Rock in Rio Festival in Madrid
Feb 4, 2013 —
Public celebrations have taken place for over 4,000 years; back in the 12th Century B.C., the ancient Egyptian public shared over 11,000 loaves of bread and 385 jars of beer at a festival thrown by the ruling monarchy.
Today, communities across the globe have ramped up the party by making their soirees international marvels with million dollar fireworks displays and grand holiday parades that feature some of the most prominent celebrities in the world.
Not to be outdone, countless film festivals play host to A-list actors, directors, and producers, as well as a variety of movies ranging from summer blockbusters to smaller, art films that might eventually make an Academy Award push.
Perhaps a sun-soaked outdoor day sounds more appealing than one spent in a cold, dark theater; if that’s the case, don’t miss some of the best music festivals the world has to offer like Lollapalooza in Chicago, which annually hosts the world’s biggest musical acts including The Killers, Kings of Leon, Snoop Dogg, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The best way to thank the Egyptians for getting the party started is by rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ben Affleck on a red carpet or jamming out with Bruce Springsteen after getting confetti in your hair and beer in your stomach at a St. Paddy’s Day Parade.
Thank you, Egypt!
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Beer Festival / Food & Drink Event
Every year from September-October
Every year from the last two weeks of September until the first weekend in October, millions of people descend upon Munich for one of the world’s biggest parties for beer lovers – Oktoberfest. Unmatched in reputation, Oktoberfest (often called d’Wiesn for short) is essentially a massive carnival featuring amusement park rides, games, arcades, and
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Arts Festival / Concert / DJ Event / Music Festival
Every year in April
A massive music festival that takes over the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival attracts major names across a wide range of musical genres, as well as huge crowds that more than double Indio’s normal population of 75,000 residents.
Now held in two installments – typically during
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Music Festival
Every Year in August
Running for three, music-packed days in Chicago every August, Lollapalooza is a massive outdoor music festival that routinely draws more than 160,000 people to Grant Park.
Originally conceived by Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell, Lollapalooza initially ran for six years and toured all over North America. The event was put on hold from
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Arts Festival / Music Festival
Every year at the end of August
Itching for some self-realization with a side of communal epiphany and enlightenment? Could you use some you time with the omnipresent comfort of a collective struggle? Or do you simply want to go to a remote town with zero cellphone service for a week?
Burning Man, a week-long annual festival held in Black Rock Desert, Nevada
San Francisco
Black Rock City, NV 89412
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Festival
July 7–14
The daily Running of the Bulls is clearly the highlight of the festival. Starting on Calle de Santo Domingo, the bulls and runners proceed to Calle de Mercaderes, then down Estafeta to Telefónica, and finally end in the Plaza de Toros. Of course, it’s not necessary to participate to enjoy the full effect – watching the action from a great vantage
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Film Festival
Every year in May
There are film festivals, and then there is the Cannes Film Festival, the single largest international showcase of cinematic art in the entire world.
Held in mid-May since it debuted in the 1940s, the vast majority of the Cannes Film Festival’s two-week schedule is reserved for industry-only attendees, attracting nearly 30,000 film industry
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Arts Festival / Party
Every year in February/March
Twelve solid days of costumed chaos awaits during the Carnival of Venice, an annual event that combines the proper traditions of baroque dress with the inherent nuttiness of Brazil’s own Carnival celebrations.
As with other Carnival festivities that take place all over the world, the Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) begins two Fridays
Venice
Throughout the city
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Concert / Conference / Convention / Festival / Food & Drink Event
Every year in November
The world’s preeminent...something something...WHO HAS CHIPS?
Founded by the same guys behind that famed periodical du pot, High Times, the High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam is the Academy Awards of Aunt Mary, the Grammy’s of Giggle Smoke, and the World Series of Skunk all rolled (pun intended) into one.
First debuting in 1987 and normally
Amsterdam
Throughout the city
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Music Festival
Every year in June
Normally scheduled during the third week of June, the Sónar Music Festival is an annual event in Barcelona that features a wide range of advanced music performances and new media art expos held at venues all over town.
Lasting for three full days, the Sónar Music Festival first debuted in 1994, and lately it has been routine to see more than 80,000
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Music Festival
Annually, June 21
Every year on the 21st of June, Paris explodes with a wide range of music events and festivities that are all part of La Fête de la Musique, a citywide homage to World Music Day.
Founded in 1982 by France’s then Minister of Culture – who was inspired by an original concept developed by American musician Joel Cohen in the 70s – La Fête de la
Paris
Throughout the city
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Festival / Music Festival / Parade / Party / Street Fair
Every year on April 30th
Queen’s Day on April 30 marks the biggest national holiday on the Dutch calendar. Known as Koninginnedag in the Netherlands, Queen's Day features massive celebrations that rival the pomp and circumstance of the 4th of July in the U.S., May Day in England, and Oktoberfest in Germany. The streets of Amsterdam and the rest of the country are
Amsterdam
Throughout the city
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Food & Drink Event / Music Festival / Street Fair
Every year in August
One of the largest street festivals in Europe, Notting Hill Carnival dates back to 1966 when a street carnival for neighborhood children turned into a procession led by Russell Henderson’s steel band. Attendance at Notting Hill Carnival grew steadily over the years, leading to more than a few problems maintaining control of the rowdy crowds
London
Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Greater London W11
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Holiday Event / Parade / Party
Every year in March
In the films Good Will Hunting, The Town, and The Departed, Boston’s Irish neighborhoods play important characters as critical to the stories as Will Hunting, Doug MacRay, and Frank Costello. Sure, these movies are only based on fact, but their depictions of the Irish community in Boston hint at how important the subculture is to the city as
Boston
Throughout the city
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Music Festival
Every Summer
If you asked someone to list his top classic rockers of all time and he rattled off the names Sting, R.E.M., Rod Stewart, Carlos Santana, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Young, you’d have to respect the person’s taste and knowledge of music history, and maybe even give him a pat on the back.
Rock in Rio – a music festival
Madrid
Arganda del Rey
28529 Arganda del Rey, Spain
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Food Festival
Every year in September
The Feast of San Gennaro is the US incarnation of the centuries-old San Gennaro Festival in Naples, Italy, and has been a popular – and free – New York food and cultural festival since 1926.
Not surprisingly, its States-side beginnings found root in NY’s Little Italy, and originally comprised of a one-day religious commemoration organized by newly
New York
Little Italy NYC
109 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10002
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Arts Festival / Festival
Every year in September, October, November
Every year, Rome harkens back to its imperial days, once again becoming the center of global cultural exchange with the annual Romeeuropa Festival. The festival takes place on scattered days and weekends throughout the months of October and November with dance, music, art, theater, and an exhibition on digital cultures. The performances and
Rome
Throughout the city
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Concert / Holiday Event
Every year on the 4th of July
In Philadelphia on July 4th, 1776, the American Continental Congress – made up of patriots Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, among others – officially adopted the Declaration of Independence and subsequently severed ties with Great Britain. Two days later, bells, bonfires, and fireworks followed the first public readings
Washington, DC
Throughout the city
What’s your favorite festival around the globe?