10 Popular Art & Culture Festivals That are Celebrated in a Unique Way

If you love exploring the world, you know how amazing it is to celebrate the festival of different countries. No matter where you go, everybody enjoys celebrating the festivals. While embracing modern thoughts, people also unfold their countrys’ rich heritage and culture. What can you expect from the culture and art festivals that happen around the world? A few folk performances, local music, sipping red wine on Parisian terraces, carnival, artistic paintings, and other socio-religious festivals.

Experiencing each of the art and culture festivals is so magical that you wait for the next one. A few of them you attend without fail every year. Be it dance, music, or literature, every country has several festivals, that give a deeper understanding of its traditions and beliefs.

While some of the cultures are weird and hard to believe, others are exciting and keep you connected with the country. A festival provides the art lovers a great opportunity to enjoy wonderful pieces of art while exploring the new art forms and styles as well. Being a traveler and an ardent fan of art and culture is a magical combination that is both educational and inspirational in many ways.

Throughout the year, countries showcase their vast diversity through several festivals. If you like to attend events that celebrate arts and cultures, check a few of the popular and best art and culture festivals celebrated around the world that should be on your bucket list. Explore more amazing things that you should do once in your lifetime to make your boring life exciting.

1. Art Basel (Miami and Switzerland)

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The Art Basel began in Switzerland in 1970. It is one of the most important premieres art shows in the entire world. Art Basel attracts collectors, art dealers and art lovers from around the world, and is best known for modern and contemporary art.

The show features arts of over 4000 artists from around the world represented by 300 galleries from Europe, Asia, North, and Latin America. It became so popular that in 2002, organizers started Art Basel Miami which later became its sister festival.

In 2015, the BMW Art journey award was established by BMW to reward emerging artists from several sectors in Hong Kong. If you ever want to see artworks of artists, then do not miss visiting Art Basel in the next year. This year it was held on June 14-17.

2. Hong Kong International Art Festival (Art HK)

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Hong Kong International Art Fair is one of the largest events to be held in Asia. The Art HK was designed to turn Asia’s cosmopolitan city into a global art hub. In the beginning, the festival didn’t attract the crowd, but slowly, it garnered the attention of millions and every year welcomes over 90,000 art lovers in the show.

The fair is best known for its blend of styles, high-value works, large scale installations, and allows fans of modern art to enjoy cultural influences from across the globe.

I sometimes wonder if worst modern arts can be sold in millions, then what would be the worth of these unique and stunning arts by popular artists.

3. Altitude Comedy Festival, Austria

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Did you read Altitude comedy? Yes, the festival is a combination of skiing and comedy, where you can spend all day on the slopes and laughing out on the jokes shared by the comedians. The festival is praised for its incredible lineup and shows on the slope.

What could be better than the Altitude comedy Festival, if you are both a comedian and a skier? Comedy festival lasts for a week and is usually held in Mayrhofen, Austria.

Mayrhofen knows how to impress you with its breathtaking views and cultural festivals. During the festival week, there is always a party happening in Mayrhofen with live music.

4. Delhi International Arts Festival

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DIAF (Delhi International Arts Festival) plans to make an impression on the cultural map of India and has received a great success in achieving its goal. It is the first multi-venue annual cultural festival that made its debut in 2007.

The festival is organized with several unique themes and is usually conducted in collaboration with the government. The show is held for 15-25 days and spreads across the NCR region (over 45 venues). It features international performing arts, different cuisines, literature, poetry, martial arts, and more.

It is India’s most visible festival of arts and has represented over 100,000 artists from around the world. The festival promotes Delhi as the best destination for international cultural tourism. This year DIAF is to be held from 1 to 10 December.

5. MIRA Digital Arts Festival, Spain

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Europe is well known for its Gothic culture and architecture, panel paintings, and illuminated manuscripts. The country celebrates several festivals every month and is considered as the most happening country in the world.

The MIRA festival that happened in Spain connects the music and art lovers from every corner of the world. Focused on digital trends in technology, the MIRA comprised audiovisual shows, digital art installations, conferences, full-dome formats, and workshops.

The show also provides several opportunities for artists and bridges the gap between art and technology. If you are planning to visit Spain, book your tickets in between August-October, as MIRA takes place between these months.

6. Edinburgh Fringe Festival

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Edinburgh Fringe Festival is one of the largest arts festivals which spans for nearly 25 days with over 3500 different shows at more than 315 venues. Established in 1947, the festival is an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival.

What’s amazing is, the festival does not have a selection committee, and is open-to-all for any performance. It features several shows from the circus to music, exhibitions to dance, and theatre to comedy.

The festival is organized and supported by the Festival Fringe society which offers year-round advice and motivation to performers. Comedy covers a nearly one-third section of the program and is the center of attraction due to Edinburgh comedy awards. Scotland’s historical capital fills with positive vibes when this cultural fest starts.

7. Vivid Sydney (Australia)

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Vivid Sydney is the most celebrated festival in Sydney. It includes performances by international and local musicians, features music and ideas, and exchange of debates with creative thinkers. Sydney comes alive at night when colorful lines contrast to the dark sky that surrounds them.

The centerpiece of the attraction is the interactive multimedia work that highlights several beautiful landmarks such as Harbour Bridge and Opera House. The event took place for three weeks in May and June.

Vivid Sydney first took place in 2009 by lighting designer Mary-Anne Kyriakou and Brian Eno in collaboration with designer Bruce Ramus as a Smart light festival.

Currently, it is the biggest festival of music and lights in the world, and is managed and owned by Destination NSW, the state government’s tourism and event agency.

8. Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival – China

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Whether it is art, music, dance, or infrastructure projects, China has it all. The country offers a great opportunity to mingle with several cuisines, different forms of dance, and more. Most culture festivals happen around spring and summer when the weather is at its warmest.

But the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is unique and happens in winter. Due to Harbin’s location, the city is extremely cold and has daily temperature average around 1.8º F. But a low of -31º F is also very frequent.

Have you ever seen an ice sculpture? If not, visit Harbin, the city is home to the ice sculptures in the world. It is popular for Sun Island that is a recreation area along the Songhua River and for Ice and Snow world that opens only at night.

During the festival several touring activities held in the city such as ice-lantern exhibition, Yabuli alpine skiing, and swimming in the Songhua River. The festival began in 1963 but was closed for some years during the Cultural Revolution.

It resumed when an annual event at Zhaolin Park was announced in 1985. The country has amazed the entire world with its innovation and culture. Check futuristic projects of China that are under process.

9. Oktoberfest – Germany

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Oktoberfest is a festival for beer lovers. It is the world’s largest Volksfest (traveling unfair and beer festival) and is held annually in Munich, Germany. The festival is organized from mid to late September to October, with over 5 million people from around the world.

The festival is associated with a pint glass and pretty waitresses wearing traditional costumes. The costume is so famous that it has been replicated in Europe and even in the US.

During the festival, large quantities of beer are consumed. For instance, nearly 7.7 million liters of beer was consumed in 2013. Apart from beer, visitors also enjoy side stalls, amusement rides, traditional foods, and other games.

At the 100th anniversary of the festival in 1910, over 130,000 liters of beer was consumed. If you are a beer lover, you can’t miss the experience of sipping a beer at Oktoberfest. Book your tickets now and also know fun things about beer.

10. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – USA

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It is a popular hot air balloon festival that takes place in New Mexico, during early October for nine days. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta began in 1972 as a 50th birthday celebration for 770 KOB Radio.

It is one of the largest hot air balloon festival and the most photographed event in the world. Can you believe around 25 million photos are clicked during the event?

People of all ages gather together and enjoy this nine-day festival. This year, the event will be held from October 5th to October 13th, 2019.

Have you ever participated in or visited the culture and art festival of any country? How was your experience? Is there any festival for which you are eagerly awaiting? Share your views below?