12 Fall Festivals in the World Worth Traveling For This Season
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More than 500,000 visitors flock to Salem for the largest Halloween celebration in the world. More than 600 hot air balloons take to the sky during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Fall festivals bring the world to life.
While there are plenty of things for travelers to do year-round, there’s something extra special about the fall. Starting in late September and ending just before Christmas in December, fall is a season of iconic celebrations, exciting festivals, and Halloween-themed events. Better yet, countries across the globe are adorned with colorful landscapes.
Choosing where to visit and which festival to attend in the fall season can be challenging. Luckily, we’re here to help. These are some of the best fall festivals in the world, offering exciting events, unique traditions, and memorable experiences.
Thanksgiving, United States and Canada
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One of the world’s most iconic fall festivals is Thanksgiving. Primarily celebrated in the United States and Canada, Thanksgiving is an annual national holiday celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the year. It’s believed Americans model this festival on a harvest feast that was shared between the Wampanoag people and English colonists in 1621.
During Thanksgiving, families and friends across the United States and Canada come together for various festivities, including an annual Thanksgiving Dinner, also called a Turkey Dinner. Typical foods served at Thanksgiving dinner include turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Kids go trick-or-treating or have family fun with crafts, face painting, and costumes. Across the United States and Canada, you’ll also find various Thanksgiving events, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Read also: Best Fall Festivals in the US
Salem Haunted Happenings, Salem, Massachusetts, United States
Perhaps the most entertaining and exciting fall festival is Halloween, which occurs worldwide annually on the last day of October. While there are many unique places to spend Halloween, It could be argued that no place is better or more iconic than Salem, the home of the United States’ 17th-century witch trials.
Salem’s dark past already guarantees the city is a mysterious, spooky, and eerie place to spend Halloween. Still, the locals take things further with the Salem Haunted Happenings Festival. Claiming to be the world’s largest celebration of Halloween, this festival welcomes more than 500,000 visitors yearly. It features lively parties, vibrant parades, carnival rides, vendor markets, walking tours, special events, and more.
Read also: Best Places for Halloween
Yi Peng, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Yi Peng is a religious event in Chiang Mai, a city in mountainous Northern Thailand, every November. During the festival, the Thai people who celebrate the event let thousands of lanterns off in the sky to show devotion to Buddha. I’ve attended this festival, and it was spectacular.
The sight of thousands of lanterns flying through the sky is phenomenal. The lantern release isn’t all that happens during Yi Peng, either. You can also watch local parades, attend local ceremonies, release floating lanterns on the Mae Ping River, and explore local markets. The Yi Peng festival is also the perfect opportunity to try local cuisine, as many food stalls serve Thai food.
Read also: Best Fall Festivals in Europe
Diwali, India
If you’re lucky to visit India toward the end of October or the start of November, you must experience Diwali. Celebrated with bright lights, fireworks, feasts, and prayer, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolizes the “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.”
Recognized as one of the world’s most ancient festivals, Diwali is celebrated globally over five days. However, it is best experienced in India. A joy-to-behold, you’ll witness mesmerizing light displays, magnificent fireworks, enormous feasts, and vibrant parades. In some cities, for example, Jaipur, you’ll witness the city come to life with bright oil lamps called diyas. You need to experience Diwali at least once in your lifetime.
Read also: Top Festivals Around the World
Guy Fawkes Night, United Kingdom
Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Day, is one of the United Kingdom’s most exciting, interesting, and historic festivals. For those who don’t know, Guy Fawkes was a British military man who was arrested and executed for attempting to blow up the British Parliament and assassinate James I of England in 1605.
To celebrate Guy Fawkes’ plans being foiled, the British Parliament passed ‘An Act for a Public Thanksgiving to Almighty God every Year on the Fifth Day of November.’ Every year since, communities across the United Kingdom have marked November 5th with bonfires, fireworks, and parties. Effigies of Guy Fawkes are often thrown on the bonfires, while fireworks represent the explosives the plotters never got to use.
Read also: Best UK Cities for Fall
Oktoberfest, Germany
The following fall festival on our list is Oktoberfest, which originated in Munich, Germany, in the early 19th century. If you love drinking beer, listening to live music, and dancing, this festival is perfect for you, as Oktoberfest is the world’s largest volksfest – volksfest being a German beer or wine festival.
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During Oktoberfest, celebrated across Europe and the United States, more than six million people take to the streets of Munich to have fun and drink beer at this admission-free event. This is one of the largest beer festivals and it sees people dress in traditional Bavarian costumes, consume vast amounts of beer from steins, play traditional games, and dance the night away. Oktoberfest was first celebrated in 1810 to commemorate the crown prince of Bavaria’s marriage.
Read also: Picture-Perfect Fall Road Trips in the US
Moon Festival, China
The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a Chinese harvest festival that occurs between mid-September and early October. In Chinese culture, the moon is believed to be brightest and fullest during the Moon Festival, which coincides with Harvest time. It is thought that the festival originated from the custom of worshipping the moon during the Zhou dynasty over 3000 years ago.
Families and friends come together to light lanterns, eat mooncakes (a traditional pastry), and worship the moon to celebrate the harvest and appreciate the full moon. Across China, this festival is also celebrated with light displays, traditional parades, and lively street parties. We don’t know about you, but this event sounds like a lot of fun.
Read also: Cheap European Fall Destinations
Day of the Dead, Mexico
While Mexico’s Day of the Dead Festival occurs around Halloween, it isn’t a horror-themed event like Halloween is in most countries. Instead, the Day of the Dead Festival, known in Mexico as Dia de los Muertos, is an annual celebration that honors those who have passed from this world.
During this celebration of life, Mexican families keep the spirit of their relatives alive by visiting graves, building home altars, throwing fierce parties, and attending creative parades. The Day of the Dead Festival is a real treat to attend. You’ll be given an exceptional insight into Mexican culture and have the opportunity to join in with the festivities.
Read also: European Cities With Colorful Autumn Scene
Alba White Truffle Festival, Alba, Italy
Alba is a town in Italy’s Piedmont region best known for its white truffles, one of the world’s rarest and most expensive ingredients. Just one pound of white truffle can cost upwards of $4,000. With that in mind, it’s no surprise Alba celebrates the White Truffle Festival yearly.
Dubbed the capital of truffles, Alba throws the largest truffle festival in Italy between October and December, marking the occasion with various activities and events. When you’re not sampling some of the region’s finest truffles and traditional dishes, you’ll find yourself attending live concerts, guided tours, auctions, and cooking classes. You’ll need deep pockets to take some white truffle home with you.
Read also: Train Rides for Fall Foliage Around the World
Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Canada
If you love exploring museums, galleries, and cultural institutions, you should attend Nuit Blanche in Toronto, Canada. Nuit Blanche is French for white nights or all-nighters. It refers to a popular event that occurs worldwide yearly to celebrate a location’s local culture, history, and art. Despite the festival’s name, Nuit Blanche started in Helsinki, Finland, in 1989.
However, Toronto is now one of the most popular places to experience the festival. During Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s art galleries, museums, and some public spaces are open all night, free of charge. Toronto citizens and visitors participate in the event to celebrate the city’s culture through art exhibitions, tours, shows, and workshops.
Read also: Beautiful Fall Foliage Destinations
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, United States
The penultimate fall festival on our list is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which has occurred in the New Mexican city since 1972. This adrenaline-pumping festival is famed for being the largest hot-air balloon festival in the world. Over 900,000 visitors and 600 hot-air balloon pilots take to the skies over nine days in early October.
The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum offers the best views of the event. From the museum, you can see over 600 hot air balloons take to the sky in a once-in-a-lifetime display. It might also be worth noting that Albuquerque does have many hot air balloon tour operators that will fly you over the beautiful Rio Grande Valley.
Read also: U.S. Hot Air Balloon Rides
La Mercè Festival, Barcelona, Spain
La Mercè is a lively festival that sees the streets of Barcelona come to life with celebrations. La Mercè is an annual festival that occurs between September 20th and September 24th. It has been a holiday in Barcelona since 1871 when the government first organized a festival to honor the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy.
During the festival, you can expect vibrant street parties, parades featuring human towers, live music, and fireworks displays. Another highlight is La Mercè’s impressive wooden giants. There are also several kids’ activities and live entertainment like clows, fair rides and attractions for the whole family at Port Vell, the old port of Barcelona, and other parts of the city. The electric atmosphere, world-class entertainment, and unique traditions make this festival one of the world’s best fall festivals.
Read also: Stunning Places To Experience Autumn
