festival
Americannoun
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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:
In California, Aperol has been a sponsor of the Coachella music festival for the past four years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Once we did our own festival, it kind of reshaped my brain, coming from being in the audience. I loved it way more being back of house than being in the front of house.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The atmosphere was more akin to a music festival than an antigovernment rally in the middle of a war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The three people who died on Sunday at the annual Bite of Seattle food festival were Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19, Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Ashley Whitehead, 56.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I’ve been dancing in this festival since I was little, but this part always feels the same: stomach somersaults and trembly legs.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
The center offers free art, film and music classes for students and seniors, houses an art gallery and hosts two annual music festivals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
She said she hopes the restored theater could host performances, international films, festivals and local artists while reflecting the surrounding community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
"I think in the festival business in the UK... we've a lot more festivals than any country, I think per head of population, so it is tougher to survive."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Taneal Jordan enjoyed attending local festivals and other events when she lived in Milwaukee after graduating from a local college.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
I built a fine ship for her and we sailed to Lannisport and Oldtown for festivals and fairs, and oime even to Braavos, where I borrowed heavily from the moneylenders.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
