India festival holidays
Cultural festivals in India are always a colourful affair, and range from town-specific events to national celebrations.
Diwali: The biggest festival in India
Also known as the Festival of Lights, the five-day event transforms the country into a spectacle of diya oil lamps, light displays and fireworks. Garlands of fragrant flowers festoon the markets, doorsteps are decorated with rangoli sand art, and Hindus dressed in their best flock to the temples. Celebrated each autumn, it is one of the best times to visit India.
Holi: The festival of colours
Holi dials up the saturation in celebration of eternal love and good overcoming evil. Taking place in spring, the Hindu festival sees revellers play-fight with pigments of every hue – and you can join in the fun.
Dev Deepavali
Celebrated in Varanasi 15 days after Diwali and when the sacred banks of the Ganges are illuminated by more than a million lamps.
Holika Dahan
This festival sees bonfires lit in honour of good overcoming evil the day before Holi.
Peru festival holidays
Alongside astounding archaeology, the traditions of the Inca live on in their homeland of Peru. You can experience these for yourself by attending the Inti Raymi Festival.
Inti Raymi Festival
The Inti Raymi Festival is an annual festival honouring Inti the Sun God. The former Incan capital of Cuzco hosts the largest Inti Raymi festivities, and our Peru escorted tours feature festival departures that place you there, in time to experience the rituals and revelry.
Mexico festival holidays
Mexico has many vibrant festivals, including religious holidays like Day of the Dead. They often feature music, dancing, and elaborate decorations, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage.
Day of the Dead festival
Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival – or Día de Muertos – is celebrated every autumn across the country. This UNESCO-inscribed festival is both a moment to honour loved ones lost, and for Halloween-esque revelry in the macabre. Oaxaca city is famed for its celebration; visit for colourful sugar skulls, sweet ‘bread of the dead’, marigold-festooned altars, and parades complete with calavera (skull) facepainting.
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, a national holiday on 12 December in honour of the Virgin Mary; and Mexico’s Independence Day, a patriotic celebration held on 16 September.
Bhutan festival holidays
Bhutan has many festivals which feature masked dances and other religious rituals. These vibrant celebrations are an important part of Bhutanese culture, marking historical events and religious figures.
Buddhist festivals
Bhutan is a small kingdom hidden amid the high peaks of the Himalaya. Buddhism shapes its culture, and a calendar of Buddhist festivals (tshechus) brings locals out to the monasteries to enjoy costumed dances, traditional music, and the unveiling of large tapestries called thangkas. These cultural events offer great insight into Bhutanese traditions, and occur across the year, especially in spring and autumn. We can arrange your holiday to coincide with one of Bhutan’s best festivals.
Japan festival holidays
Japan has a wide variety of festivals throughout the year, from major events like the Sapporo Snow Festival in February and the Gion Matsuri in July to seasonal celebrations like Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in spring.
Hanami
Each year, between March and April, the ornamental cherry trees in Japan’s avenues, parks and gardens burst into a riot of white and pink flowers. Hanami – literally ‘flower viewing’ – is the centuries-old custom of gathering to admire the cherry blossom. This cultural festival is marked with picnics, scenic strolls and day trips. It's one of the best times to visit Japan, so hotels and traditional inns are booked up well in advance.
Sapporo Snow Festival and Shinto festivals
Other Japanese festivals worth travelling for include the Sapporo Snow Festival, when the city of Sapporo embraces winter with monumental ice sculptures; and the three major Shinto festivals held in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka each year.
Holika Dahan bonfire ceremony, India
Holi, an ancient Hindu festival
Holi Festival, India
Inti Raymi festival in Cusco, Peru
Mexican folk dance
Holika Dahan bonfire ceremony, India
Holi, an ancient Hindu festival
Holi Festival, India
Inti Raymi festival in Cusco, Peru
Mexican folk dance
