festival

1 of 2

adjective

fes·​ti·​val ˈfe-stə-vəl 

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

festival

2 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

Synonyms

Noun

• celebration
• festivity

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

Adjective

Admission to the reception is $4 and includes a festival entry button that provides access to the exhibition all month and to tickets for Fringe performances. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025

But for two years after its festival debut, The Toxic Avenger sat shelved without a distribution deal. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Noun

People walk along 6th Avenue in front of One World Trade Center during a street festival on June 28, 2025, in New York City. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025

The festival’s decision to reduce ticket sales is primarily driven by concerns about the number of vehicles on the property, Smith said. —Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

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