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The rainy season has become a major draw for tourists, for its unique charm and the vibrant festivals in rainy season that invite people to experience the magic firsthand. During this time, even a light drizzle can turn streets into lively places, with bustling markets full of tasty treats for visitors. Monsoon tourism is exciting for nature lovers, offering beautiful landscapes with endless greenery, misty hills, and flowing waterfalls. Festivals during this season are a wonderful sight, combining cultural richness with the beauty of the monsoon.
Top 10 Festivals In Rainy Season Around The World
There are numerous vibrant festivals worldwide that take place during the rainy season. Here are the top 10 festivals in rainy season known for their lively atmosphere:
1. Gion Matsuri, Japan
Photo: nekonomania / Wikimedia Commons
The Gion Matsuri Festival is one of the most popular and longest festivals in Japan that lasts through July in Kyoto. Originally a religious ceremony in the 9th century to ward off plagues; it has now been transformed into a huge manifestation of the cultural heritage of Kyoto. The highlights of the celebrations are yama and hoko, which are the enormous, beautifully decorated floats, some of which reach up to 25 meters in height and weigh several tons. Traditional performances, shrine rituals, and nighttime markets featuring Japanese street food complete the festival.
Popular Locations: Downtown Kyoto, Shijo-dori, Yasaka Shrine
2. Krishna Janmashtami, India & Nepal
Photo: Geetha geeths!! / Wikimedia Commons
This august month stands for the celebration of Krishna Janamashtami, an event that marks the advent of Lord Krishna, considered one of the greatest gods of Hinduism. The festival is celebrated in the grandest way in India and in Nepal, consisting of temple rituals and celebrations, foreign devotional singing, bhajans, and dramatizations from Krishna’s life (Raslila). Among the most spectacular is Dahi Handi, in which teams of young men form human pyramids to smash a clay pot filled with curd in a show for Krishna’s love for butter during childhood.
Popular Locations: Mathura, Vrindavan, Mumbai (Dahi Handi events)
3. Esala Perahera, Sri Lanka
Photo: Sachin Kaveesha Fernando / Wikimedia Commons
Esala Perahera is the grandest Buddhist festival in Sri Lanka, which happens every year during the month of July or August in the city of Kandy. It is celebrated as a festival dedicated to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha-housed within the Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa). This event lasts for ten consecutive nights and includes vibrant parades with resplendently adorned elephants, traditional Kandyan dancers, fire twirlers, and finally drummers. The most spectacular event is the Maligawa Tusker, the huge elephant carrying the golden casket symbolising the sacred relic.
Popular Locations: Kandy, Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa)
4. Boryeong Mud Festival, South Korea
Photo: Stinkie Pinkie / Wikimedia Commons
The Boryeong Mud Festival has now been considered lively and an event of attraction for the people and tourists for over a decade each July since its initiation in 1998. Boryeong and Daecheon Beach became the targets for excited tourists and locals wanting to soak themselves in mud wrestling, mud sliding, and mud marathons. Due to the beneficial minerals showered by the same mud in the festival for skin care, the health of the skin will also be improved, providing additional terms of soothing experience. Amid the monsoon winds of July, the rain adds to the very chaotic atmosphere and will make the occasion even livelier.
Popular Locations: Daecheon Beach, Boryeong
5. Obon Festival, Japan
Photo: jinkemoole / Wikimedia Commons
Obon is a Buddhist festival in Japan specifically associated with deceased ancestors. It observes a three-day traditional event wherein people usually visit the graves of their families, hold food offerings in home altars, and then perform Bon Odori (Obon dance). All across the country, one may find community dance festivals around a central stage (yagura) with people dressed in summer kimonos gracefully moving to the rhythm of folk music. The most breathtaking sight of Obon is during the Toro Nagashi ritual, when thousands of lanterns are floated on rivers or into the sea, symbolizing the return of the spirits to the world beyond.
Popular Locations: Kyoto, Tokyo, Nagasaki (Shoro Nagashi lantern floating)
6. Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival, Turkey
Photo: CeeGee / Wikimedia Commons
Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Turkey is the longest running sporting event with uninterrupted history since 1362 and is considered as one of the Intangible Cultural Heritage events by UNESCO. A traditional wrestling match where competitors aka pehlivans are covered in olive oil and fight each other on open grounds, most times pouring in rainfall, which leads to the ground becoming much more slippery because of the rains from the monsoon season. There are several days of matches, some with folkloric musical accompaniment and feasting and with other cultural performances.
Popular Locations: Edirne, Turkey
7. Inti Raymi, Peru
Photo: McKay Savage / Wikimedia Commons
Inti Raymi is an ancient festival of the Incas that is celebrated annually on June 24 at Cusco in Peru. It is a feast of the Sun God Inti and commemorates the Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice. It usually has a marvelous reenactment of Inca rituals wherein people wear resplendent traditional clothes to perform priests, nobles, or warriors. It occurs at Sacsayhuamán, an old Inca site from which one could see Cusco. Even in the short rains, thousands of people come to view the colorful processions and music with sacred rituals.
Popular Locations: Cusco, Sacsayhuamán fortress
8. Notting Hill Carnival, UK
Photo: Heather Rai / Wikimedia Commons
Once every year, during the August Bank Holiday weekend, London comes alive with one of the biggest European street festivals-the Notting Hill Carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture. It initially began in the 1960s to orchestrate against racial tension but later evolved into a grand spectacle including an ostentatious parade and a setting of steel-drum bands along with fancy costumes. Revellers in the streets were not bothered by the UK’s unpredictable summer rain, dancing to the beats of reggae, calypso, and soca music. The aroma wafting through the air comes from roast jerk chicken and fried plantains accompanied by rum punch at the stalls.
Popular Locations: Notting Hill, West London
9. Bastille Day, France
Photo: BenAveling / Wikimedia Commons
July 14, or Bastille Day, is the national holiday of France, commemorating the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789-an event of immense significance within the progression of the French Revolution and overall the triumph of liberty and union of the French people. The day starts with the grand military parade on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, which is one of the oldest and largest in the world and is attended by the President of France and other international dignitaries. It includes the display of troops, cavalry, and air force flyovers, along with many other things that an individual can call patriotic acts.
Popular Locations: Paris (Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower), Lyon, Marseille
10. Fiesta De La Virgen De La Asunción, Guatemala
Photo: Carlos Figueroa Rojas / Wikimedia Commons
The Fiesta de la Virna de la Asunción is celebrated every year on August 15 and is one of the most important in Guatemala as it honors the Virgin Mary as the patron saint of Guatemala City. The major highlight of the celebration is the magnificent procession of a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary through the streets, filled with thousands of devotees. The traditional dances and music and spectacular costumes usher festive atmosphere besides special masses and prayer services in the churches, which continue to be held.
Popular Locations: Guatemala City, Antigua Guatemala
The monsoon season brings a magical fusion of cultural traditions, vibrant celebrations, and nature’s majestic beauty. The patter of rain will heighten the feeling of festivity to make it all the more memorable. Festivals in rainy season are colorful processions to traditional dance performances to fair-weather customs, these festivals promise all adventure and excitement. Don’t let a little rain spoil your travel plans- bask in the glory of the monsoon! Plan your next festival getaway with TripXL for smooth bookings, travel advice, and special deals.
Cover Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons
