.
For more details: https://winecyprus-naturally.com/tastings/summer-wine-festival-limassol-cyprus/
The Festival of Lights, Berlin, Germany (October 4-13) - a relatively intimate festival for Germany's bustling capital, but spectacular in its beauty and just what you need just before Christmas arrives. For ten days the famous symbols of Berlin such as the Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden boulevard, the squares and the trendy neighborhoods are lit up with a multitude of colored lights and fireworks shows that add color and beauty to the city sky. Apart from the elaborate lighting displays, many cultural and art events, music shows and parties with many participants take place throughout the city, under the chosen motto this year: "Celebrating Freedom". Where but in Berlin?
For more details: https://festival-of-lights.de/en/
Lord of the Miracles Festival, Lima, Peru (October 18-19, 28) - a colorful festival with an authentic South American rhythm, full of symbols and beautiful elements. The festival celebrates the image of Señor de los Milagros, the minister of miracles, whose image painted on a small brick wall in a random structure in the center of Lima, remained intact in the great earthquake of 1655 and has since become a religio-cultural icon. This is one of the largest events in Latin America, with huge processions carrying the venerated image of the saint, mass prayers, happy music and lots of food and alcohol that contribute to the lively atmosphere.
For more details: https://www.peru.travel/en/events/lord-of-miracles
Lihi Ron is a journalist and editor, author of destination guides and leader of women and food tours in Israel and around the world.