As the clock reaches midnight on New Year’s Eve, the entire world starts over. However, January is not only about resolutions, as it is also a month of festivals that unite people from different continents. Some places are celebrating by creating snow sculptures, building ice castles, and skiing, while others are rejoicing with fire, bright lights, and dancing to keep warm.
In one way or another, all of them. These festivals are not only for fun, but they also provide an insight into the history, faith, and art of different people. If you are one of those people who are always planning a trip at the beginning of the year, then let me tell you about 20 of the best festivals in the world that take place in January and are going to make you remember them forever.
1. Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival – Harbin, China
Chilly January sees the city of Harbin in the northeast of China turn into a winter wonderland of ice, no less than a frozen fantasyland, during the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, one of the world’s largest and most spectacular winter celebrations.
Started in 1985, the festival features gigantic ice sculptures, snow carvings, and entire palaces made of ice blocks taken from the nearby Songhua River. Tourists can visit the themed parks, take thrill rides on ice slides, or even stroll through the life-like ice replicas of famous landmarks.
Moreover, the festival is not limited to sculptures only but also extends to winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and ice swimming etc.
2. Up Helly Aa – Lerwick, Scotland
At the end of January, Lerwick, a town in Shetland, Scotland, is all fire and flames during Up Helly Aa, a fire festival deeply rooted in Viking heritage.
The highlight of this spectacular event is a torch-lit procession of the “Jarl Squad,” dressed in Norse warrior costumes and who, most amazingly, carry flaming torches and walk through the streets of the town. The summit is the ceremonial burning of a replica Viking longship, set on fire in a dramatic fire against the dark winter sky.
Up Helly Aa is not only about fire, but it is a celebration of Shetland’s past, community, and arts. The merriment goes on with music, dancing, and the famous all-night parties in the various local halls.
3. Thaipusam – Malaysia & Singapore
Thaipusam is regarded as one of Southeast Asia's most spiritual festivals, celebrated annually in January or February based on the Tamil calendar.
The festival is devoted to the Hindu god of war, Lord Murugan, and takes place at the Batu Caves, outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Some pierce their skin, tongues, or cheeks with hooks and skewers as a display of faith and endurance. Devotees perform acts of devotion and mortification of the flesh, in the case of the "kavadi," which are sometimes wooden or steel structures and are artistically made, and they carry them on their shoulders to the temple.
The rituals are the main characters of the festival, but they are not as harsh as they seem to outsiders, as Thaipusam is a joyful festival that revolves around faith, sacrifice, and devotion.
4. Jaipur Literature Festival – Jaipur, India
Every January, the Jaipur Literature Festival, held in the Pink City of Jaipur, India, is the world’s largest free literary gathering. Decorated against the historic setting of Diggi Palace, this five-day festival attracts the best authors, poets, journalists, and thinkers from all over the world.
The festival features debates, recitations, panel discussions, and workshops, held in settings ranging from politics and history to poetry and fiction.
The place is full of people and is very colorful because it is a combination of intellectual conversation and carnival atmosphere.
5. Sundance Film Festival – Utah, USA
Each January, movie buffs, cast and crew, and directors descend upon Park City, Utah each January for the Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the U.S.
While Sundance was once just an idea from actor Robert Redford in 1978, it has now become one of the major film festivals and provides the most cutting-edge narrative films, documentaries, and shorts from both beginning and established filmmakers.
Sundance has hosted many award-winning films, including those that would go on to receive Oscar nominations as well, thus creating a cinema lover's paradise.
In addition to the films, the Sundance Film Festival provides panels, Q&As, and festivals that allow participants to meet directors and actors.
However, the mountains of Park City provide a great way to balance the cold and the chic atmosphere of the city, allowing guests to enjoy the best of both worlds, as they partake in winter sports, such as skiing and snowboarding, between screenings.
6. Ati-Atihan Festival – Kalibo, Philippines
The Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan, is among the oldest and most celebrated festivals in the Philippines. It is an annual event held every January to pay homage to the Santo Niño (Holy Child).
Also known as the "Mother of All Philippine Festivals," it sees the merging of religious piety with popular street celebration. Both locals and tourists smear their faces with black soot, wear bright and colorful native-tribe inspired costumes, and dance to the groovy drum beat in the streets of the city.
Processions, parades, and community gatherings run through the night, and this is the time when the electric atmosphere can be felt. Though the event is very much a Catholic tradition at its core, it also pays homage to the cultural heritage of the indigenous Ati people. Along with the masses, pilgrim, others can find their delight in street dances during which the chants and music that spread throughout the town can be heard.
7. International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo – Monaco
Mentioning January, the spectacular Principality of Monaco organizes the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, an event known all over the world that honors the skills and the tradition of circus shows.
Created in 1974 by Prince Rainier III, the festival is a meeting of the best performers from the four corners of the Earth that features acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, and animal trainers, who present their acts to the jury in order to get the prestigious Golden Clown Award, which is considered the highest honor of the circus arts.
The festival, which is performed under the famous big top, attracts the public with spectacular and risky performances along with the brilliance of the artists. Besides the amusement, the festival is also about the continuity of the circus heritage and accepting modern creativity.
8. Tamworth Country Music Festival – Tamworth, Australia
Country music fans are the owners of January in Australia, as they come from far and wide to New South Wales to the Tamworth Country Music Festival, which is the biggest event of its kind in the whole Southern Hemisphere.
Over the course of the ten days, the small town of Tamworth changes into a vibrant and lively city of music, and it is the place where hundreds of concerts take place, not only in parks but also in pubs, clubs, and even on the outdoor stages.
It is a festival that invites the audience to meet the stars who are already well known and, in the meantime, enjoy discovering new artists, and it ends with holding the very famous Golden Guitar Awards event, which is the Australian equivalent of Nashville’s CMA Awards.
The city is full of people who are performing to the passers-by, who are dancing line, or just playing together in the open air, in other words, the streets become a big stage and a great place for meeting new people, this is the reason why people of different ages who are attending the festival can’t help getting drawn to such a place.
9. Pongal – Tamil Nadu, India
Pongal, which is celebrated at the beginning of January, is the most significant festival of Tamil Nadu that acknowledges the Sun God and marks the time of thanksgiving for the abundance of the earth. It is the most important festival in Tamil Nadu, lasting four days, loaded with ceremonies, family reunions, and colorful customs.
The first day is the one when houses are cleaned and made beautiful with the bright kolam (rangoli) patterns. Pongal day, or Surya Pongal, is the day on which the preparation of the dish "Pongal" is done.
"Pongal" is a sweet rice pudding that is cooked in newly made clay pots, and when it is cooked until it overflows, it is regarded as a symbol of prosperity and blessings.
Mattu Pongal is the day when the cattle including cows and bulls are celebrated. On the other hand, Kaanum Pongal, that is the last day of the festival, is a day of community bonding.
10. Cape Minstrel Carnival – Cape Town, South Africa
On the 2nd of January every year, Cape Town is vibrant with the Cape Minstrel Carnival or “Kaapse Klopse” as it is called locally. The colorful festival has a long history, with it, the days of slavery being the time when it originated, when the enslaved people were given January 2nd as their only day off.
Now, thousands of performers in costumes called “minstrels” dress in bright satin clothes, put on face paint, parade through the city streets, and are joined by lively brass bands and traditional Cape jazz music.
The event hosts tourists who stand along the streets to experience the spectacular floats, dance troupes, and marching bands that vie for awards in a delightful performance of inventiveness and community spirit.
11. The Ice Music Festival – Geilo, Norway
One of the most unusual and ephemeral cultural events on the globe is the Ice Music Festival, which takes place annually in Geilo, Norway, in or around the last week of January or the first week of February.
As a result of the use of fabrics solely made of ice and snow, like guitars, horns, and even xylophones, the artists create very beautiful and rare sounds that could only be found in freezing situations. The concerts are held in a special open-air venue that is made of ice, under the mellow light of the torches and, if you are fortunate, the Northern Lights shining in the sky.
12. Fiesta de San Sebastián – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Every January 20th, the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián will bring Puerto Rico to life again. This is one of the largest and most exuberant cultural festivities of the island. The event, which takes place in the historic streets of Old San Juan, was once a religious festival dedicated to Saint Sebastian that has become a four-day music, dance, and art new-year party.
These colorful parades are dominated by the giant paper-mâché heads called cabezudos, while the different venues host live salsa, reggaeton, and traditional Puerto Rican music concerts. In addition, the streets are full of artisan stalls offering crafts, jewelry, and local delicacies for sale.
The celebration is a great time for the locals and tourists, thus giving the event a high-spirited and friendly vibe full of Caribbean rhythm and energy.
13. World Buskers Festival – Christchurch, New Zealand
Each January, the World Buskers Festival or Bread & Circus takes place in Christchurch, and the city becomes a massive stage for artists from every corner of the globe. Through these ten days, the city is packed with jugglers, acrobats, comedians, magicians, and musicians, who are presenting their skills in the streets, parks, and venues.
The festival is all about street performances, and it does this by bringing in an element of surprise and delight, which is the reason why audiences never get to know what they will receive. Apart from free street shows, the program also incorporates ticketed performances, cabaret, and late-night comedy acts.
Thus, the whimsical day shows are for children, and adults are for edgier evening entertainment, which they can attend. In addition to that, food markets and pop-up bars also contribute to the festivities, thus making it a complete cultural experience.
14. Chinese New Year (when in January) – Worldwide
Chinese New Year is one of the most celebrated holidays. If it happens to be in January, it is also called the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. It is based on very old traditions and is the start of the lunar calendar, hence it is a new beginning.
Relatives come together and have meals just like in the old days, people put up very nice lighting with red lanterns and paper decorations, and on the streets, you hear a loud bang. The noise is created by firecrackers, and it goes on to scare away evil spirits. Lantern festivals and street parades with drums, music, and colors are common too.
It is believed that each year corresponds to one of the twelve animals of the zodiac, and this gives a great influence on the conduct of people and the decorations that they put up.
15. Magh Mela – Prayagraj, India
Magh Mela, a month-long holy bathing festival, is the most spiritual and very famous festival of Hinduism in North India. The festival is held every year in the month of January at the Sangam (confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the invisible Saraswati rivers) in Prayagraj (Allahabad).
A large number of people come to take a holy dip in the rivers, which is considered to be a way of the purification of the soul and eradicating sins.
The festival, besides the holy dip, also has the elements of religious discourses, yoga sessions, devotional singing, and cultural performances. Among the crowd, can be seen ash-smeared sadhus or holy men, saints, and spiritual leaders creating an atmosphere of devotion and mysticism.
16. Shōgatsu (Japanese New Year), Japan
While the New Year is celebrated on December 31st in most parts of the world, Japan holds the Shōgatsu holiday, which is considered the most important holiday, changing significantly after midnight and continuing on through January 1st and beyond.
Families visiting shrines and temples to ask for good fortunes, while streets are decorated with such things as kadomatsu (bamboo and pine) displays and shimenawa (sacred ropes), are the usual sight.
Tradition has it that special dishes called osechi ryōri, each made to symbolize health, wealth, and happiness, are prepared. Otoshidama (New Year’s money in envelopes) is given to children. Many people go to watch the first sunrise of the year, also known as hatsu-hinode, which is a custom.
17. International Kite Festival, Gujarat, India
Uttarayan, Gujarat’s famous kite festival, held on January 14th, is when the sky of Ahmedabad turns colorful, and festivals are held all over the city.
People living in the city and tourists take over the city and are seen on the rooftops flying kites of all sizes and shapes, giving a mark to the change of seasons and the sun’s northern journey.
The rivalry is extremely intense, with each player trying to cut the opponent’s kite string by using a thread that is specially prepared.
Once the sun is down, lanterns made of paper and kites that are lit take over the sky, giving a lovely night view to the people. Various food stalls are present to serve sweets such as undhiyu and jalebi to the people attending the festival.
18. La Tamborrada, Spain
Every 20th of January, the city of San Sebastián, in Spain, celebrates La Tamborrada, a unique celebration in which drumming sounds fill every street throughout the city. Hundreds of participants, dressed as cooks and soldiers, march through the Old Town displaying their drums and barrels in a series of continuous rhythms, all of which they make themselves.
This custom has been around for many centuries and reminds people of defiance, identity, and pride. The festival starts at midnight in Constitution Square, and the whole 24 hours are filled with people continuously drumming.
The locals are very proud of their culinary and cultural heritage, and food is obviously a big aspect of the festival, with pintxos bars being full of visitors.
19. Hay Festival Cartagena, Colombia
Every January, the city of Cartagena becomes a haven for the love of the written word when the Hay Festival hosts its annual event, one of the many in the global Hay Festival network established in Wales. Authors, poets, journalists, musicians, and artists of all disciplines come for their readings, debates, and workshops.
The colonial city’s squares, theaters, and cultural centers are the places where the sessions are held, and this, in turn, leads to thousands of literature enthusiasts attending these sessions.
Amid the splendor of Cartagena’s Caribbean coast, the festival becomes a hotbed for dialogue, creativity, and cultural exchange.
20. Hmong New Year, United States & Laos
The Hmong community celebrates its New Year from late December through January and is thus one of the season’s most culturally rich events. In Laos and Thailand, the sound of traditional music, the sight of dances, and colorful embroidered costumes are all that a village will be.
In the United States, especially in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California, large Hmong communities hold events that are just as vibrant, and these feature singing contests, ball tossing (a traditional courtship game), and feasts of Hmong cuisine.
The festival is both a harvest celebration and a renewal of cultural identity, combining rituals with fun social gatherings.
