Hottest Festivals
Loi Krathong, Thailand
This November festival is also known as the festival of lights because during the two day event locals thread coconut shells together and send them on their way in a huge wave along the Ping River. Set free off the 200 year old Rattanakosin Bridge, onlookers can see a string of hundreds of glittering lights [...]
Litang Horse Festival
This horse racing festival, held in remote Litang on the grass plains of Tibet, draws a huge crowd each August. Locals from the region as well as more and more international guests come to compete or watch the races and accompanying ceremonies. Camp sites are set up around the town’s outskirts and traditional Tibetan songs [...]
Mongolia Naadam
Many horse lovers go to Mongolia to see the famed Naadam Festival in early July. The event – featuring the three “manly arts” of horse racing, archery, and wrestling – is spectacular, and stadium seats are hard to come by. But for a unique thrill, try sampling Naadam in a small provincial city. You’ll see [...]
Gion Matsuri, Japan
If you want to experience traditional Japan the best place to visit is Kyoto during July for the month long Gion Matsuri celebrations. 32 enormous traditional carved wooded floats covered in ancient tapestries, some up to four storeys high and ten tonnes in weight, parade through the town as the celebrations reach a climax on [...]
Jaipur Kite Festival
The Kite Festival is an annual event that the whole of Rajasthan get’s pretty excited about and nowhere is it bigger than in the city of Jaipur. The city shuts down for the day as families and children alike stand atop rooftops flying their paper kites high into the air. Children run through the streets with their [...]
Pakistan Polo Festival
Shandur Polo festival is a polo tournament that is played between the two traditional and best polo teams of Pakistan- Chitral and Gilgit. Since the earlier times, Polo has been known as a King’s game. For any other person outside the King’s family it was an honor to play this game or be a participant. [...]
Japan Cherry Blossom Festival
The Cherry Blossom Japan Festival is an Asian festival which takes place from January to May across the different areas of Japan depending on when the blossoms open up. In Tokyo get to either Shinjuku Gyoen or Ueno-Koen. In Kyoto get to Maruyama-Koen. Try getting to the mountains of Yoshino for the most spectacular views in Japan. This is [...]
Harbin Ice Snow Festival
This Chinese festival takes place from the first week in January until the first week in February in Zhaolin & Sun Island Park in Harbin. China’s Ice Snow Festival is the celebration of the absolute freezing temperatures that occur here (-38c). Thousands of ice sculptures of buildings, world wonders, animals and Chinese Legends are carved in [...]
Thimphu Festival, Bhutan
Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and it is the centre of government. The broad Thimphu valley represents mostly urban way of life. Just like any other place in Bhutan. This valley is clothed with beautiful trees from valleys to the hill top and with beautiful buildings built and maintained with traditional Bhutanese architecture. Thimphu means [...]
Kim Il Sung 100th Birthday – North Korea
April 15th 2012 is the biggest occasion in decades in North Korea – the 100th anniversary of the birth of national founder and eternal President Kim Il Sung. This will be a day celebrated in style and on a massive scale in the capital and this long weekend break to Pyongyang will put you right [...]
Miao New Year, Guizhou-China
One of the most populous groups of ethnic minorities is the Miao and they celebrate over 20 festivals in one year in Guizhou. This itinerary concentrates on catching these festivals when the villages are at its colorful best with local girls dressing up in the stunning costumes with brilliant display of their embroidery and silvers. [...]
Lusheng Festival, Guizhou-China
The Lusheng Festival, hundreds of the lusheng (bamboo-pipe instruments) in dozens of groups are simultaneously played and the music is reverberating far and wide. Hundreds and thousands of the Miao girls wearing silver-decorated clothes and head ornaments are dancing together to the rhythms, forming one circle after another together on the lusheng playing ground, and [...]
Magical & Mysterious Shamanism, Qinghai-China
Tongren Shaman Festival is celebrated by the Tibetan and Tu ethnic minorities in the villages of Tongren County in western China’s Qinghai Province, located about two hours’ drive from Xining, the capital of the province. It is a grand and festive occasion for local people to show their devotion and gratitude to the Mountain God. [...]
Monlam Festival, Gansu-China
In Tibet, there are many festivals throughout the year that attract the faithful as well as curious onlookers. Most important are Monlam Prayer Festivals which are colourful, traditional and exotic for everyone – whether you’ve been to Tibet before or are visiting for the first time. Hundreds of people from the outlying villages and grasslands [...]
Dosmochey Festival (Leh, Ladakh)
Is celebrated in Leh (Leh Palace), Liker (Lower Ladakh) and Deskit (Nubra valley) monasteries in February. During the festival monks perform prayer and rituals to get rid of disaster and peace in the world. Monks perform mask dances singing with traditional music, and pilgrims wear colourful traditional Ladakhi dresses.
Mongolia’s Golden Eagle Festival
One of the most spectacular customs of the Kazakh people is to hunt with specially trained eagles. They celebrate this with a festival held in Bayan Olgii province at the heart of the majestic Altai Mountains. The festival displays the skill of the best Kazakh hunters (about 500 eagle hunters). Once the festival has ended you will be able [...]
Saga Dawa Festival (Kailash, Tibet)
Reach Mt Kailas at the time of the Saga Dawa festival when many thousands of pilgrims from all over Tibet gather to pay homage to the mountain. Following the path of pilgrims on their quest for spiritual enlightenment, before returning to Kathmandu.
Paro Festival, Bhutan
Paro Festival is one of the crowded festivals in Bhutan. The unfolding of the silk Thangka – which is so large that it covers the face of the building – is considered one of the most sacred blessings in the whole of Bhutan. At these festivals hundreds gather to see the monks dressed in brightly coloured robes [...]
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