Best international carnivals

Carnivals are a little challenging to state the best carnivals that standout. Some of these festivals stand out with their colors, others with different customs.

As you might all be guessing or asking what is carnival?

Carnivals could be a time of public enjoyment and entertainment when people wear unusual clothes, dance, eat and drink, use of masquerade usually in the streets of a city.

Some festivals around the globe

Europe: 

• Fire festival - takes place on the Scottish isle of St. Ninian in Europe, this festival features men wearing vikings costumes. 
  
  
  
• Primavera sound - this is all about different sound mix, it features established and upcoming acts from around d world. This event takes place in early summer at the parc del fòrum, in Barcelona.

Brazil: 

• Rio carnival – this carnival is surely the best-known and most exuberant street party in the world. It comprises of music, rhythms of samba are the engines which drive rio’s carnival celebrations. This carnival holds annually between five days before the feast of lent. 

lovers of carnivals you should visit rio at carnival time at least once in your life. 

London: 

• Notting hill carnival – was launched in 1966. Notting hill has quickly gained a reputation as the biggest and most popular of all the European carnivals. This Carnival is all about getting together and having fun with over 50,000 artists and musicians with fancy costumes giving you the very best of typical Caribbean. Notting hill is a two-day carnival which happens in last Sunday and Monday in august. 

“Put this date in your diary if you want to party along with millions of carnival. 

USA: 

• New Orleans’ Mardi Gras – the Mardi Gras carnival in new Orleans, Louisiana, is considered the premier carnival event in the united states. This city is revered to the birthplace of jazz. This carnival are a way to show their myths or some mythological figures such as edimião, orfeu, Bacchus and king Zulu. They use some exotic costume like bead necklaces and masked balls with feathers “the festival start off on 6th of January (the feast of the epiphany). 
  
  
  
• Bonnaroo - Manchester, Tennessee – is a Four day music festival in June. Multiple stages of music featuring large variety of musical genres.
• Camp Bisco – This Festival is held in July at the Indian Head Country Club, New York. Electronic jam band such as Disco music.
• Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – is a three day festival held in April. It takes place in a desert setting and features established as well as emerging artists. Tent camping is allowed.
• Detroit Electronic Music Festival - Detroit, Michigan - Electronic/dance music festival held on Memorial Day weekend (last weekend in May) each year at Hart Plaza in Detroit. Generally features 5 stages and over 100 artists.
• Jam Along the Creek - Millmont, PA - Small three day music festival held at a campground in central Pennsylvania. Expect small local bands and a laid back atmosphere compared to many larger festivals (as well as cheaper tickets). 

India

• Holi - also known as holika dahan (burning of little holi) is a religious spring festival, mainly celebrated by Hindus. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival, in memory of Holika. The celebrations can last up to 16 days, with Hindus throwing colored powder and water at each other in the street. 
  
  
  
• Diwali - also known as the 'festival of lights', the festival usually occurs between mid-October and mid-November and is celebrated in many countries. Overall it is a celebration of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance, the festival has different religious meanings. Many houses, shops and public places are decorated with small earthenware lamps called Diya’s, fireworks are set off, religious rituals are practiced and gifts are exchanged.
  
  
  
• Thaipusam, Tamil Nadu – it’s an Hindu festival practiced in areas where Tamils live in which religious devotees fulfill their vows, this festival shows a story from Indian mythology in which parvati (goddess of fertility) gives murugan (god of war) a spear to vanquish the evil demon soorapadman. Hundreds of people whose bodies are pierced and hooked with giant needles. 

Japan: 

• Obon festival- the festival lasts for three days across japan, usually in august. It is a Buddhist festival to commemorate one's ancestors and is celebrated through bon odori dances and a giant bonfire lit in the hills of kyoto. The festival is also known as the "festival of lanterns", as one of the customs during this time is to send paper lanterns floating along the river to symbolize the souls of those departed returning to their graves in peace.

Asia: 

• Phaung daw oo pagoda festival, Burma - This is one of the largest Buddhist festivals in Burma. Buddha images are paraded around the lake pulled by traditional long boats by hundreds of rowers. The festival is held from the first day of September and third day of October. 
• Perahera festival, kandy, sri lanka - This happens every August, is the most famous of sri lanka's colorful celebrations. The country's most sacred relic. The festival lasts ten days and is a spectacle of elephants, drummers, dancers, chieftains, acrobats, whip-crackers, torch bearers and thousands of pilgrims in procession, on the final night led by a cast of hundreds of elephants and thousands of performers. 
• Tsechus, Bhutan- are integral to Bhutanese culture and take place everywhere, from tiny, isolated villages to some of the country's largest dzongs (monasteries). People travel from all over the country to celebrate and, increasingly, these colorful events are attracting visitors from around the world. 
• Songkran festival - is the welcoming of spring, although it's also celebrated in Cambodia, Laos and Burma, albeit under different names and on slightly different dates. In Thailand it begins on 13th April and ends on 15th April and is the traditional New Year when holiday is taken. The most famous celebrations last for six days in the northern city of chang mai and Thais celebrate by throwing water at each other and passers-by in the street. It also marks the end of the dry season in Thailand and the hottest time of year.

Australia

Some of the best Australia Festivals include:

• Field Day – holds every first of January (New Year) at Sydney Domain Park, New South Wales. It is a Dance music festival.
• Future Music Festival - Formally known as two tribes until one of the two companies running it pulled out, held February to March every year. This is the flagship event of Melbourne based Future entertainment. 
• Southbound – This is one of the most family friendly festivals in the country held every January at Busselton, Western Australia.

New Zealand

• Rhythm and Vines - is a three day music festival to celebrate the New Year. Held in a vineyard and includes popular New Zealand and international artists. Camping accommodation is set up in Watson Park especially for this event.

Brazil 

• Lollapalooza – held every late weeks in march or Early April at São Paulo.

South Korea

• Asia Song Festival. This Festival has previously been held in different cities around South Korea, but since 2014 it has been held in Busan. Usually held every October. 
  
  
  
• Musicbank World Tour – This festivals is usually organized by the Korean broadcaster KBS every year they arranges a concert with different Korean pop groups mostly around Asia but also elsewhere in the world. Some locations where this festivals are held include Singapore, Dubai and Berlin.

UK

• Bestival at Isle of Wight - Once considered a 'boutique' festival due to its smaller size this festival has grown considerably. Holding the record as the worlds largest costume party, held every early September. 
• Loopalu (Ullapool) – is a popular smaller rock music festival held by the beach in a small town in Highland (Scotland) in late September every year.
• Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts – festival of classical and jazz it is the second largest festival of its kind in the UK, usually held every mid-October. 

Source: passportsymphony.com/