Festivals are when cultures turn themselves inside out. Town squares burst with music and food, costumes blur identities, and traditions rise to the surface in bold, theatrical ways. These aren’t just parties—they’re windows into how societies celebrate, grieve, rebel, and come together. Here are six remarkable festivals around the world that make a compelling case for traveling this summer.
Midsommar, Sweden: Dancing into the light
When: June 20–22
Where: Leksand, Sweden
Midsummer in Sweden is a celebration of light, life, and the natural world—timed to coincide with the year’s longest day. The festival’s most iconic celebration takes place in Leksand, a town in central Sweden where nearly 30,000 people gather to mark the solstice. Local traditions run deep here: participants dress in white linen, embroidered dresses, and flower crowns as they parade from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a grassy amphitheatre that becomes the epicenter of the festivities.
The focus is the maypole, wrapped in leaves and blooms, around which dancers swirl to folk songs passed down for generations. As the sun hovers just above the horizon well into the evening, families and friends feast on pickled herring, fresh strawberries, and shots of aquavit. It’s a timeless ritual that celebrates summer not just as a season, but as a state of mind.
Glastonbury Festival, England: Music meets myth
When: Last weekend of June
Where: Pilton, England
One of the world’s most iconic music festivals, Glastonbury is far more than just a lineup of chart-topping artists. It’s a sprawling, often surreal celebration of music, myth, and the magic of gathering. Held near the summer solstice in the village of Pilton, the festival draws on the folklore of the surrounding area—think King Arthur’s Avalon, ancient stone circles, and druidic gatherings—to create a kind of spiritual playground for over 200,000 attendees.
Yes, the music is phenomenal, with stages hosting legends and emerging stars alike. But beyond the headliners, there’s a world of circus acts, healing fields, art installations, and solstice rituals at the Glastonbury Stone Circle—constructed in 1992 but inspired by ancient traditions. It’s a place where the mystical and the modern blend into one muddy, magical weekend.
Khareef Festival, Oman: When the desert turns green
When: June 21 – September 20
Where: Dhofar, southern Oman
Each summer, the arid landscape of southern Oman undergoes a stunning transformation. The Khareef—southwest monsoon winds—rolls into the Dhofar region, cloaking the area in mist and turning it into a lush, tropical oasis. Locals and travelers alike head to Salalah, Oman’s second city, to experience the miracle of the desert in bloom.
The Khareef Festival, which runs all summer long, is a celebration of this natural phenomenon. Expect music, traditional dance, food markets, hot air balloons, and endless opportunities to hike or picnic in the green hills and under newly awakened waterfalls. For those seeking an unexpected kind of summer—cool, misty, and deeply local—Khareef offers a unique sensory escape.
Festa of Mnarja, Malta: A rustic revelry in the woods
When: June 29
Where: Buskett Gardens, near Rabat, Malta
Malta’s festa season runs thick and fast from spring through summer, but the Festa of Mnarja stands apart. Celebrated in the shaded groves of Buskett Gardens, this rustic and folkloric festival honors Saints Peter and Paul with a joyful, medieval twist. Locals don velvet tunics and ruffled collars, minstrels wander among the crowds, and displays of intricately carved fruit and vegetables line the pathways.
The star of the feast is food, especially fenek—Malta’s beloved rabbit stew—accompanied by Maltese wine and endless chatter. Though rooted in Catholic tradition, Mnarja also harks back to pagan agricultural rites, making it a rare blend of religious devotion, rural festivity, and cultural pride.
Abare Festival, Japan: Order gives way to chaos
When: July 4–5
Where: Ushitsu, Noto Peninsula, Japan
For two days each July, the peaceful Japanese town of Ushitsu is engulfed in an explosive ritual of destruction and fire. The Abare Festival, also known as the “Fire and Violence Festival,” turns the usual image of Japanese restraint on its head. Intricately crafted lanterns—labors of love built over many months—are smashed against the pavement by sake-fueled men wearing nothing but loincloths.
Why the chaos? The origins lie in a 17th-century ritual meant to drive away disease. What remains is a raw, cathartic spectacle. By nightfall, the broken lanterns are set ablaze in front of the town’s shrine. Firelight dances on the faces of spectators, sake flows freely, and the usually orderly fabric of society tears open—only to be sewn back together again the next morning.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival, Thailand: Rituals that defy belief
When: Ninth lunar month (September or October; dates vary)
Where: Phuket Old Town, Thailand
On paper, it sounds serene: a vegetarian festival promoting health, purity, and abstinence. In reality, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is one of the most intense and visually extreme events in Southeast Asia. Spirit mediums enter deep trances, pierce their cheeks with swords or metal skewers, and walk barefoot over hot coals or climb ladders made of blades. It’s believed that the suffering they endure purifies the community and earns spiritual merit.
While the ritual mutilation may be the headline act, the festival also features processions of lion dancers, temple ceremonies, and a vast array of plant-based street food. It’s loud, visceral, and often hard to watch—but for many participants, it’s a deeply meaningful and transformative experience.
The beauty of the extraordinary
What all these festivals share is a sense of stepping outside ordinary time. Whether you’re dancing around a maypole, watching lanterns burn, or witnessing a trance-induced act of devotion, you’re engaging in a tradition that stretches far beyond you. Festivals magnify the emotions we often keep hidden—joy, awe, release, unity—and bring us together in ways that few other experiences can.
So if you’re wondering where to travel this summer, consider not just the destination, but the moment. Go when a place is alive with music, meaning, and collective energy. Go when there’s something to celebrate.
