𝟐.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬

1. Carnival of Venice - Venice, Italy (Feb. 11-28)

If I told you that I was going to Carnival this year, what country would you assume
I’m headed to? You probably think I’m going down to Brazil. The truth is, Carnival
festivals happen across Europe and the Americas, ushering out winter and welcoming
the spring as well as the Season of Lent. The Carnival of Venice, Italy is second
to none and in fact, Carnival's roots can be found here as well. Venice provides a
romantic, old-world, and at times spooky backdrop for festival goers adorned in
traditional Venetian masks.

2. Songkran Festival - Thailand (April 13-15)

Songkran festival, marking the traditional Thai New Year, takes place across the
country. In addition to sightseeing at local temples, people flood the streets
(literally and figuratively) to take part in massive water fights. The throwing of
water is a sign of respect and well-wishing, as believers hope to rinse away bad
luck.
Bangkok and Chiang Mai host some of the largest Songkran gatherings, but those who
want to go off the beaten path to celebrate the arrival of the new solar year.

3. Fes Festival of World Sacred Music - Fes, Morocco (May 12-20)

Fes, with its labyrinthine lanes, medieval medina, snake charmers and sexy, modern
riads (small hotels), is worth a visit on its own, but this 20-year-old festival
adds an atmosphere of ancient caravanserais where travelers crossed paths on their
stopovers. In this case, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (Fès des Musiques
Sacrées) is a crossroads for the creative seekers of the world.
The week-long festival is full of choices that will satisfy anyone with an appetite
for knowledge, art and spirituality. Every evening, the palace courtyard of the
14th-century Bab Makina is filled with a sold-out crowd who gather to catch
headliners who have included the legendary Ravi Shankar, Malian superstar Salif
Keita, and even Björk.

4. Snow Star Festival - Sinakara Valley, Peru (Dates vary between May & June)
Tens of thousands of pilgrims crowd the Sinakara Andean valley in the Cusco region
with dancers in multi-layered skirts and musicians with drums and flutes performing
non-stop over three days. The native melodies resound throughout a snow-capped
mountain range long adored by the Quechua people. Known as the Snow Star festival,
the gathering is held every year and draws as many as 100,000 people to the
Quispicanchis province in Peru's Cuzco region. It also coincides with the
reappearance of the star cluster Pleiades in the Southern Hemisphere, signaling the
abundance of the harvest season.
Not many tourists attend Qoyllur Rit'I, mostly due to the fact that reaching the
festival grounds requires a grueling hike to an elevation just above 15,000 feet,
the temperature can be quite cold, and most non-Peruvians are oblivious to the
festival’s existence. Make no mistake, this is not for the weak, but adventurous
who make this pilgrimage are likely to never have such a physically and spiritually
uplifting experience again.

5. White Nights Festival - St. Petersburg, Russia (May 26 - July 23)

The phenomenon known as the "White Nights" is not unique to just one place, no
northern city on Earth’s “White Nights” celebrations are better known than that of
St. Petersburg, Russia. Picture a sunny stroll down the streets of one of Europe’s
most beautiful and cultured cities. Stopping to observe grand canals, parks,
architecture, and many other historical landmarks, all in the middle of the night!
St. Petersburg during the summer months is lively, friendly, romantic and bustling
with people throughout the night as well as the day!
From late May to early July the nights are bright in St. Petersburg, with the
brightest period, the White Nights, normally lasting from June 11th to July 2nd.
St. Petersburg is the world's most northern city with a population over 1 million,
and its stands at such a high latitude that the sun does not descend below the
horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. Along with this yearly phenomenon comes
many tourists from around the globe, and a bounty of festivities to partake in, day
and night (if you can call it that).

6. Exit Festival - Novi Sad, Serbia (July 6-9)

EXIT Festival is a multi-genre music festival in Novi Sad, Serbia. Hugely respected
throughout Europe and across the globe, the festival has become a regular on 'best
in the world' lists. Known for its hugely diverse and eclectic lineups, EXIT
consistently welcomes global stars of rock, pop, dance, hip-hop and more to the
stunning Petrovaradin Fortress on the banks of the Danube.
With music running all through the night on more than ten stages, there really is
something for everyone. 2017's festival will mark 50 years since the famous Summer
of Love in 1967, when the revolutionary hippie movement began. Since then it has
gone on to shape the world through fighting for peace, freedom of speech and human
rights, as well as social, racial and gender equality.

7. Boryeong Mud Festival - Boryeong, South Korea (July 21-30)

Drawing over 3 million people annually, the Boryeong Mud Festival is arguable South
Korea’s most popular summer event. Mud taken from the Boryeong mud flats, 200km
south of Seoul, South Korea, and driven over to the Daecheon beach area, is turned
into a Mud wonderland. The festival was originally conceived in 1998 as a
marketing tool for Boryeong mud cosmetics and has become an extremely popular past
time for visitors and locals in the area.
During “Mudfest” as it is commonly called, this normally serene seaside escape
becomes something far different. It begins in the morning, when loads of tourists
and locals arrive and head straight to the beach, which will be prepped full of
mud. Separate sections are set up and filled with mud slides, mud pits, a mud
prison, giant mud baths, a children’s area, mud fountains, and a mud swimming pool.
The point is to get as muddy as possible, and everyone is expected to get in on the
action.