The Most Bizarre & Beautiful Local Festivals Around The World

There are many quirky and wonderful festivals around the world that are unique to their location; from the Cheese Rolling Festival in Gloucester to La Tomatina in Buñol, festivals are a superb way to explore a town’s traditions, meet local people and celebrate the community’s culture.  At Explore, we’re all about incorporating as much adventure into your holidays as possible, and local festivals are brimming with exciting experiences. Our experts set out to reveal some of the most popular local festivals around the world for those who are looking for a truly culturally immersive trip.

Our research analyzed over 280 brilliant, beautiful and barmy local festivals from around the globe to reveal the most popular cultural festivals on social media, according to their Instagram and TikTok hashtag data.
From blowing up a giant snowman in Zurich, to epic-sized fantasy renaissance fairs in Minnesota, a festival filled with Elvis look-a-likes in Australia and dragon boat racing in China, the festivals that are loved the most on social media can be found below, with results broken down globally and by continent.

Just an hour west of Chicago, along the Fox River, a weekend-long festival is held in honor of … scarecrows! You might assume with a name like ‘Scarecrow Fest’ that it’s only about these comical or spooky characters, but this beloved festival is also heavily focused on arts & crafts. Held in St. Charles, with more than 25 years of history, the Scarecrow Fest includes live entertainment, a carnival, along with make-your-own scarecrow stations and (of course) a Scarecrow Contest with over 150 participants battling for the winning title of best scarecrow.

A far cry from the feathers and glitter of a typical carnival parade, Lazarim Carnaval is one of the few places in Portugal that celebrates instead with incredible, large Celtic wooden masks. The masks are worn by people called ‘caretos’ (which means disguised as the devil) and the festivities include a drum parade and feasting on cauldrons of tasty stew. On Shrove Tuesday the caretos parade the streets and the festival finishes with two young caretos sharing embarrassing exploits of their friends and peers.

Baldwin St. in Dunedin, New Zealand is the steepest street in the world. Locals have decided that the ideal way to make use of it is through a unique yearly charity event. Thousands of residents and visitors gather to launch jaffa lollies, a chocolate donated by Cadburys, from the top of the street and let the round candies race each other down the steep incline. Participants are welcome to purchase a jaffa, with the proceeds going to several charity foundations, and the lucky winner claims the title of ‘King of the Jaffa Race’.

For many, the seaside town of Whitby in Yorkshire is an unassuming place, however, this quaint port has an edge to it. With links to Captain Hook and Dracula, the town has become a pilgrimage destination of sorts for those who adore gothic culture. Whitby Goth Weekend sees thousands of goth and alternative lifestyle advocates descend onto the town to enjoy the unique markets and alternative music gigs. The weekend takes place in April officially, but Halloween sees another influx of visitors dressed in alternative costumes, including Victorian steam-punk and sci-fi.

Taking place in early April, the festival of Sechseläuten commemorates the end of winter, and culminates in the burning of the Böögg - a massive snowman effigy that’s filled with explosives. Legend has it that the length of time it takes for the Böögg to explode indicates whether the summer with be warm and sunny or a wet and miserable season. 

In second place comes Thrissur Pooram, which is thought to be one of the grandest temple festivals in the region of Kerala. It’s a seven-day cultural event that’s hosted annually on the day of Pooram. Throughout this week-long extravaganza, attendees can witness flag-hosting ceremonies, taste succulent cuisine, witness vibrant fireworks displays and observe a majestic elephant ceremony. These activities are hosted in the name of paying respect to Shiva, who presides as the deity over the Vadakkunnathan temple.

Finishing up in third place is the Dubai Shopping Festival with over 13 million views and posts on social media. Shopping is one of the major cultural activities in Dubai, and this festival takes place over 46 days and has been running for over 25 years (it was established in 1996). With over 700 brands and 3000 stores participating, it’s not a surprise that the event proves extremely popular in the city, with visitors hoping to snag a designer bargain. But as well as shopping, to commemorate the festival, the city also holds firework displays, street performances and many other shows to entertain its visitors when they are not indulging in retail therapy. 

The Lamu Cultural Festival prides itself on being an inclusive, multicultural environment that attracts both locals and international visitors alike. It’s a space that celebrates tranquility and coexistence as it promotes the cultural history of the Lamu citizens to both Africa and the world. An annual three-day event, the festival displays various aspects of the local culture such as dance, poetry, arts and crafts, board game tournaments as well as the opportunity to taste some local Swahili dishes.

Are you interested in experiencing several different cultures in one location? If this sounds like a bit of you, then visiting the African Zuri Festival is a must. It brings the best of contemporary arts and activities to one place. There are indoor and outdoor games, a wide array of unique food and drink to try, cultural performances, live music and they even make time to host a fashion show. The crowning glory comes with an evening gala and is considered the pinnacle of the event.

One of the biggest festivals in the western world, Burning Man is all about celebrating community, art and self-expression. It gets its name from the final closing event where a huge wooden effigy is burned – a symbolic gesture to encourage people to keep their creative fires burning even when the festival ends. This summer festival was originally attended by bohemians and free-spirits, but has grown so popular that it now attracts a much more mainstream audience and it is hugely popular with social media influencers.

A bucket-list festival for anyone in love with the fantasy period of knights, damsels and dragons. Minnesota Renaissance Festival runs in August and September each year and creates an incredible backdrop based on an “England-like” 16th century era, complete with jousting events, medieval banquet food, mermaids, dragons, rides, games, live music and more. 

Most famous for its Salsa marathon, Cali Fair, or as the locals call it ‘La Feria de Cali’, is the second most picture-perfect festival in South America and it is easy to see why. Colorful parades, fireworks, dance parties, are all a part of this exciting and diverse festival.

Every summer in the city of Barretos, Sao Paulo, the ‘Festa do Peão de Barretos’ takes place. With deep roots in local cowboy culture, this event is all about grandiose rodeos, traditional music and cattle exhibitions. But don’t be fooled: this is a massive celebration that has hosted the likes of Mariah Carey, Shania Twain and A-ha. 

Another festival dedicated to preserving local traditions that’s also super popular on social media is the Teuila Festival. Dedicated to highlighting the very best of Samoan and Polynesian culture, this annual celebration features unique traditions such as fire knife dancing, tattooing and carving demonstrations and (of course) crowning Miss Samoa.

Wrapping up the top three most picture-perfect festivals in the Oceanic continent is Manit Day. This event has been declared a public holiday in the Marshall Islands and is part of a week-long celebration dedicated to honoring the Marshallese cultural history. Colorful parades, performances, traditional canoe races, coconut husking competitions are all part of Manit Day and the public is welcome to join in.

Study Notes: We looked at over 280 festivals around the globe and found the number of posts under each festival’s relevant hashtags on Instagram and the number of views of videos with those hashtags on TikTok. Data sources include Instagram and TikTok data, all data correct as of December 2022. We have excluded festivals in countries and regions that are deemed not safe for travel according to the UK Foreign Travel Advice.