festival

1 of 2

noun

1

a

: a time of celebration marked by special observances

b

: feast sense 2

2

: an often periodic celebration or program of events or entertainment having a specified focus

a daffodil festival

a Greek festival

3

: gaiety, conviviality

festival

2 of 2

adjective

fes·​ti·​val ˈfe-stə-vəl 

: of, relating to, appropriate to, or set apart as a festival

Synonyms of festival

Noun

• celebration
• festivity
• fiesta

Examples of festival in a Sentence

Noun

Each year, a festival was held to celebrate the harvest.

The town has a summer festival in the park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hang Out On The Lawrenceville Lawn Another place at the heart of the community is the Lawrenceville Lawn, a giant greenspace that hosts regular events, concerts, and festivals. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

Earlier this year influencer Alix Earle wore the brand’s Hillstar boots to Coachella, while Blackpink’s Jennie Kim wore the Softtail style while performing solo at a Polish music festival. — Patty Huntington, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Saputra also measures success by whether a festival attendee immediately walks back up to order a second sandwich. — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Here are the festival award contenders at this stage of the game. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin festivus festive

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing festival

• mooncake festival
• moon festival

Kids Definition

festival

noun

fes·​ti·​val

ˈfes-tə-vəl

1

: a time of celebration in honor of a special occasion

2

: an often regularly occurring program of events or entertainment

festival adjective

Etymology

Noun

from earlier festival (adjective), derived from early French festival "festive," from Latin festivus "festive," from festum (noun) "festival, feast" — related to feast, fiesta