It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from – everyone loves a festival. A festival is (often) a multi-day celebration where people with a common interest can commune together and enjoy the food, the fun, and each other. In short, it’s a celebration of life. Here are just a few of the epic festivals around the world.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival - 3 weeks in August
This is the world’s largest performing arts festival! Greats such as Eddie Izzard and Billy Connolly got their humble start here as street performers. Dating back to 1947, the Fringe welcomes artists of every genre. Last year (2017) saw the festival span over twenty days, with over 53,000 performances of 3,400 shows in 300 venues! With that much to choose from, you really have to do your planning beforehand. If you are keen to see one of the more popular performers, get your tickets early! Or just walk the streets and perhaps discover the next great artist!
Mardi Gras – New Orleans – early February, but in NOLA, it really starts in January!
Fat Tuesday is a crazy crazy celebration. We’ve all heard the stories. Naked painted women (or just plain naked) walking down Bourbon Street throwing strings of beads up to hollering men waving cups of beer or hurricanes up on the balconies lining the streets. Dozens of parades with elaborate floats organized by crews. You have to book your trip at least a year in advance to get a decent hotel during the celebration. But oh, what a celebration! If you don’t mind stinky, drunken crowds and love parades, this is the festival for you.
Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada - late August through early September
This “off-the-grid” festival has become notoriously popular; the organizers have developed a system of attendance so that would-be goers understand the ten principles of Burning Man. In order to participate, you need to join an established camp. Bring in (and pack out) ALL of your supplies, since one of the principles is to leave no trace. Be prepared for all-night parties, a world of crazy costumes, and having a unique desert experience like no other. The camps are arranged in a semi-circle around the majestic wooden effigy that is the Burning Man. On the last evening of the festival, he is set on fire, signaling the festival's dramatic end.
Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany – late September through early October
The biggest beer fair in the world has morphed into a celebration of the golden bubbly as well as great food from around the world. In 2013, over $96 million of beer was served every single day during the festival! Don’t worry, you can bring your non-beer-loving travel companion, there is plenty more to do here than just down a pint.
Coachella, Indio, California – mid to late April
This is the ultimate music festival and where all the cool kids hang out in Southern California every year. Big-name international acts stream in from all over and play to the masses outdoors under the California sun. You can even camp out under the stars and not lose your place in all of the Malay. And since this is SoCal you can also be almost guaranteed to see a celebrity or two in the audience. Who knows? One may just be rocking out right next to you during a performance!
Casey Barbles 
Jeff Yelton 