Carnival or Shrovetide is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. In Japan, festivals are called matsuri (祭り), and the origin of the word matsuri is related to the kami; there are theories that the word matsuri is derived from matsu (待つ) meaning "to wait ", tatematsuru (献る) meaning "to make offerings to the kami", and matsurau (奉う) meaning "to obey the kami". The theory that it is derived from matsurau is the most popular.
Phi Ta Khon is a festival held in Dan Sai, Loei province, Isan, Thailand. The events take place over three days sometime between March and July, the dates being selected annually by the town’s mediums.
The Quebec Winter Carnival, commonly known in both English and French as Carnaval, is a pre-Lenten festival held in Quebec City. After being held intermittently since 1894, the Carnaval de Québec has been celebrated annually since 1955. That year, Bonhomme Carnaval, the mascot of the festival, made his first appearance. Up to one million people attended the Carnaval de Québec in 2006 making it, at the time, the largest winter festival in the world. It is, however, the largest winter festival in the Western Hemisphere.
The Fur Rendezvous Festival is an annual winter festival held in Anchorage, Alaska, in late February. The self-styled "largest winter festival in North America", Fur Rendezvous is highly anticipated by many Anchorage-area residents as marking the beginning of the end of a long winter and the approach of spring. In 2012, Fur Rendezvous was selected as the number one winter carnival in the world by the National Geographic Traveler.
The Granny Smith Festival is an annual festival held in Eastwood, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It began in 1985 and is now the largest annual event of its type in Sydney's Northern District, attracting over 80,000 people each year. The festival is held on and around Eastwood Oval on the third Saturday of October to commemorate 19th-century pioneer Maria Ann "Granny" Smith, credited with producing the Granny Smith apple and celebrated for providing the Ryde-Hunters Hill area with prosperity. The festival begins at 9:00 am and concludes at 8:30 pm.
The Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing is one of the largest Volksfests in the German state of Bavaria. It is an annual event, spanning eleven days mid-August.
Bucharest Pride, known previously as GayFest, is the annual festival dedicated to LGBT rights in Romania, taking place in Bucharest for nearly a week. Current event organizer is Kyle David Kipp. It first took place in 2004 and now occurs in May–June of each year, culminating with the March of Diversity. It is organised by the non-profit organisation ACCEPT, the country's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organisation. The festival also receives funding from the Romanian Ministry of Health and the National Council for Combating Discrimination, as well as a number of private organisations, such as the Open Society Institute and the British Council in Romania.
Luton International Carnival is a large carnival in Luton, Bedfordshire. The carnival is commissioned by Luton Borough Council and is artistically produced by UK Centre for Carnival Arts, which is based in Luton town centre.
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival is an annual five-day literary festival in the city of New Orleans. The festival is dedicated to American playwright Tennessee Williams, who lived and worked in the city, and later won the Pulitzer Prize. Each year, it features several events related to the long career of that writer, as well as writing workshops, panel discussions, literary readings, stage performances, a book fair, music, writing contests, and other events related to American literature, poetry, drama, opera, film, photography, art, history, New Orleans culture, and cooking. The signature event is the Stella and Stanley Shouting Contest that closes the festival.
Mardi Gras is the annual Carnival celebration in Mobile, Alabama. It is the oldest official Carnival celebration in the United States, started by Frenchman Nicholas Langlois in 1703 when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. Although today New Orleans and South Louisiana celebrations are much more widely known for all the current traditions such as masked balls, parades, floats and throws were first created there. From Mobile being the first capital of French Louisiana (1702), the festival began as a French Catholic tradition. Mardi Gras has now evolved into a mainstream multi-week celebration across the spectrum of cultures, becoming school holidays for the final Monday and Tuesday, regardless of religious affiliation.
Applefest is a yearly village-wide food, entertainment and crafts fair, taking place in several towns in Canada, the United States and England.
The Jackson County Apple Festival is an annual festival dedicated to the apple held in Jackson, Ohio, United States. The festival was created to promote Jackson County's leading agricultural product, which at the time was grown by over forty farms in the area.
Mardi Gras in the United States is celebrated in a number of cities and regions in the country. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history.
Atlanta's mild climate and plentiful trees allow for festivals and events to take place in the city year-round. One of the city's most popular events is the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, an arts and crafts festival held in Piedmont Park each spring, when the native dogwoods are in bloom. Atlanta Streets Alive, inspired by the ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia, closes city streets to car traffic to allow people to participate in health and community-oriented, such as bicycling, strolling, skating, people-watching, tango, yoga, hula hooping, and break dancing.
Trujillo Marinera Festival is a Peruvian cultural event held annually in Trujillo city in January. The event focuses on a dance contest called the marinera, a typical dance of the city and of the country. The festival also presents parades, presentations and competitions of Peruvian paso horses. Both the marinera dance and the Peruvian paso horse have been declared to be part of the cultural heritage of the nation by the Peruvian government. This festival is one of the most important cultural events and representative of the country and Trujillo city has been recognized by the Peruvian government as the National Capital Marinera by Law Number 24447, of January 24, 1986.
The African American population in Houston, Texas, has been a significant part of the city's community since its establishment. The Greater Houston area has the largest population of African Americans in Texas and west of the Mississippi River. Black Enterprise has referred to Houston as a Black mecca.
The Food Festivals of South Korea are a series of celebrations that provide insight into Korea's cuisine and culture. The cuisine ranges from traditional dishes through to modern interpretations and will often focus on regionally specific recipes and ingredients. They seek to retain Korean cultural identity, raise awareness, and promote local produce, cuisine, and the Korean food industry. Over time, some festivals and dishes such as Chimaek have become part of modern Korean culture and were further popularized by K-dramas.
