Travellers often overlook February and March as they prefer to plot their holidays deeper into the year. However, you could seriously be missing out on these famous festivals:
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year)
The Chinese New Year is a global event. You will be hard to miss the festival if you are on location in February somewhere in Asia, particularly China, Singapore, and Malaysia. It marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year based on the Chinese calendar, and over 15 days, families and citizens celebrate with fireworks, feasts and the Lantern Festival.
Mardi Gras
It’s always party time down in New Orleans! However, the pinnacle each year is the annual Mardi Gras. This year, it lands on March 4, 2025. Fat Tuesday is the last day of the Carnival season, as it falls before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Be ready for full-on party mode with parades, masquerade balls, street parties, and throwing beads and trinkets to the crowds.
Rio Carnival
The biggest and glitziest extravaganza on the planet, bar none. Rio de Janeiro’s party is the stuff of legends and remains a popular bucket list option for travellers. From February 28-March 4, the Carnival will dazzle the senses with samba parades, electrifying street parties, massive celebrations, and elaborate costumes.
Carnival of Venice
Italy’s Venice is an iconic place to see. Even more so when the Carnival of Venice is on! On until Tuesday March 4, it is a pre-Lent festival known for its extravagant masks and grand celebrations. Be ready for masked balls, gondola parades and performances as the canals of La Serenissima come alive.
St. Patrick’s Day
If you have the luck of the Irish and are in the country on March 17, then you will be front and centre for St Patrick’s Day festivals and the odd Guinness or three. Experience Ireland’s national holiday in Dublin with lively parades, traditional Irish music, and many festivities.
Goa Carnival
Goa is well-renowned as the party state of India, but nothing compares to the partying around February 11-14. The main carnival kicks off in the state capital of Panjim, but there are other activities across the coastal belt. It honours a long-standing Portuguese tradition of a local feast.
Sapporo Snow Festival
This is Japan’s and one of the world’s biggest winter festivals, showcasing ice and snow sculptures. Travellers who make it to the festival will be faced with ice sculpting competitions, illuminated sculptures, snow slides, and an array of winter sports. Based in Hokkaido, Sapporo is transformed into a winter playground across Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsu Dome.
Valentine’s Day
On a worldwide scale, St Valentine’s Day (February 14) celebrates love and affection between couples and friends. The day is on a more personal level, but couples may well head off for a weekend to the likes of Paris – the capital of love – or other destinations for romantic dinners and even marriage proposals.
Tapati Festival, Chile
The Tapati Rapa Nui, translated as ‘Rapa Nui Week’, is a cultural festival on Easter Island during February. It honours the culture and traditions of the Rapa Nui people. Travellers can experience traditional music and dance, body painting, canoe races, and the crowning of the Tapati queen. Other highlights include the Haka Pei (sliding down the island’s steepest slope on banana trunks), the Rapa Nui triathlon, horse racing and group dance competitions.
Singha Park International Balloon Fiesta 2025
This festival, at Singha Park, in Chiang Rai, Thailand, is one of Southeast Asia’s largest hot-air balloon events. From 13-17 February, you can witness the breathtaking spectacle of balloons soaring through the sky, as well as diverse activities and entertainment for all ages.
Andy Probert is an independent PR writer and journalist who writes about travel experiences, airlines, airports, new tech and business. His work has appeared on the BBC, in The Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror, as well as many newspapers/magazines globally.
