Your monthly roundup of a few fun, unmissable festivals on every inhabited continent on Earth. Here are our picks for August:
AFRICA | Chale Wote Street Art Festival | Accra, Ghana
The funky, futuristic Chale Wote festival brings together graffiti, film, performance art, music, dance, fashion, and every other form of human artistic expression together in the streets of Accra for 11 days. A showcase for Afro-Futurism and sustainability in the art space, Chale Wote attracts over 40,000 creators and appreciators in an impactful celebration of art and life.
ASIA | Fete de Puducherry | Puducherry, India
Glittering on the southeastern coast of India, the city of Puducherry was called Pondicherry during some three centuries of French colonial rule. The Fete de Puducherry observes the city’s independence in grand style with food, music, Indian classical dance performances and parties along the beachfront promenade.
EUROPE | Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Called the world’s largest arts festival, “The Fringe” packs over 55,000 performances into three weeks, with actors, jugglers, mimes, singers, musicians, painters, acrobats, and all manner of entertainers filling stadiums, showplaces, and sidewalks alike. Held alongside the formal, invitation-only Edinburgh International Festival, The Fringe welcomes all artists to participate.
NORTH AMERICA | Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana) | Toronto, Canada
A fixture on Canada’s annual party calendar since the 1960s, Toronto Caribbean Carnival—formerly and commonly known as Caribana—celebrates the Caribbean Diaspora in North America’s most multicultural city. Held in the middle of Toronto’s short but blazing summer, the dances and costumes are also nothing short of sizzling.
OCEANIA | Heiva i Bora Bora | Bora Bora, Tahiti
Likely the biggest cultural event in Tahiti, the annual, action-packed Heiva festival features traditional Polynesian singing and dancing contests, demonstrations of sports like outrigger racing and the javelin throw, artisan handicrafts presentations, and, of course, plenty of food. The participants compete for prizes, so while it seems like a party, they’re not playing around.
SOUTH AMERICA | Feria de las Flores | Medellin, Colombia
Set in the City of Eternal Spring, Medellin’s yearly Flower Festival is a showcase for the region’s renowned flower-exporting industry. Floats and displays overflowing with flowers waft through the city streets, while classic automobile parades and beauty pageants round out the festivities.
Have you been to any of these festivals? How were they?