Known as an organised set of events hosted across a day or a period of time which celebrates a community and its culture, festivals are a showcase of performances, music and traditions of countries across the world. And being in the midst of the carnival season – we’ve gathered some of the best festivals from around the globe to add to your itinerary.
Belize Carnival 2024
Located in the North East Coast of Central America, the small county of Belize sits between Mexico and Guatemala and is host to its own celebration in September. The streets of the city will come alive with music, dance and colourful costumes which marks the beginning of September celebrations and highlights the country’s unique blend of culture and traditions.
Dating back to the 1800s, the festival is a collection of Maya, African and European influences and was created by five women who wanted to ‘spice up the tenth of September.’ Hosted in the middle of the month – the carnival is part of Belize’s month-long celebrations – as it celebrates its independence. The day is filled with street theatres, music and colourful outfits full of glitter, sequins and feathers.
Carnival Dominicano
As the single biggest celebration of culture in the Dominican Republic, Carnival Dominicano takes place during February. The parade begins on the first Sunday of the month and continues across the smaller regions and cities each week until the start of March. The carnival is the oldest festival in the Caribbean region and was brought to the island in the 15th century.
As it spreads across the regions and parts of the country throughout the month, each city has a main carnival character – a devil or diablo cojuelo with masks. No parades are the same which allows visitors to experience different cultures from across the country at every event. The final parade on the first weekend in March is the longest and most spectacular of them all – with an expectational display of colourful costumes!
Carnival in Rio de Janerio
Known as the biggest festival in the world, the Carnival in Rio de Janerio sees over two million people per day on the streets. The Brazilian event runs for just under a week, with two days held for the Sambodromo – which sees the winning samba schools performing the Samba to a panel of judges at the stadium. They watch every movement, appraising the costumes and significance of the song shown and will announce the winner on the final day of the celebrations. Prior to the Sambodromo, the samba schools perform in the streets for all to see and enjoy.
What are samba schools? Having started from just street bands, each group has developed into clubs ands associations which have formed close relationships with the community as it supports the poorer sectors in the areas to where they are based. In return, the communities help provide the labour for the floats, costumes and logistics ahead of the performance at the festival.
Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Hosted in the capital of Tenerife, the largest island in the Canary Islands from February to March, the carnival Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the one of the most renowned European festivals. Split into two events: The Official Carnival and the Street Carnival, the official event is made up of one hundred groups including bands, dancers, street musicians and singers.
One of many events as part of the festival is the Carnival Queen Election Gala – where competitors come together to compete in their designed costumes which have been tailored over months.
Cologne Karneval
Based in the city of Cologne in Germany, the Cologne Karneval is a hub of celebrations where millions of people fill the streets to party the traditions of the country. The week-long party leading up to Ash Wednesday – typically like most festivals around the world – is host to street parties, costumes, and bars filled with music. The preparation for the carnival actually starts in November, with societies starting to host events in January.
With the city’s colours being red and white – hundreds of people are seen wearing striped red and white clothing, full of multi coloured wigs, cowboy hats, tutu skirts, pirate costumes and animal jumpsuits – it’s something everyone gets involved in.
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