Festivals & Events

Celebrated every April, this festival is dedicated to A-Ma, a Taoist goddess particularly revered in Macau, who was said to have saved seafarers and protect fisherfolk. Macao’s name came to be when Portuguese soldiers asked for the name of the place, and locals replied ‘A-Ma-Gao’ (Bay of A-Ma). During this festival, a grand ceremony is put on at the A-Ma Cultural Village, along with a parade, Chinese and Portuguese art troupe performances, and week-long Chinese opera performed at the A-Ma Temple.

April's Al Marmoum Heritage Festival is a chance to see a real show of Emirati culture - camel racing. One of the oldest sports in the region, this is an unforgettable experience. Expect cheering fans, huge TVs documenting the action, scorching desert heat, and mini robot jockeys (a modern adaptation to this long tradition).

Aluth Avurudda festival marks Sinhalese New Year, and is celebrated throughout Sri Lanka by both Sinhalese and non-believers. It coincides with many New Year events across Asia, falling on the 13th or 14th of April. On the first day of the new year, there are mass housecleaning sessions along with fire lighting, dancing and music.

Observed both by Armenians and the Armenian diaspora, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day commemorates the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915, killed both by violence and starvation. In the capital of Yerevan, thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame.

Each year in early spring, the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek – comes alive with the sound of jazz music. Musicians from across Central Asia, the United States and Europe flock to the northern Kyrgyz city for three days of jazz concerts, events and celebrations in the cosmopolitan city.

Known as "the beautiful run," the Borneo marathon takes place along the palm-fringed, coastal roads of the island of Kinabalu in Sabah. Participants can take part in the full marathon (26.2 miles) or half marathon (13.1 miles) or the 10 km run (just over 6 miles). Spectators line the route, creating a festive atmosphere.

This two- or three-day festival takes place throughout the sixth lunar month. People make bamboo rockets and compete to fire them high into the sky; there are parties with drinking and dancing and the men dress as women. The ritual is supposed to invoke the wrath of the gods so they will send rain to water the crops.

This celebration, on the most sacred day of the Buddhist calendar, is the most important festival for Buddhists. It holds special significance because it is the birthday of Buddha, and there is a fair held to commemorate the event at Lumbini, attended by Buddhist from all over the world, where Buddha is said to have been born.

The quirky Cheung Chau Bun Festival welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year. Originally held to commemorate the end of a devastating plague 100 years ago, traditional celebrations include a floating colors parade, ´lucky´ bun baking and bun-gathering competitions.

The most important festival in the North Korean calendar celebrates the birthday of the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung. People gather together in public spaces to show respect, there are competitions including the Pyongyang Marathon, huge ensemble performances of dance and music, a flower show and a grand firework display at night time.