Feature shot by re-ality Photo above by grahammclellan
Mardi Gras? Carnival? Octoberfest? The Running of the Bulls? Been there. Done that. Everyone knows about these parties. They’re great. They’re famous. But most people go to them once and never come back. Let’s talk about parties where the same people return year after year.
In no particular order, here are our top 10 must see parties:
La Tomatina
What: Nobody is really sure how it began- practical joke? A harmless food fight between two merchants? A prank? No one knows but this messy fiesta has been a strong tradition since 1945. On the last Wednesday in August, about 30,000 people descend on this little town to participate in the world’s largest food fight. Never had that massive cafeteria food fight when you were younger? Well, here’s your chance.
When: The last Wednesday in August.
Where: The tiny town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain
Bring: Throw-away clothes and goggles! Tomato juice in the eye stings!
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Full Moon Party
What: Legend has it that the Full Moon Party started as a birthday party in the 80s. The backpackers decided to come back again and again. Soon word spread and every month, backpackers would head to KPG to party.
Over the years, the hippy party morphed into a 20,000 person festival. Even in the low season, the party still sees about 10,000 visitors. Many people will tell you that it’s lost its charm over the years but for a serious dose of all night (and all day) partying in Thailand, this is place to get it.
Photo by jeremydeades
When: During the full moon, every month
Where: Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
Bring: Your drinking shoes, a red bull, facepaint, and clothes you don’t care about.
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Burning Man
What: Looking for the ultimate arts extravaganza? Burning Man is for you! An 8 day festival that culminates in the burning of a 72ft wooden man, this festival is where you can cut loose. Each year has a theme (this year, it’s “American Dream”) and last year 47,000 people decided to join the fun.
Photo by colvid daorado
When: Starts 8 days before the American Labor Day, September
Where: Blackrock Desert, Nevada USA
Bring: Everything BUT money! Burning Man runs on a full barter system and the only things you can buy are water and ice. Aside from the obvious supplies you’d take camping, other essentials include sunblock, a Camel Back and goggles. MOST importantly, bring something that allows you to participate–that’s what Burning Man is all about.
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Songkran
What: Songkran is the Thai New Year. It’s a spiritual festival designed to cool you down and wash away the sins of the previous year. What better way of doing that than by committing a few new ones, right away? Songkran takes place all over the country with everyone embarking on possibly the world’s largest water fight.
When: Mid-April
Where: Anywhere in the land of Smiles (Bangkok and Chang Mai have the biggest parties)
Bring: Anything you don’t mind wearing only once, a water gun, extra water, and a good attitude.
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Glastonbury Music Festival
What: A 3 day music festival designed to celebrate the earth, music, and the arts, this festival brings in people from all over the world. Last year’s event had over 177,000 people and 700 musical acts.
When: The last weekend in June
Where: Pilton, England
Bring: Tickets, a tent, sleeping bag, food, and whatever else you “need” to have fun.
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Holi
What: Similar to the Thai holiday of Songrkan, Holi is a two day Hindu spring festival that occurs in northern India. The first night is marked by bonfires, and the second day is spent pleasuring your inner 2nd grader by splashing colored flour and water over everybody. It’s a celebration about renewal.
Photo by faceme
When: The full moon in March.
Where: India
Bring: Red, orange, and green flour, lots of water, clothes you don’t need!
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Bay to Breakers
What: It’s supposed to be a 7 mile foot race but instead it’s a 7 mile costume party and keg race that goes through downtown San Francisco. It began in 1906 to keep people’s sprits up after the earthquake and locals are still keeping that alive, in force! Over 70,000 people, congregate downtown in costumes (or nothing at all) and shopping carts filled with kegs. A little Mardi Gras + a little Halloween college party = a lot of fun.
Photo by weylandphoto
When: The third Sunday in May.
Where: San Francisco, California
Bring: A crazy costume and lots of beer!
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Australia Day
What: Australians love two things: beer and bbqs. No day brings out the best in these two than Australia Day, when Aussies celebrate the first European settlement on the continent of Australia. Aussies, a normally festive bunch, kick it up a notch all over the country with bbqs, music, and beer. From the cities to the towns, Aussies are out in full force. If you don’t already have an Aussie friend to take you under his/her wing, head to a beach with beer and make some new friends! Most Australians would love nothing more to break in a newbie!
Photo by Scootie
When: January 26
Where: Anywhere in Oz!
Bring: Your Australian pride, a case of Carlton draught or Coopers, and something for the grill.
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Queen’s Day
What: The normally reserved Dutch cut lose to celebrate the birth of their Queen. Originally to celebrate the birth of Juliana, the day now celebrates the birth of Beatrix, whose January birthday makes it cold to party. All over the country, the Dutch head outside with their beer and music, flood the streets in orange, and cruise up and down the canals in revelry.
When: April 30th
Where: The Netherlands (Amsterdam has the biggest party)
Bring: Anything orange!
Learn more
Calgary Stampede
What: A 10 day rodeo that attracts over a million visitors during its course. The festival features a parade and is the largest event in Canada. But don’t come to watch the rodeo, come for the party! The throngs of people who flock to Calgary are there for the revelry, the beer, and the girls (or boys).
When: Second week in July
Where: Calgary, Alberta
Bring: Your best cowboy outfit and a tolerance for country music.
Learn more
What’s your favorite party on the planet? What nationality of people do you think party the hardest? Let your voice be heard and leave something for all to see, in the comments!
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234 Comments... join the discussion!
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Technically Burningman operates on a gift economy. Bartering is highly frowned upon. The name of the game is gifting to your fellow man. Bartering implies an economic system based on exchange. gifting implies pure exchange without strings attached.
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The West Indian-American Day parade in Brooklyn (on Labor day) is the biggest annual street fest/parade in NYC. Drawing up to 2 million people, it’s basically a Caribbean carnival type thing, but in the best borough of the greatest city in the world; and although it’s not much more than scantily clad islanders dancing between giant semi-truck DJ rigs creeping up the street and blasting island music WAY TOO LOUD, it totally stomps St. Pat’s day and anything else that goes on in Manhattan. Politicians always march up Eastern Parkway to kick it off and they are always vigorously booed. I have personally heckled Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton there.
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Actually there is no “barter” system at Burningman, it’s a gifting economy.
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Sturgis, South Dakota, biggest motorcycle rally in the us. See you there in August.
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Milwaukee’s Summerfest (www.summerfest.com) about a million people show up to the Milwaukee Lakefront every year for this huge music festival. It starts this Thursday! Also on these festival grounds are some of the worlds largest ethnic festivals as well. Polishfest, Festa Italiana, German Fest, Irish Fest and more.
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Ahh St. Patty’s and Carnival both need to be added. Cool article.
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I can’t imagine why you left Trinidad Carnival out. You aren’t stuck in the stands like Rio, anyone can get a costume and join a band. The party starts Sunday night and continues to Ash Wednesday at the beach.
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Great article, look forward to taking part in some of these later this year
. Another festival/party that should be noted is the Greek Panayiri in Brisbane, Australia. I went to the festival when in brisbane and had a blast! They expect 50k population which is huge concidering the population of brisbane
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What about Brazilian Carnaval? a 4 day party when actually you get millions of people on the streets of all main cities in the country
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Party Party Party, Hope my teenage Son doesnt see this.
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Wow. I can't believe the guy that claims Carnival in Rio wasn't mentioned. "Carnival" was the second word in the article. Way to demonstrate why I'd never go to a slum filled with macho cavemen that have nothing to be proud of except the legendary slutty women. what's the average iq in Brazil's Carival? Like 70-75, I'd guess.
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-Let us not forget NIOSA! a Night In Old San Antonio. A week long party around Easter time. Celebrating a diverse cultural history where they wall in many city blocks by the River Walk. Food and live music from around the world (music is always within earshot but not crowding each other) and lots of BEER from towering beer islands always within stumbling distance of each other. Go and try some fresh deep fried bulls nuts! Good times for all comers.-
NIOSA is an event held during Fiesta, which is held around San Jacinto Day in San Antonio, Tx. 10 days, 100 events, 3.5 million in attendance… thats a party.
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What about my 50th Birthday party in Allegany, NY? That’s ALWAYS crazy.
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Burningman sells only ice and coffee. You have to bring your own water.
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Hash Bash, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Love the post! I have to go to Burning Man!
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Look how Thailand holds 2 of the worlds greatest parties!
As part of US – UK zoo crew based in Bangkok and a regular at both of these unbelievable parties, I can only agree with what has already been written….
These occasions are a must see for any serious 2-3 day-long party people.
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Great article, look forward to taking part in some of these later this year
. Another festival/party that should be noted is the Greek Panayiri in Brisbane, Australia. I went to the festival when in brisbane and had a blast! They expect 50k+ population which is huge concidering the population of brisbane
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I think the George Street Festival in St. John's Newfoundland deserves an honourable mention.
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Wow. I can’t believe the guy that claims Carnival in Rio wasn’t mentioned. “Carnival” was the second word in the article. Way to demonstrate why I’d never go to a slum filled with macho cavemen that have nothing to be proud of except the legendary slutty women. what’s the average iq in Brazil’s Carival? Like 70-75, I’d guess.
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Australia day?? But no St Patrick's Day. Tragic. The Irish invented 'craic', predictable list. That full moon party is missable.
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what about roskilde festival??
http://www.roskilde-festival.dk 100000 drunken skandinavians
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I have really enjoyed a lot of the music that has come out of the Glastonbury Festival but I have not had an opportunity to attend!
Cinco de Mayo in Savannah, Georgia is a great time with lots of the same people returning every year!↵ -
You guys make me feel like i have seen solittle!
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Look how Thailand holds 2 of the worlds greatest parties!
As part of US – UK zoo crew based in Bangkok and a regular at both of these unbelievable parties, I can only agree with what has already been written….
These occasions are a must see for any serious 2-3 day-long party people.
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I love australia day, anzac day, and cup day. they all end the same. Me throwing up in a garden
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You CANNOT buy water at Burning Man! You can only buy ice, coffee and tea. You must bring your own water or hope like hell that someone gives you enough.
I hope you aren't inadvertently telling a lot of people to show up to a harsh desert environment without bringing water! That is, unless you plan on showing up with plenty of water to give away.
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Im going to glastombury today!!! whooo whooo working as a stilt walker and fire performer so i get in free as well
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I think the George Street Festival in St. John’s Newfoundland deserves an honourable mention.
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Australia day?? But no St Patrick’s Day. Tragic. The Irish invented ‘craic’, predictable list. That full moon party is missable.
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what about roskilde festival??
http://www.roskilde-festival.dk
100000 drunken skandinavians
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I have really enjoyed a lot of the music that has come out of the Glastonbury Festival but I have not had an opportunity to attend!
Cinco de Mayo in Savannah, Georgia is a great time with lots of the same people returning every year!↵ -
You guys make me feel like i have seen solittle!
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You CANNOT buy water at Burning Man! You can only buy ice, coffee and tea. You must bring your own water or hope like hell that someone gives you enough.
I hope you aren’t inadvertently telling a lot of people to show up to a harsh desert environment without bringing water! That is, unless you plan on showing up with plenty of water to give away.
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It seems like everyone's got their favorites that got left off the list so I should add mine as well.
Festival Interceltique in Lorient, France.
This celebration of Bretton culture and it's historical links to the other Celtic nations runs for a week and is like taking St. Paddy's Day and Oktoberfest and throwing them in a blender with fantastic French food! The seashore town of Lorient swells to almost a million people every summer as everyone eats, drinks, enjoys great music, and drinks some more.
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EXIT is the biggest music festival in South Eastern Europe. EXIT has taken place at a beautiful and magical fortress in Novi Sad, since 2001. Year after year the number of visitors is getting bigger; young people come from different parts of the country and Europe. Apart from quality music program that it offers, the festival is a place of wild fun, and you can enjoy the cool atmosphere of the fortress and the positive energy of the city.
http://www.exitfest.orgExit is the wild, painted face of fun in the new Europe — more of a carnival than a festival.
It is the thinking person's party, where hedonism meets activism. It is a volcanic eruption of joy from which you walk away enlightened, wishing Exit had no end.
It's slogan ought to be — "Party hard and remember — apathy is the enemy!"
Neil Arun, journalist“It was the best festival we played this year”
Liam Howlett, The Prodigy“One of the best festival gigs that I have ever done. Amazing venue, thumping sound system and great crowd” John Digweed
“People here are straightforward and open, and reactions of the audience thrill me. Unlike some other places, the audience here is not phoney. They enjoy themselves and exchange the energy. The Fortress is the best place to have a festival.”
Darren Emerson“I‘ve never even dreamed that the hospitality and casualness of these people would make me stay in Novi Sad for much longer then I’d planned. I’ve never stayed anywhere after the gig, by the way.”
Dave de Rose, Moloko“Unlike the festivals in New York, Paris, LA, where the only aim is to take money from the young people who go there, here you can see the effort. “
Tricky“Exit was the highlight of my career, I absolutely loved it!”
Zinc“We didn’t have a clue about what to expect…and it was incredible…”
Nick Halam, Stereo MC’s“It was a real honor to play EXIT, we were hit immediately by the enthusiasm of the crowd, we've never played a better party!
The Pipettes“That was simply the best gig I have seen in 18 years of playing at acid house parties! honestly…..”
Ralph Lawson 20/20 Vision“You don’t realize what you’ve got here. People don’t stay up dancing until 9.00 the next day anywhere anymore, as they do here.”
Roni Size“It’s the best place I’ve ever performed at!”
Lottie'Exit was more than we could have expected it to be. The audience was exceptional and the setting was breathtaking. I hope they have us back sometime.'
Alex Kapranos / Franz Ferdinand“Serbia, we had no idea what to expect and it was an amazing show, the crowd was fantastic and we can't wait to come back.”
Ana Matronic / Scissor Sisters“Serbia was fantastic we all really enjoyed it – the audience was amazing and it was the best show on the tour so far.”
Billy Idol“Exit Festival was great, amazing night, played from 3am till 6.30 when the sun came up and to see so many people in a moat was something else.”
Carl Cox“An absolutely amazing festival both in terms of the crowds that came and the people behind the scenes. The setting was amazing with the sun coming up and the sound system was intense (as opposed to in tents which would normally be the case at a festival but I digress), I was so happy that I could finally be a part of this and would like to thank everyone that came along.”
Dave Clarke“The Exit festival was really magical! The place was unbelievable – a rave up a mountain. The energy of the people was fantastic – the crowd was so enthusiastic. I had SUCH a great time playing there.”
David Guetta“I found the Exit Festival very inspirational; that so many people came together, through electronic music, for a great cause… Amazing!”
Felix Da Housecat“wow – exit – what a festival! great energy, great understanding of the music and a great place. very impressed.” Giles Peterson / Radio 1
"Exit festival was definitely the highlight of my year so far. It was truly amazing. The vibe was so positive from the people and having Goldie jump on the microphone at the end as I played Inner City Life (Future Funk Squad Remix) is something I'll never forget. It was a gig that I could've only dreamt about and I'll still be buzzing from it for years to come."
James Zabiela"Exit was in an extraordinary setting with so much diversity in one place…. the enthusiasm and energy with which we were greeted, was a humbling and emotional experience"
Karl / Underworld“Exit Festival was definitely one of the most enjoyable festivals we've ever played at. I'm sure we are the only band who can say that they played in between Slayer and Fatboy Slim! The crowds were amazing, everyone was really enthusiastic and it was for a good cause. We really felt special playing at Exit Festival and hope to be invited back in the near future. Thank you, Serbia!”
Ladytron“Exit 2005….WOW!!!…25,000 people dancing, but with the intensity of a club for 400 people. Simply amazing!”
Lee Burridge“it was without any doubt one of the most remorable experiences we had so far. 20000 people raving to your tunes is a feeling that is hard to describe. But the other stages were also amazing and the little ones had many interesting music to offer. Hard to top this festival!!!”
M.A.N.D.Y“Probably the best festival in Europe. The setting, the vibe of the people and the production is amazing. Dare I say that it puts most of the UK festivals to shame?’”
Christian Smith"Exit festival was excellent…I had a really good time playing. The site, the crowd, everything was really good Look forward to go back next year".
Hernan Cattaneo↵ -
Fashing Fest – Munich's Mardi Gras
Oktoberfest – Munich's Uber Party
Icelandic Independence Day – 17th Jun All Nighter↵ -
Sweet list, but Diwali didn't make it?
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Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas
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Spring Break in Cancun?
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Nice to have this post. We come to know about so many events around the world.
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4th of July in the Hamptons
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New Year's Eve in Moscow is really crazy
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I was in Bikaner during Holi…. very interesting holiday. Even the newsmen had colors splashed all over them on the TV
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I am not into getting trashed at all anymore aka drunk but I still do like hanging out at two different festivals here in Arizona. One is wintercount which I attended in January in Maricopa, AZ http://www.backtracks.netand The raw spirit festival rawspiritfest.com in Sedona, AZ
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i have been to 5 of those on the list (been to burningman 9 times). Other than burningman, by far the best that I went to was Queens Day in Amsterdam. Wow, was that amazing.
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I didnt spend my time reading everyones post, but i liked the list of parties. Some i have never been to. One that i have been to, that i enjoy every year that i can go, is Carnivale in Venice. Such a great time.
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Nice findings. But how about Rio carnival of Brazil, which is one of the most popular of all festivals. I have seen holi in India. Its the festival of colors
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Wow you didn't mention the Carnaval in Rio and in other Brazilian cities , neither the ferias in Spain and France – these are the parties attracting the most people in the world ( more than 1 million a day ) – huge compared to these North American so called 'parties' that have nothing traditional…Travel out of the US for a change!
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