You know what? Planning trips around big festivals sounded awesome until I actually tried it. Thought it’d be as simple as picking a date and flying out. Boy, was I wrong!
So, How Did This Mess Start?
Right. Scrolling through feeds, saw pics from Rio Carnival. Colors, dancing, pure energy. Figured “I NEED to see this!” Then thought, why stop there? Lots of celebrations worldwide, right? Let’s hunt ’em down!
The Great List Hunt (Confusion Included)
Grabbed a notebook (digital one, obviously). Goal: Find the absolute best spots for the top events. Started googling. Made a chaotic list first:
- Rio Carnival, Brazil – Obvious one, top of mind.
- Diwali, India – Heard the lights are insane.
- Oktoberfest, Germany – Beer. Giant pretzels. Lots of “Prost!” Needed.
- Songkran, Thailand – Water fight turned country-wide party? Count me in!
- Holi, India – All those colours? Looked unreal on pictures.
- Chinese New Year – But where? Singapore? Beijing? Hong Kong? Ugh, choices!
See? Easy start. Then it got muddy. Finding the actual best place within a country? Ha!
The Reality Check Phase
Started digging into each. Quickly learned:
- Rio Carnival: Yes, Rio is king. BUT, accommodation books out insane early. Like, months before early. And the “Sambadrome” tickets? Different leagues, wildly different prices. Blown away.
- Diwali: Varanasi kept popping up for rituals on the Ganges. Sounds epic, atmospheric. But Jaipur for markets and lights apparently is top too. Paralysis by research!
- Oktoberfest: Munich. Everyone says Munich. But which tent? Oldest? Biggest? Family-friendly? Beer snob approved? Who knew! Turns out booking a tent table is basically mandatory if you want somewhere to actually sit and drink. Missed that memo initially.
- Songkran: Chaos in Bangkok, more traditional up north in Chiang Mai. Ended up leaning towards Chiang Mai for the mix of tradition and water madness in the old city moat.
- Holi: Mathura? Vrindavan? Thought it was all the same. Apparently Mathura’s Lathmar Holi (women playfully beating men with sticks?) is unique. Mental note added.
- Chinese New Year: HK felt crowded. Beijing cold. Landed on Singapore after lots of forums – efficient, clean, amazing light displays on Orchard Road.
Ended up cross-referencing travel blogs, forums (lots of arguments!), and official tourism sites. Saved my sanity… mostly.
The “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” Tips
After all this sweat, some hard-learned stuff crystalized:
- Book WAY Ahead: Like, not kidding. Flights, hotels, specific event tickets – they vanish months out for biggies like Carnival.
- Local Dates Matter: Some festivals follow lunar calendars! Chinese New Year shifts every year. Diwali too. Checked, double-checked, then checked again.
- Location is Everything (Within the City): Thought being in the city was enough. Wrong! For Holi in Vrindavan, staying near the temples vs outskirts makes a HUGE difference logistically.
- Respect > Spectate: Especially Diwali, Songkran. Not just a show. Learned appropriate clothes (modest for Diwali temples), behaviour (gentle water for Songkran elders). Key to not be that tourist.
- Embrace the Crowd & Chaos: If you hate crowds, maybe skip Rio Carnival peak days? It’s intense! Pick shoulder days or fringe events sometimes.
- Packing: Go Local: Packed old white t-shirt for Holi (ruined instantly, perfect). Didn’t need fancy clothes for Oktoberfest benches. Practical beats fashionable here.
Bottom Line
Planning this trip felt like prepping for a military operation sometimes. Frustrating? Yeah, sometimes. Was it worth figuring it all out? Totally. Seeing these celebrations in their best spots… nothing like it. Just do the homework first. Trust me on that!
