festival
Americannoun
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festivals
plural
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a day or time of religious or other celebration, marked by feasting, ceremonies, or other observances.
the festival of Christmas; a Roman festival.
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a periodic commemoration, anniversary, or celebration.
an annual strawberry festival.
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a period or program of festive activities, cultural events, or entertainment.
a music festival.
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gaiety; revelry; merrymaking.
adjective
noun
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a day or period set aside for celebration or feasting, esp one of religious significance
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any occasion for celebration, esp one which commemorates an anniversary or other significant event
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an organized series of special events and performances, usually in one place
a festival of drama
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archaic a time of revelry; merrymaking
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(modifier) relating to or characteristic of a festival
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of festival
1300–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin fēstivālis ( diēs ) holy (day). See festive, -al 1
Explanation
A festival might be an all-day series of music performances or a weekend of short plays or films. Any program made up of many different acts, especially lasting an entire day or several days, can be called a festival. Another meaning of the word festival is "big party," again most often a celebration that lasts for a long period of time. Some festivals are religious, and others are seasonal or cultural, like a city's Italian Heritage Festival. Some famous festivals include the Fringe Festival in Scotland, Carnivale in Brazil, Oktoberfest in Germany and Burning Man in the United States. You could travel the world as a festival hopper.
Vocabulary lists containing festival
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A month later, Young dropped her microphone, collapsed backwards and had to be helped off stage in front of a festival crowd in New York.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
On Friday, Rodrigo announced that the festival would donate $10 million to an array of organizations working for women’s rights and reproductive justice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Young also pulled out of the 2025 Reading festival due to a scheduling clash.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The twin festivals will feature six major headliners this weekend, with bosses previously saying Reading and Leeds will be the only UK festival appearances for all of them this year.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
It is a festival mainly for the children, but of course everyone who can takes part.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
It will also be the first time in 25 years that all headliners at the sister festivals are exclusively British and Irish acts, organisers say.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
"And this exciting addition to the August festivals line-up will provide a new way to embrace the creativity and cultural innovation which makes our capital unique."
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Dollywood, the theme park founded by country music legend Dolly Parton, opened in Tennessee in 1986 and boasts roller coasters, seasonal festivals and old-time displays of rural and small-town American life.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
According to multiple outlets, Watts has also been removed from the programming for the Shambala and Greenbelt festivals in the U.K. as well as Electric Picnic in Ireland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
They have live music and festivals, and lots of families take picnics there.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
