Have you ever landed in a place to find out you arrived just after the town’s can’t-miss event of the year? Well, hopefully that won’t happen again this year. Gadling bloggers racked their brains to make sure our readers don’t overlook the best parties to be had throughout the world in 2013. Below are more than 60 music festivals, cultural events, pilgrimages and celebrations you should consider adding to your travel calendar this year – trust us, we’ve been there.
Above image: Throughout Asia, Lunar New Year is celebrated with lantern festivals, the most spectacular of which is possibly Pingxi. [Photo credit: Creative Commons]
Kumbh Mela, a 55-day festival in India, is expected to draw more than 100 million people in 2013. [
Photo credit: Creative Commons]
During Busójárás in Hungary, visitors can expect folk music, masquerading, parades and dancing. [
Photo credit: Creative Commons]
Several cities in India and Nepal increase tourist volume during Holi, when people enjoy spring’s vibrant colors. [
Photo credit: Creative Commons]
March
March 1-14: Omizutori (Nara, Japan)
Many Dutch people wear orange – the national color – and sell their secondhand items in a “free market” during Koninginnendag, a national holiday in the Netherlands. [
Photo credit: Creative Commons]
April
Up to 50 men work together to carry their church’s patron saint around the main square in Cusco, Peru during Corpus Christi. [Photo credit: Blogger Libby Zay]
May
2013 marks the 100th anniversary for the Tour de France.
[Photo credit: Creative Commons]
June
The annual observance of
Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Visit Istanbul, Turkey, at this time and see a festival-like atmosphere when pious Muslims break their fasts with
lively iftar feasts at night. [
Photo credit: Creative Commons]
Festival-goers get their picture taken at a photo booth during Foo Fest, an arts and culture festival held annually in Providence, Rhode Island. [
Photo credit: Flickr user AS220]
August
August 2–4:
Lollapalooza (Chicago, Illinois)
August 10:
Foo Fest (Providence, Rhode Island)
August 26–September 2:
Burning Man (Black Rock Desert, Nevada)
August 31–September 2:
Bumbershoot (Seattle, Washington)
More than six million people head to Munich, Germany, for beer-related festivities during the 16-day Oktoberfest. [
Photo credit: Creative Commons]
Around 750 hot air balloons are launched during the nine-day Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. [
Photo credit: Flickr user Randy Pertiet]
October
During Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), family and friends get together to remember loved ones they have lost. Although practiced throughout Mexico, many festivals take place in the United States, such as this festival at La Villita in San Antonio, Texas. [Photo credit: Blogger Libby Zay]
November
November 3:
Diwali (Worldwide)
The colorful holiday of Junkanoo is the most elaborate festivals of the Bahamian islands. [
Photo credit: Flickr user MissChatter]
December 5–8:
Art Basel (Miami, Florida)
December 26–January 1:
Junkanoo (Bahamas)
So, what did we miss? Let us know what travel-worthy events you’re thinking about journeying to in the coming year in the comments below.
