festival

Definition of festivalnext
as in celebration
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something tourists flock to the town for its annual strawberry festival

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of festival The festival also awards a People's Choice Award for international films. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 Parking is generally easy, although festival weekends can be particularly busy. — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2026 With nearly a dozen sections, including five competition categories and six non-competitive sidebars, the festival offers a broad showcase. — Ed Meza, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 The movie was accepted at the 2010 South by Southwest film festival and became an instant success, winning the Grand Jury Prize. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for festival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festival
Noun
  • The dinner capped a long, but friendly, day of meetings and celebrations, as the world’s two most powerful leaders seek to settle trade differences while simultaneously thawing the icy relationship between the United States and China.
    — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Beginning with a full museum activation on Thursday, the celebrations extend through the rest of the weekend, both at the museum's National Mall home and The Wharf, located along the historic Washington Channel of the Potomac River.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Despite Nike‘s slate of signature basketball sneakers leaning into Halloween each year and Sabrina Ionescu being on her fourth model, a Nike Sabrina has never before been a part of the festivities.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • At one point during the festivities, DJ Pee Wee (aka Anderson Paak, Mars’ opening act) took over the turntables inside the vinyl booth to hype up the crowd even more.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Spain will host a gran fiesta for its winning team on the streets of Madrid.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 July 2026
  • The Carnaval de Guaranda, for instance, takes inspiration from a rowdy annual fiesta held in the Bolivar Province and is made with vodka, hops, figs, white truffle, turmeric, and a local moonshine called pájaro azul.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Festival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festival. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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