March is the time that defines the change from winter to spring in most places worldwide, and thus it is considered one of the most exciting months to travel.
Spring, with its flowers and festivals, is a time for reviving the soul, and people all over the world are doing it by celebrating not only religious and cultural events but also the change of the season, and even contemporary music and art festivals.
Such diverse festivals as the riot of colors during Holi in India, the green-filled parades of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, and the vibrant festivals in Japan are just a few examples of the plethora of events in March that celebrate the diversity of human expression.
1. Holi Festival – India
Holi, the Festival of Colors, is among the most delightful celebrations of India. According to Hindu mythology, it first of all refers to the triumph of good over evil, particularly the story of Prahlad and Holika.
People everywhere in India come to the streets and yards where they play with colors, throw powders, splash water, sing, dance, and share delicious sweets such as gujiya and thandai. The ambiance is very fun and friendly as it breaks the social barriers, and people who were strangers to each other are now bound with the spirit of the festival as they hug and apply color to each other.
For tourists, Holi is not only the festival of colors, it is also the festival of letting go, joy, and togetherness.
2. St. Patrick’s Day – Ireland
Initially, a solemn religious holiday, the day has grown to be a celebration of the whole world of Irish culture, with Dublin being in the center of the festivities.
The city hosts vibrant parades featuring bagpipers, dancers, and musicians, who are wearing every shade of green. Festival-goers pack the streets, enjoying traditional Irish music and food.
Many towns around Ireland organize their own celebrations. However, the one in Dublin is the biggest and, therefore, most people from all over the world come there to attend it. The festival is about parties but also about Irish heritage, folklore, and national pride.
3. Cherry Blossom Festival – Japan
March is the time when the cherry blossoms or sakura bloom in Japan. The whole country honors Mother Nature with hanami, which literally means "flower viewing."
The idea of the event is the gathering of families, friends, or even coworkers under the cherry trees, which are in bloom, to share picnics, music, and drinks.
The beautiful and delicate cherry blossoms that only bloom for a week or two have become the symbol of the short life span or the fleeting nature of life in Japanese culture. Some of the most famous places to go are Ueno Park in Tokyo, Maruyama Park in Kyoto, and the grounds of Osaka Castle.
4. Las Fallas – Spain
Las Fallas, which takes place in Valencia, is one of the most amazing festivals in Spain that is celebrated in the middle of March. The city is transformed into a mixture of fire, fireworks, and invention as huge papier-mâché figures called ninots, usually satirical caricatures, are rolled through the streets.
These gigantic figures, some of them more than 30 feet high, are taken apart and rebuilt in different ways over several months. On the last day, called La Cremà, the ninots are burned in a very bright and noisy performance that shows death giving way to life, and so spring comes in.
Every year, there is one of the most significant Fallas moments when only one of the ninots is saved from the fire and given a place at the Fallas Museum in Valencia. After the fire spectacles, the fiestas offer the public bullfights, traditional dances, music, and the gorgeous offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary.
5. Phuket Thao Thepkasattri-Thao Sri Suntorn Festival – Thailand
In Phuket, Thailand, the Thao Thepkasattri-Thao Sri Suntorn Festival is the highlight of March, a festival that marks the two heroines who saved the island from the Burmese invaders in the 18th century.
The week-long celebration is a mix of history, arts, and community pride. Among the main events are those of the reenactments of the battle, processions of traditional Thai costumes, and cultural performances of dance and music.
The festival is a celebration of the past, but it is also a way to keep the community spirit alive and to promote Phuket’s heritage to visitors.
6. Carnaval de Barranquilla – Colombia
At the beginning of March, Barranquilla, Colombia, is transformed into a vibrant carnival that ranks among the largest in Latin America.
One of the notable highlights of the carnival is the declaration by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, which is a four-day extravaganza that creates a shining spectacle of music, dance, and folklore.
The festival is staged with a "Battle of the Flowers" parade. Here, floats made up of flowers can be seen moving through the streets, while colorfully dressed dancers who are also performing warlike acts are seen.
Performing the traditional dances like cumbia and mapalé allows the audience to see the roots of the diverse culture of Colombia, which is a mixture of African, Indigenous, and Spanish influences.
7. Cape Town International Jazz Festival – South Africa
Recognized as “Africa’s Grandest Gathering,” the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is an annual event taking place in late March.
The festival is the biggest jazz event in Africa and the second-largest in the world. Hence, it is the melting pot of the most diverse and great musical talents and jazz lovers in the whole world.
Over two days, the festival showcases more than 40 international and local artists performing across multiple stages, with genres ranging from traditional jazz to Afrobeat, soul, and fusion.
The festival is held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, equipping all the attendees with top-notch sound and colorful venues.
8. Paro Tshechu – Bhutan
Paro Tshechu is the most emblematic festival of Bhutan, which is held every March in the Paro Valley. Initially a Buddhist festival, Paro Tshechu is a festival that venerates Guru Rinpoche, the one who introduced the religion to Bhutan.
The most wonderful thing is the performance of the Cham dances by monks wearing the very attractive masks and costumes. In each dance, the main characters perform different symbolic actions that are, in most cases, the victory of good over evil and teach the moral codes of conduct to the audience.
Besides the dances, thousands of people wearing the best of their traditional clothes gather in the courtyard of the Paro Dzong monastery to witness the performances. The most sacred and awaited moment is the unrolling of the huge thangka (a religious scroll painting), which is considered to be a source of blessings for those who look at it.
9. Melbourne Food & Wine Festival – Australia
Each year in March, Melbourne is the place to be for the Food & Wine Festival, a celebration of the local food and drink scene and the city’s diverse cultural influences.
The festival lasts more than ten days and offers hundreds of events from tastings to grand banquets. Signature events of the festival include the “World’s Longest Lunch,” where participants sit down for a meal at a table set up in the middle of a park or a street and extending for hundreds of meters, beautifully laid out.
Moreover, the top chefs of Australia and abroad are presenting their talents to the public via their masterclass, cooking demonstration, and offering by special menu. Those who love wine are allowed to taste some of the top vintages coming from the most prestigious vineyards of Victoria.
10. Bali Spirit Festival – Indonesia
Ubud, Bali, is the location of the Bali Spirit Festival. This festival in March is a peculiar combination of yoga, dance, music, and spirituality, which are all merged in a very distinctive manner.
People from far and wide attend the festival for the sake of their minds, bodies, and souls. Various workshops include yoga, meditation, and healing arts, besides martial arts and personal growth seminars.
The nights, however, are a completely different story as it becomes a vibrant celebration with world music, performing arts of traditional Balinese instruments, reggae, and global fusion bands. The festival is about health, sustainability, and cultural exchange, which, in turn, makes it very different from other fiestas or yoga retreats.
11. MaerzMusik Festival – Germany
Berlin can be felt coming alive with the best of the spring right from the first day of March with MaerzMusik, a festival that is all about the new and the unexpected in the field of music.
MaerzMusik is not your typical classical concert, where the audience can expect a set of strict music compositions. It rather opens up to exploring the unseen or untold sides of the sound world through avant-garde performances, multimedia installations, and collaborations between different music genres.
Everywhere in Berlin, from the large concert halls to the little underground clubs, there are concerts of the artists who are not afraid to go beyond the limits of their imagination by combining music with visual arts, technology, and philosophy.
12. Nyepi – Bali, Indonesia
In March, Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, is celebrated, which is the Balinese Hindu New Year. Rather than being a day of traditional celebrations that are full of noise and life, Nyepi is a day of absolute silence.
The island is closed down in every way, such as airports are not operating, streets are empty, and even visitors need to follow the rules of calm and self-reflection.
The whole atmosphere is different on the night before. Just before the silent night, the day is wild with colorful parades and ogoh-ogoh or giant demonic effigies made of bamboo and paper, which are carried through villages, then set on fire to represent purification and to keep evil spirits away.
On the day of Nyepi, locals fast, meditate, and pray. The lack of sound and light results in a very special atmosphere in which the island appears to be a spiritual and environmental new one.
For travelers, it is a unique chance to be a part of the rare tradition of culture and to learn from it. Going through Nyepi in Bali is March’s unique balance of spectacle and serenity anywhere else in the world.
13. Hola Mohalla – India
Hola Mohalla is a Sikh festival known for taking place in Punjab, usually as a commemoration of Holi in the month of March. While Holi is characterized by color and play, Hola Mohalla is characterized by the warlike elements of courage, discipline, and community services.
The festival, known from the time of Guru Gobind Singh, primarily consists of displays of martial arts, riding, and mock battles.
At Anandpur Sahib, the gathering of thousands of Sikhs can turn into a huge fair that consists of kirtan, poetry recitals, and sermons and speeches. The spiritual component of the gathering can be seen with the sequences and also with the people who wear Sikh clothing.
The langars (community kitchens) that give food away for free can be thought of because they represent the Sikh way of life and the values of service.
14. Cape Town Carnival – South Africa
Every March, the Cape Town Carnival, which is a major event, turns the city’s Green Point Fan Walk into an amazing visual that is made up of color, music, and dance.
The people who are wearing very detailed costumes are parading along with the huge floats, drummers, and dancers who are exhibiting the cultural diversity of South Africa.
A new theme is present every year, which motivates the creative storytelling to be shown through art and performance. Besides entertaining thousands of locals and tourists, the event also establishes community pride and unity among the citizens.
The festival, however, is not only about the parade. Food stalls and live performances are present to maintain the carnival’s mood well into the night, thus making the Cape Town Carnival one of the most vibrant and family-friendly March celebrations in Africa.
15. Maple Syrup Festival – Canada
March is the time for Canada to celebrate one of their sweetest traditions, the maple syrup season. Every year, large and small towns in Ontario, Quebec, and other provinces attend or hold festivals, where visitors can see the sap being collected from the trees and boiled down to syrup.
These festivals are great celebrations of the country’s clean and pure environment, and the Sugaring Off ceremonies, which are the traditional rites practiced by Aboriginal people. Families love to take part in fun activities such as wagon rides, making snow taffy, and eating yummy pancakes, which, of course, are not eaten without drizzling fresh maple syrup on top of them.
The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival in Ontario is the largest one there is, and it is that which pulls in the greatest number of visitors every year, the festival being attended by people coming from different parts of the world.
16. Festival of Patios – Córdoba, Spain
Mid-March turns Córdoba into a feast for the eyes with the Festival of Patios (Fiesta de los Patios). The locals display their private open-air patios, which are usually decorated with vibrant flowers, fountains, and intricate tiles, for the public to see. The custom is of ancient origin, and it is an example of the city’s Moorish architectural heritage.
Visitors walk along the narrow streets lined with beautiful flower displays of geraniums, jasmine, and bougainvillea, while the local families talk of the times of their patios. Awards are given to recognize the best and most creative designs. The competitions stimulate a friendly, spirited rivalry.
In addition to this, the festival offers the public the chance to enjoy concerts, flamenco performances, and taste tapas, which are the typical food of the region. The combination of Córdoba’s historic charm and the floral extravaganza turns the festival into a spectacular event that excites all the senses.
17. Adelaide Festival – Australia
The Adelaide Festival is one of the leading arts festivals in Australia. It is an event of three weeks and incorporates theater, dance, music, visual arts, and performance art from artists who are both local and international.
Throughout the city of Adelaide, a great variety of venues, which include theaters and outdoor spaces, host these performances that cater to the tastes of the most daring and conservative alike. The festival is very much a reflection of bold and clever ideas, and most of the time, it is a combination of technology and storytelling that is very innovative.
Apart from the arts, the food and wine events are also very popular, which feature the best of South Australian cuisine and are an excellent way to pair the festival experience with the flavors of the region. Visitors can attend exhibitions, enjoy street performances, and participate in workshops, thus making it a very interactive and engaging cultural journey.
18. Sechseläuten – Switzerland
Sechseläuten, the Zurich festival each March, is a lovely Swiss spring festival which blends spectacle, traditional music, and weather rituals. Its main event is the burning of the “Böögg”, a snowman dummy, filled with explosives, and thus stands for the end of winter.
The local guilds march in their historical costumes, which, amongst others, have bright uniforms and ceremonious hats, through the city streets that are usually full of people, and the parade is lively with bands and horsemen.
It is from the explosion of the Bööggs' head that the length of the coming summer is predicted, meaning the quicker the head is blown off, the warmer the season.
19. Melbourne International Comedy Festival – Australia
In March, Melbourne is also the venue for the International Comedy Festival, which is ranked among the largest comedy festivals in the world. The local and overseas comedians do stand-ups, improvisations, and experimental comedy in the theaters and open places.
Over the course of several weeks, the city transforms into a laughter playground where you can find small club performances to big theater shows and all that is in between.
The festival presents new artists along with the big ones, providing a humorous mix that is liked by both the locals and the tourists. Besides that, there are street shows, free-of-charge performances, and workshops that surely draw the audience and make the festival accessible to the public.
20. Hina Matsuri – Japan
Hina Matsuri is a festival that takes place in Japan on the 3rd of March. It is a celebration of the health, happiness, and prosperity of girls.
Families exhibit decorative dolls garbed in traditional Heian-period court attire on tiered platforms. These are the dolls representing the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians, hence creating a miniature court scene.
The festival, in addition, features the practice of giving traditional foods like hishi mochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) and shirozake (sweet sake) as offerings. The displays in homes and public spaces have been the result of great cultural aesthetics and attention to detail.
The doll festival is one of the many events that take place in early March and is a beautiful insight into family traditions, the artists, and the Japanese heritage. The festival’s delicate displays and celebrations provide a charming, serene, and meaningful experience amid the bustling early spring season.
