Festivals are an excellent way to showcase people's love for art, religion, music, nature, culture, etc. They might be fun on home turf…but they're even bigger/better abroad! And fortunately, after being limited or canceled for so long, festivals are back, with recent Google data revealing the top five cultural festivals worldwide.
The data collected reveals an exciting mix of festivals celebrating the arts, like the Cannes Film Festival and parties on the streets, like Mardi Gras.
As well as revealing which cultural festivals US travelers were interested in, the data also showed why cultural festivals are so popular and much more. We outline the data in our article below with commentary from Audley Travels South America destination specialist Alice Geary – keep reading to find out more.
Which Cultural Festivals Are The Most Popular For People In The US?
With over two hundred countries worldwide, the number of yearly cultural festivals has yet to be discovered. Yet, experiencing them all is impossible for most of us – no matter how much we'd love to! But with almost every country from Mexico to Japan promising a cultural celebration to leave us as shocked as the other, how do we narrow our choices down to the top five?
Fortunately, Google data revealed that the five most popular festivals for US travelers are as follows:
- Mardi Gras
- Carnival Rio de Janeiro
- Cannes Film Festival
- Day of the Dead
- Oktoberfest
Is There A Reason Why Cultural Festivals Are Becoming So Popular?
If you were to ask someone why they enjoy traveling so much, they would most likely tell you it's because they get to sample different food, enjoy beautiful weather, see new sights, and get away from their mundane day-to-day lives back at home. However, one of the biggest reasons we travel is because it helps us open our minds to new cultures and ancient traditions through these encounters.
One of the best ways to immerse yourself in a country's culture is by attending a cultural festival since they place you in the heat of the action and allow you to experience sights, tastes, and sounds that you might not have experienced had you not been visiting during festival time.
For instance, if you visit Mexico during the Day of The Dead festival, it's the only time you see people dancing around like skeletons. Or, if you go to Brazil during the Carnival Rio de Janeiro, you'll be able to hear various Samba music as it's an essential part of the Carnival. Or, seeing Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you'll be able to enjoy signature dishes like King Cake etc.
Why Are These Five Festivals The Most Popular?
Now that the most popular festivals have been revealed, your next question is why? According to Audley's South America destination specialist, Alice Geary, these five festivals rank so highly among the American public because they take over an entire country for a series of weeks instead of days, keeping the infectious atmosphere they create in the city for longer.
Since these events are celebrated for longer, it gives US travelers lots of flexibility when booking flights, accommodation, transport, etc., and allows them to book well in advance, so they don't miss out on anything. It also means they can experience the parts of the festivals they want to see, incorporate them into a wider holiday, and skip the features that don't interest them as much.