Festivals & Events in North America
The best festivals and events in North America, from Mardi Gras and Coachella to Mexico's Day of the Dead.
North America throws some of the most exuberant and spectacular festivals on the planet, born of the continent’s extraordinary cultural mix. From ancient indigenous traditions and Catholic feast days to modern music mega-events, its celebrations pull in millions of visitors and offer an unforgettable window onto local life.
Mexico leads with its uniquely vivid festivals, above all the joyous, marigold-strewn Day of the Dead, celebrated most powerfully in Oaxaca and Mexico City. The United States serves up everything from the wild abandon of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras to sky-filling balloon fiestas and world-famous music festivals, while Canada hosts vibrant winter carnivals and giant cultural gatherings.
Timing a trip around one of these events transforms it entirely, immersing you in music, colour, food and shared celebration. Whether you want to dance in the streets, watch the sky fill with hot-air balloons, or honour the dead alongside candlelit families, the region’s festivals are experiences to build a journey around.
North America's Best Festivals & Events#
Oaxaca, Mexico The spiritual heart of Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), when the city fills with marigolds, sugar skulls, candlelit altars and processions honouring departed loved ones. It is one of the most moving, colourful and profound cultural celebrations anywhere on Earth.
New Orleans, USA The home of Mardi Gras, a riotous carnival of elaborate parades, beads, brass bands and non-stop street revelry that engulfs the whole city. The blend of French, African and Caribbean traditions makes it one of the world’s great parties.
Mexico City, Mexico The capital hosts an enormous Day of the Dead parade alongside Independence Day celebrations that fill the vast Zocalo square with crowds, music and fireworks. Its scale and energy make every major festival here a spectacle.
Albuquerque, USA Home to the International Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot-air balloon event on the planet, where hundreds of balloons rise together at dawn into the New Mexico sky. The mass ascensions and glowing night ‘balloon glows’ are a truly unforgettable sight.
Quebec City, Canada The Winter Carnival is the largest in the world, transforming the snowy old city into a wonderland of ice sculptures, night parades, canoe races across the frozen St. Lawrence and its jovial snowman mascot, Bonhomme. It is winter celebration at its most magical.
Austin, USA The self-styled ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ hosts the giant South by Southwest and Austin City Limits festivals, drawing music, film and tech crowds from across the globe. Year-round, its clubs keep the city humming with sound.
Montreal, Canada Summer in Montreal means a packed calendar of world-class festivals, crowned by the Montreal Jazz Festival, the largest of its kind on Earth. Free outdoor concerts turn the whole downtown into one enormous, joyful celebration.
Guanajuato, Mexico The colourful highland city hosts the Cervantino, Latin America’s most important arts and culture festival, filling its plazas and tunnels with theatre, music and dance. The whole town becomes a stage for weeks each autumn.
Toronto, Canada Home to the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious in the world and a key launchpad for the awards season. The city also hosts Caribana, North America’s largest Caribbean carnival, a riot of costume and calypso.
Calgary, Canada The Calgary Stampede bills itself as ‘The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’, a ten-day extravaganza of rodeo, chuckwagon races, concerts and cowboy culture. The whole city dons its Western best to join the party.
San Francisco, USA A city of exuberant, inclusive celebrations, from one of the world’s biggest Pride parades to the colourful Chinese New Year procession, the largest outside Asia. Its festivals reflect a proudly diverse and free-spirited spirit.
Merida, Mexico The elegant Yucatan capital celebrates its Maya and colonial heritage with year-round festivals, most vividly at its own atmospheric Day of the Dead, known here as Hanal Pixan. Nightly free concerts and dance fill its plazas.
Guadalajara, Mexico The birthplace of mariachi hosts an International Mariachi Festival and the largest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world. Its celebrations capture the very soul of Mexican music and culture.
Las Vegas, USA The entertainment capital of the world stages spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks over the Strip, headline residencies and world-championship events. Few places know how to throw a party on quite such a dazzling scale.