Guides & Field Notes · Festival Nomadz

Festival guides

First-timer guides to the world's great festivals, each with real costs from London, New York, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney.

The Oktoberfest fairground in Munich lit up at night, with the looping roller coaster glowing against the dark sky

First-Timer GuideOktoberfest2026-06-03 · 7 min read

Costumed performers in red and gold Inca dress during the Inti Raymi ceremony on the esplanade below the stone walls of Sacsayhuaman in Cusco

First-Timer GuideInti Raymi2026-06-03 · 7 min read

A dense crowd dressed in white with red neckerchiefs fills a Pamplona street during the San Fermin festival

First-Timer GuideSan Fermin2026-06-03 · 8 min read

The vast, ornate Tomorrowland mainstage lit up at dusk above a huge crowd in the De Schorre park at Boom, Belgium

First-Timer GuideTomorrowland2026-06-03 · 8 min read

A crowd watching a stage set among forested green mountains at the Fuji Rock Festival in Naeba, Japan

First-Timer GuideFuji Rock2026-06-03 · 7 min read

A huge crowd in Grant Park with the Chicago downtown skyline rising behind the Lollapalooza main stage

First-Timer GuideLollapalooza2026-06-03 · 7 min read

A large crowd on Obuda Island at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, hands in the air in front of the main stage

First-Timer GuideSziget2026-06-03 · 7 min read

Crowds and street performers along the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with the old town buildings behind

First-Timer GuideEdinburgh Fringe2026-06-03 · 8 min read

A crowd covered in red tomato pulp packed into a narrow street during La Tomatina in Bunol, Spain

First-Timer GuideLa Tomatina2026-06-03 · 6 min read

A large festival crowd watching the main stage at Reading Festival under a summer evening sky

First-Timer GuideReading and Leeds2026-06-03 · 7 min read

Art cars and cyclists crossing the dusty open playa of Black Rock City at Burning Man, with the desert mountains beyond

First-Timer GuideBurning Man2026-06-03 · 9 min read

A dancer in a vivid feathered costume leads the parade through a packed west London street at Notting Hill Carnival

First-Timer GuideNotting Hill Carnival2026-06-03 · 7 min read

A vast night crowd in front of the brightly lit World Stage at Rock in Rio in the Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro

First-Timer GuideRock in Rio2026-06-03 · 8 min read

A giant decorated sugar skull float topped with paper marigolds reading Celebrando la Eternidad, above a crowd at a Dia de Muertos parade in Mexico

First-Timer GuideDia de Muertos2026-06-03 · 8 min read

A long-exposure firework bursting in golden streaks against the black night sky during Diwali in Gurgaon, India

First-Timer GuideDiwali2026-06-03 · 8 min read

Costumed carnival groups in elaborate matching outfits singing in the lantern-lit streets of the Cadiz old town during Carnaval

First-Timer GuideCarnaval de Cadiz2026-07-01 · 8 min read

Elaborately costumed carnival dancers in bright feathered headdresses performing in the Batalla de Flores parade in Barranquilla

First-Timer GuideCarnaval de Barranquilla2026-07-01 · 7 min read

Thousands of costumed Sinulog dancers in bright reds and golds moving through the packed streets of Cebu City during the Grand Parade

First-Timer GuideSinulog Festival2026-07-01 · 6 min read

A towering wooden Yamaboko float decorated with tapestries being hauled through the narrow streets of central Kyoto during the Gion Matsuri procession

First-Timer GuideGion Matsuri2026-07-01 · 7 min read

Festival crowd dancing at night on the green riverbank stages of Nyege Nyege with the Nile visible in the background at Jinja Uganda

First-Timer GuideNyege Nyege2026-07-01 · 6 min read

Festival crowd at Glastonbury with the Pyramid Stage lit up at dusk

First-Timer GuideGlastonburyJune 2026 · 8 min read

Aerial view of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the California desert

First-Timer GuideCoachellaJune 2026 · 7 min read

Outdoor concert crowd at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee under open skies

First-Timer GuideBonnarooJune 2026 · 7 min read

Massive crowd at Ultra Music Festival in Miami with the main stage lit

First-Timer GuideUltra MiamiJune 2026 · 7 min read

Colourful Mardi Gras parade floats moving through a packed street in New Orleans

First-Timer GuideMardi GrasJune 2026 · 8 min read

Samba dancers in elaborate feathered costumes at Rio Carnival in the Sambadrome

First-Timer GuideRio CarnivalJune 2026 · 8 min read

Festival crowd at Primavera Sound by the Barcelona waterfront at dusk

First-Timer GuidePrimavera SoundJune 2026 · 7 min read

Trip Arcs

Full journey arcs built around a festival — the city before, the festival itself, and how to make the whole trip count.

Planning & gear

Practical guides to the mechanics of festival travel — budgeting, packing, insurance, group logistics, and gear.