Festivals & Events

Over several nights in October, something mysterious happens along the Mekong River at Nong Khai. Crowds flock to see huge fireballs erupting out of the water, with many claiming it's the work of the mythical serpent ‘Naga’ (others suggest it's a build-up of methane). This is a truly unique phenomenon that even scientists can’t fully explain.

The night of Naga Fireballs usually occurs on the last day of Buddhist Lent. People visit the Mekong River on this night to see burning orbs bursting out of the surface and rising into the sky in Pakngum Province. The cause of the phenomena is much contested but traditionally it is believed to be produced by the mythical river snake.

Held annually in October for the last 370 years, the Nagasaki Kunchi Festival celebrates a fusion of Dutch and Chinese cultures within Japan. Incorporating traditional Japanese dances, Chinese dragon dances, elaborate floats and many cultural performances, the three-day festival is a celebration of harmonious cultures.

The Hakka Yimin Festival, an important date for Taiwan’s Hakka Chinese-speaking community, is held at the Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park over three days in October. Organizers invite over 25 different Yimin temples across the island to join in the festivities, including parades, merit-making, blessings and traditional Hakka performances.

This public holiday marks the day the National Workers Party was founded, which has ruled North Korea ever since. People travel to the Party Founding Museum to hear the original recording of Kim Il Sung’s inaugural speech. There are performances of traditional dances in public squares and the closing ceremony of the month-long Mass Games.

This annual festival is held every autumn in the Goychay region and celebrates the pomegranate’s traditional uses and symbolic meaning. The fruit is symbolically linked to long-term productivity and abundance in energy. During the festival, the pomegranate’s different uses in cooking is showcased by local cooks and restaurants.

An astonishing 50,000 camels converge on the tiny desert town of Pushkar, in India's state of Rajasthan for the Pushkar Camel Fair. For five days, the camels are dressed up, paraded, shaved, entered into beauty contests, raced and traded. It's a great opportunity to witness a true traditional Indian festival.

For one day each year, the Tamu market in Kota Belud expands and welcomes visitors from all around for the annual grand market carnival festivities of the Tamu Besar. As well as all the usual local food and crafts, there is a parade of Bajau horsemen, an exciting water buffalo race and a popular beauty pageant.

This October festival celebrates the diversity and history of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia and includes open-air concerts of traditional music and cultural events in Old Tbilisi. The festival was created at the initiative of Eduard Shevardnadze, then the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, to honor the capital and counter attendance at religious events as part of his program to overcome "manifestations of nationalism" through introducing new "socialist traditions". 

Marking the day Buddha returned from spending lent in heaven, Thadingyut Festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated for three days during the month of October throughout Myanmar. The final day is the climax as the festival goers release balloons into the sky and shoot off fireworks at night.