Cultural festivals around the world you don’t want to miss

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular, the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. It is a time when people remember and honour their deceased loved ones, with the idea that the spirits return on this one day of the year to be together with their families. Festivities take place in cities and villages throughout Mexico, though each location may have different customs and ways of honouring their dead. You can witness a colourful display of costume and culture in many parts of the country.

Date: November 2

Location: Mexico City

This is one festival that showcases the Bedouin lifestyle. This yearly festival that is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy commander in chief of the UAE armed forces, is somehow the joining link between the generations in an ever-changing social environment. Each year, some 25,000 camels and their entourages descend on this remote area on the edge of the Empty Quarter for the famous Mazayna, a beauty pageant for camels and a celebration of this most beloved animal that played a huge role in sustaining life in these arid lands long before the oil and wealth era. You can spot the winning camels because their faces will be smeared with a red paste made from saffron.

Date: December 9 to 24

Location: Abu Dhabi

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is an annual winter festival that takes place with a theme in Harbin, China. Considered as the largest ice and snow festival in the world, it features carvings towering over 20 feet in height and full-size buildings made from gigantic blocks of ice. During the festival, there are ice lantern park touring activities held in many parks in the city. Winter activities during the festival include Yabuli alpine skiing, winter-swimming in the Songhua River, and the ice-lantern exhibition in Zhaolin Garden.

Date: January 5 to February 5 

Location: Harbin, China

The Chichibu Night Festival or Yomatsuri, is the annual festival for Chichibu Shrine and has a history of over 300 years. It is considered as one of the three great float festivals in Japan. Located just 90 minutes from Tokyo, this massive Japanese party gets packed quick and for good reason. Floats decorated with lanterns, wood carvings, and unique musical touches line the streets until they arrive at the city center. Once in place, an incredible firework show commences for a view that is very hard to match.

Dates: December 2 to 3

Location: Chichibu, Japan

It is the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the world that takes place during early October every year. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event and has over 500 hot air balloons each year. On any given day during the festival, up to 1,00,000 spectators may be on the launch field where they are provided the rare opportunity to observe inflation and take-off procedures. Countless more people gather at landing sites all over the city to watch incoming balloons. Mass Ascensions is one of the biggest events of the fiesta, where all participating balloons launch in two waves, filling the sky with hundreds of balloons at once.

Date: October 5 to 13

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico