Big events, month by month

The festivals, carnivals, markets and races that fill a town, from October on. Book early for these: rooms go first, and the town is busier while they run.

October 2026

Busan International Film Festival in Busan 6 – 15 Oct 2026
An international film festival with screenings, talks and master classes around Busan, based at the Busan Cinema Center.
Durga Puja in Kolkata 17 – 21 Oct 2026
Kolkata's goddess festival (UNESCO-listed), with themed, lit pandals across the city and immersion on the last day.
Day of the Dead in Oaxaca expected 31 Oct – 2 Nov 2026
Oaxaca's All Saints' and All Souls' celebrations, with home altars, traditional food and costumed parades (comparsas).

November 2026

New York City Marathon in New York 1 Nov 2026
A marathon through New York's five boroughs, finishing in Central Park.
Melbourne Cup in Melbourne 3 Nov 2026
A 3200 m horse race at Flemington, the centre of the Melbourne Cup Carnival's four race days.
Christmas markets in Vienna 13 Nov – 26 Dec 2026
Christmas markets in Vienna's squares and palace grounds; the largest stands before the City Hall on Rathausplatz.
Dev Deepawali in Varanasi 24 Nov 2026
Varanasi's ghats are lined with earthen lamps from Ravidas Ghat to Rajghat, with the Ganga Aarti and music.
Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg 27 Nov – 24 Dec 2026
Christmas market on Nuremberg's main square, with wooden stalls of handmade decorations and gingerbread.
Christmas markets in Prague 28 Nov 2026 – 6 Jan 2027
Christmas markets on Old Town and Wenceslas squares, with Czech crafts, food, a lit tree and daily music.
Christmas market (Christkindelsmärik) in Strasbourg usually late November into December; opens Friday 27 November in 2026 · cars barred from the Grande Île during market hours, with checks at the bridges
Strasbourg's Christmas markets fill the old town's squares, the Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie among them.
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai usually November, at the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar (the full moon falls on 24 November in 2026)
Chiang Mai's festival of lights: candle-lit krathongs floated on the river, lantern contests and lanterns across the city.

December 2026

Hornbill Festival in Kohima 1 – 10 Dec 2026
Ten days of Naga tribes' dances, crafts, food, indigenous games and music near Kohima.
Fête des Lumières in Lyon 5 – 8 Dec 2026
Light installations across Lyon each evening; on 8 December residents set candles (lumignons) on their windowsills.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay in Edinburgh 29 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Edinburgh's New Year festival: a torchlight procession, concerts and the Princes Street party with midnight fireworks.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin usually Ice and Snow World opens in mid to late December; the festival's opening ceremony is on 5 January
Harbin's winter festival, centred on the Ice and Snow World park of large ice and snow sculptures.

January 2027

Mardi Gras in New Orleans 6 Jan – 9 Feb 2027
New Orleans' Carnival season of street parades by krewes, building to Fat Tuesday.
Australian Open in Melbourne 11 – 31 Jan 2027
The year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park; the dates include the qualifying week.
Thaipusam at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur 22 Jan 2027
Hindu festival: a chariot procession from central KL to Batu Caves, where devotees carry kavadi up the 272 steps.
Carnival of Venice in Venice 23 Jan – 9 Feb 2027
Venice's carnival of masks and costumes, with parades and events around the city in the weeks before Lent.

February 2027

Cologne Carnival in Cologne 4 – 9 Feb 2027 · city-centre roads close and trams divert for the Rosenmontag parade
Street carnival in costume across Cologne, with district parades and the Rosenmontag parade through the centre.
Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo 4 – 11 Feb 2027
Snow and ice sculptures at three sites in Sapporo: Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome.
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro 5 – 9 Feb 2027
Samba schools parade at the Sambadrome over several nights, while street parties (blocos) fill the city.
Quebec Winter Carnival in Quebec City 5 – 14 Feb 2027
Quebec City's winter carnival, hosted by Bonhomme, with two night parades and outdoor winter activities.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney 14 Feb – 6 Mar 2027 · The parade takes over Oxford Street, Flinders Street and Anzac Parade
Sydney's LGBTQIA+ festival, with Fair Day and the night parade along Oxford Street.

March 2027

Las Fallas in Valencia 15 – 19 Mar 2027
Giant figures fill Valencia's streets, with a daily firecracker display at 14:00 from 1 March and the burning on the night of 19 March.
SXSW in Austin 15 – 21 Mar 2027
Conferences and festivals of film, music and technology across Austin.
Holy Week (Semana Santa) in Seville 21 – 28 Mar 2027
Brotherhoods carry religious floats in processions through the historic centre to the Cathedral, day and night.

April 2027

Paris Marathon in Paris 4 Apr 2027
Paris's city marathon, the ASICS Marathon de Paris from 2027 (its 50th edition), finishing on Avenue Foch.
Feria de Abril in Seville 13 – 18 Apr 2027
A week of flamenco dress, sevillanas, horse carriages and tents (casetas) at the fairground; many casetas are private.
Boston Marathon in Boston 19 Apr 2027
A marathon from Hopkinton into Boston, run each year on Patriots' Day.
Coachella in Palm Springs usually two weekends in April (10-12 and 17-19 April in 2026)
Music and arts festival held over two weekends on the polo fields in Indio, near Palm Springs.

May 2027

La Biennale di Venezia in Venice 9 May – 22 Nov 2026
Venice's international exhibition, Art and Architecture in turn; 2026 is the 61st International Art Exhibition.
Cannes Film Festival in Cannes 11 – 22 May 2027
The international film festival at the Palais des Festivals; most screenings are by invitation or accreditation.
Vivid Sydney in Sydney 28 May – 19 Jun 2027
Light installations and projections across Sydney after dark, with music and talks.
Fiestas de San Isidro in Madrid usually early May to mid-May, around 15 May
Madrid's patron-saint festival: concerts, chotis dancing, a procession and picnics in the Pradera de San Isidro.

June 2027

Monaco Grand Prix in Monaco 3 – 6 Jun 2027
The Formula 1 race on the streets of Monaco; 2027 is a Sprint weekend.
Art Basel in Basel 17 – 20 Jun 2027
The international fair of modern and contemporary art, held in Basel each June.
Inti Raymi in Cusco expected 24 Jun 2027
A staging of the Inca festival of the Sun at Qorikancha, the main square and Sacsayhuamán.
The Championships, Wimbledon in London 28 Jun – 11 Jul 2027
The grass-court tennis Grand Slam at the All England Club; 2027 marks 150 years of The Championships.

July 2027

Gion Matsuri in Kyoto 1 – 31 Jul 2027
Kyoto's month-long festival of Yasaka Shrine, with lantern-lit evenings and float processions on 17 and 24 July.
San Fermín in Pamplona 6 – 14 Jul 2027 · The old town is closed to traffic for the fiesta; the bull-run streets close to pedestrians before each run
Pamplona's fiesta for its patron saint, with a bull run through the old town at 8:00 each morning from 7 to 14 July.
Calgary Stampede in Calgary 9 – 18 Jul 2027
Ten days of rodeo, chuckwagon races, shows, a midway and a parade in Calgary.
Salzburg Festival in Salzburg 16 Jul – 29 Aug 2027
Opera, theatre and concerts in Salzburg's festival halls each summer.
Tour de France finish in Paris expected 25 Jul 2027 · roads close and some metro stations shut around the Champs-Élysées and Montmartre
The Tour de France's final stage, finishing on the Champs-Élysées after laps that climb Montmartre.

August 2027

Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh 6 – 30 Aug 2027
An open-access arts festival of theatre, comedy, music and more in venues across Edinburgh.
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Edinburgh 6 – 28 Aug 2027
Evening shows of military bands, pipes and drums and dancers on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.
Notting Hill Carnival in London 29 – 30 Aug 2027
A Caribbean carnival in west London: a costumed parade, steel bands and sound systems over two days.

September 2027

Oktoberfest in Munich 18 Sep – 3 Oct 2027
Munich's beer festival on the Theresienwiese, with large beer tents, fairground rides and Bavarian music and dress.
Berlin Marathon in Berlin 26 Sep 2027
Berlin's city marathon, run through the centre; from 2027 it is the Generali Berlin-Marathon.
La Mercè in Barcelona usually five days in late September, around 24 September
Barcelona's city festival: over a hundred concerts, street arts, traditional festivities and a fireworks show to music.

Dates from each event's own site where it has published them. Where it has not yet, a date that follows a rule (the first Tuesday of November, the days before Lent) is said as expected, and any other as when it usually falls: check its own site before you book. A place under travel advice is not listed here. With your city chosen, each says how far it is from there.