Festivals & Events

A large cultural and heritage festival held in Janadriyah near Riyadh annually, the Janadriyah National Festival lasts for two weeks starting usually in late February. Revelers can expect activities such as camel racing, local music and dance performances, pavilions hosted by government branches and provinces, and displays of traditional crafts such as pottery, weaving, woodwork, metalwork, and leatherwork. This festival was first organized by the National Guard in 1985 and today is continued by the Ministry of Culture.

Held annually at the Jakarta International Exhibition Center, the three-day Java Jazz Festival is the largest of its kind. Latin, modern and the local Javanese flavor all join together to jam and celebrate with music enthusiasts. Over 1,500 musicians perform for over a hundred thousand people.

This week-long celebration is one of the few ethnic cultural festivals in the country. Held in Malaybalay, it commemorates the anniversary of the establishment of Bukidnon as a province and honors the culture of the tribal groups in the region. Traditional tribal costumes are worn and the people perform their native dances in the streets.

Singing, dancing and overall merriment are in store for those attending the Ko Gyi Kyaw Spirit Festival in Pakhan. Lasting eight days, the annual festival celebrates the happy spirit Ko Gyi Kyaw in his hometown in the Mandalay region. Worshippers, visitors and locals alike join in the festivities and traditional displays.

This exciting five-day festival takes place yearly at the ornate Sun Temple in Kornak, Odisha, India. Visitors will witness all kinds of jubilant dance and music, with musicians playing drums, cymbals and other traditional instruments, while dancers from all over the country perform traditional dances.

February 21st commemorates the lives sacrificed during the political movement in 1952 that advocated the recognition of the Bengali language as the official language of Bangladesh, which was then a dominion of Pakistan whose government imposed the state language of Urdu. To honor the martyrs, each year government officials and the public lay wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar in front of the Medical College and Hospital of Dhaka, the location where the movement took place.

The lantern festival is a popular celebration which takes place over one night throughout China. Children take elaborate, vividly-colored - usually red - lanterns to the temple. The lanterns are embellished with riddles the children try to solve. The releasing of the lanterns symbolizes letting go of the past, and being ready for renewal.

The Taiwan Lantern Festival is celebrated around the first full moon of the lunar year, and is considered one of the most romantic dates in the festive calendar. Locals and visitors make handheld candles, set off firecrackers and release lanterns into the sky. A can’t-miss favorite is tangyuan (sticky rice dumplings) - the festival food.

Asia’s premier cycling event takes place over ten days and its ten stages pass through eight states in the Malaysian peninsula with the route changing every year. Teams comprised of six professional riders from across the globe compete to complete the 930-mile course in record time and win the coveted yellow jersey.

The Lim Festival in Bac Ninh is a rich Vietnamese cultural festival taking place on the 13th day of the first lunar month. Just outside Hanoi, Lim Village welcomes many visitors, most of whom are coming to see (and hear) the famous Quan Ho show. This ancient ritual involves a ‘dialogue’ sung in a unique Vietnamese style.