6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert
One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand.
One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand.
One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand.
One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand.
Festivals, when cultures reveals themselves most vividly, are some of the best times to visit a new destination — here are the six best summer festivals to travel to this summer.
6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
There's no better time to visit a new place than during a festival. These heightened moments, special points in the calendar, are when a culture reveals itself most vividly: town squares are festooned with flowers and draped in finery, people conceal themselves beneath extravagant costumes and wild-eyed masks, and the air is filled with the sound of music and the delicious smells of festival food.
But beyond just being outwardly captivating, festivals are also fascinating portraits of human behaviour. While writing my book about festivals, Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity, I travelled from Indonesia to Ingol, Lancashire – and found that, across the world, festivals reflect certain universal patterns. The —sual rules of life are upended: social hierarchies dissolve, inhibitions are shed, and altered states of consciousness are pursued with relish. Whether you're a participant or an observer, the experience of a festival can be inspiring, life-affirming and, sometimes, transcendent. Here are six of the best festivals to visit across the world this summer.
Around 30,000 spectators descend on the town of Leksand to watch locals, dressed in traditional white blouses, colourful dresses and floral wreaths, process from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a natural grassy amphitheatre.
Photograph by Anna Holm, Visit Dlarna
1. Midsommar, Leksand, Sweden
Summer solstice (20/21/22 June)
It may have entered the horror pantheon thanks to the celebrated 2019 movie Midsommar, but there's nothing (too) scary about Scandinavia's real-life summer solstice celebrations, the most famous of which is to be found in the central Swedish town of Leksand.
As many as 30,000 spectators descend on the town to watch locals, dressed in traditional white blouses, colourful dresses and floral wreaths, process from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a natural grassy amphitheatre. Here, they dance around a maypole covered in plants and flowers, singing folk songs which celebrate the warmth and light of the year's longest day. The party continues long into the twilight of the midsummer night, with revellers eating pickled herring and strawberries and drinking aquavit, the potent local liquor.
(6 of the best destinations to celebrate midsummer in Europe.)
Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage sets the scene for unforgettable summer performances.
Anna Barclay
2. Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, England
Last weekend of June
More than just the archetypal summer music festival, Glastonbury reflects many of the strands common to festivity across the world — seasonality, debauchery, connection to nature, music and dance – and the resulting atmosphere is that of a folkloric utopia, all soundtracked by the finest musicians on the planet. A primordial rooting in the earth and connection to the seasonal calendar — common to many of the Glastonbury area's festivals — is fostered by the event's timing close to the summer solstice, and bards, druids and pagans of all stripes can often be found gathered at the festival's very own stone circle — built not in 3000 BCE, but 1992.
The festival's proximity to Glastonbury Tor, meanwhile, infuses the event with a touch of King Arthur mythology. And five miles from the festival site, many more solstice celebrants can be found at this green hill topped with a medieval tower, which is often identified with the mythical Isle of Avalon from Arthurian legend. In the nearby town of Glastonbury itself, meanwhile, celebrants gather at the Chalice Well, a sacred spring held in some legends to hide the Holy Grail.
3. Khareef Festival, Dhofar, Oman
21 June-20 September
Every summer, in the Dhofar region of Oman's less-visited south, the desert blooms. From June to September, the tongues of the southeast monsoon lash the coast around Oman's second city, Salalah, causing waterfalls and rivers to burst into life and seeing this otherwise arid corner of the Arabian Peninsula erupt in a riot of tropical green. Omanis flock from the oppressive heat of the north to refresh themselves in the fine misty rain, swim in natural pools framed by resplendent greenery, and relish the scent of the world's finest frankincense trees in full bloom. The carnival-like Khareef Festival sees three months of music and dance performances, souks selling handicrafts and traditional foods, and hot air balloons soaring in the sky above.
4. Festa of Mnarja, Buskett Gardens, Malta
29 June
The tiny Mediterranean nation of Malta has one of the most jam-packed festival calendars in Europe, with more than one hundred festi – the local celebration of Catholic saints' days — held between March and September. Each has its own character. Rabat hosts a stately affair in March, with regal decorations and a brass-band procession, while Mqabba marks its festa with some of the most rip-roaring fireworks displays imaginable. But the most memorable is arguably Mnarja (or L-Imnarja), held on 29 June to celebrate saints Peter and Paul. Held outside Rabat in the Buskett Gardens woodlands, the event sees locals dressed in medieval ruffs and velvet tunics, displays of fruit and vegetable carving, wandering minstrels playing Maltese folk tunes, and mountains of traditional food, including the national dish, rabbit stew.
5. Abare Festival, Ushitsu, Japan
4-5 July
Travel guides to Japan often emphasise the politeness and gentleness of its people, their cultural aversion to public outbursts and their dedication to exquisite, traditional arts and crafts. All of which makes it somewhat surprising to turn up in the Noto Peninsula town of Ushitsu each July and find it consumed by the chaos and fury of the Abare Festival, a.k.a the 'Fire & Violence Festival'. Huge, beautiful lanterns, painted with mythological scenes and folktales, are painstakingly created throughout the year, only to be ritualistically destroyed by a band of drunk, loincloth-clad men, who smash the decorations against lampposts and pavements before burning them at the town's main shrine. This symbolic riot of rage has its origins in the 17th century, as a way to ward off disease. Before, during and after the main procession, much sake is consumed by participants and spectators alike.
During Phuket's Vegetarian Festival, spirit mediums process through the streets of Phuket Old Town by the thousand with swords, skewers and other sharp objects stuck through their faces at all angles.
Photograph by the Copyright of the Tourism Authority of Thailand
6. Phuket Vegetarian Festival, Phuket Old Town, Thailand
Ninth lunar month (September or October; dates vary)
A vegetarian festival, you might think, sounds pretty wholesome; a celebration of the tasty, health-bestowing properties of a meat-free diet. The island of Phuket, however, clearly didn't get the memo. While this celebration does incorporate much delicious plant-based food, the nine-day Phuket Vegetarian Festival is more explicitly characterised by deafening noise and mind-boggling ritual mutilation, with spirit mediums processing through the streets of Phuket Old Town by the thousand with swords, skewers and other sharp objects stuck through their faces at all angles. Firewalking and climbing ladders of knives are among the other trials which the spirit mediums undertake, all while in a deep trance, to the sound of a chorus of firecrackers. Not an event for the faint of heart.
(Pearls, Peranakan culture and rare rituals: this is Phuket — but not as you know it.)
Daniel Stables is the author of Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity published by Icon Books (14 August 2025), RRP £20
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Filika Cafe Bar: A long-time favourite with locals as well as visitors, Filika morphs from chilled-out cafe by day to lively bar by night, with tables spilling onto a Kaleiçi street and regular live music. It's not the place to come for an evening of mellow jazz, but rather a fun, mixed group of people and a crowd-pleasing menu of reasonably priced cocktails. 251 Soul: Part of the Akra Hotel on Lara's long, beachy strip, 251 Soul is a rare musical find in Antalya, focusing on blues, jazz and soul seven nights a week. Dimly lit, with small, circular tables and a gleaming bar, it specialises in dry-as-a-bone martinis. There's more than a hint of speakeasy style, attracting a young, trendy crowd. Snag an outdoor table at the popular fish restaurant, Antalya Balik Evi, and dine on classic Turkish dishes with a creative twist. Photograph by Aisha Nazar The pool at Tuvana hotel is surrounded by bougainvillea and pomegranate trees. Photograph by Aisha Nazar Where to stay Tuvana: The owners of Tuvana grew up in Kaleiçi and restoring this cluster of 18th-century Ottoman houses surrounding two peaceful courtyards has been their passion project. Rooms range from small and simple, with exposed stone walls and wooden beams, to spacious suites with crisp white walls, gilt-framed mirrors and scarlet drapes. All have access to the good-sized pool and palm-shaded bar terrace, with the second courtyard home to the excellent Seraser restaurant. Ruin Adalia: Part adults-only hotel, part museum, these five Ottoman houses sit above a Roman archaeological site — the largest in Kaleiçi, with ancient walls and masonry accessed via a wooden boardwalk. Above, chic rooms with muted gold furnishings and duck-egg fabric feel cool and airy, while the pool and plant-filled terrace area is a peaceful oasis in the middle of the old town. Su Hotel: This contemporary hotel in Konyaaltı is an all-white temple to minimalism, from the extraordinary monochrome lobby to the bedrooms framed with jet-black curtains. The exception lies in the aptly named Red restaurant, which is decked top-to-toe in bright scarlet shades. There's also a world-class spa and pretty, lounger-fringed pool here, while the rooftop bar is the ideal place for sundowners come nightfall. Getting there & around: Antalya-based airline SunExpress flies direct from Gatwick, Liverpool and Birmingham to Antalya. Alternatively, airlines such as Jet2, EasyJet and British Airways fly direct to Antalya from airports across the UK. Average flight time: city's modern tram system offers a direct connection between the airport and the city centre; take the AntRay tram to the central tram station, from where it's a short taxi ride to further points in the city. Antalya is a big city — from Lara to Konyaalti or Kaleiçi can take up to 40 minutes — so it's a good idea to download the AntalyaKart Mobil transportation app to make use of the excellent bus service. Buses can be paid for by contactless payment or via an AntalyaKart card (available from vending machines at stations), which can be topped up. Taxis are also plentiful; always make sure the meter is set and running when you begin your journey to ensure a fair price. When to go: Antalya gets very hot and busy in June, July and August, the peak summer months, when temperatures can top 40C. The shoulder seasons — May to June and September to October — are more manageable, with the mercury rarely dipping below 25C and fewer crowds. Increasingly, Antalya is becoming known as a winter sun destination, with November and February to March still seeing temperatures in the low to mid 20s. December and January can still be pleasant, although there is more likelihood of rain. More info: DK Top 10: Turkey's Southwest Coast, Dorling Kindersley. £8.99 How to do it: Fly direct to Antalya with SunExpress. Stay at the Tuvana boutique hotel, which has doubles from £85, B&B. This story was created with the support of Sun Express, the Tuvana Hotel, Parlak Restaurant and Published in the July/August 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
