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

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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 conflict has also become a hot button topic at Venice, with activists calling on the festival to raise the Palestinian flag in recognition of the Palestinian directors in selection. Nada Aboul Kheir, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2026 The festival, with a capacity of 80,000 people, also was hit with mud and rain in 2023 as many attendees were trapped on its grounds, where vehicle traffic was temporarily limited and some hiked in the mud to nearby towns. Dennis Romero, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2026 Recent work on the international festival circuit has been making interventions, however. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026 Zucker is more than just a man about to sit for a movie on the festival’s most crowded night so far of the 83rd edition. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for festival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festival
Noun
  • Novak Djokovic, who won the 2011 men’s title, wore a FDNY hat during his walk-out and post-match celebration, to honor first responders.
    Lukas Weese, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Two decades later, the IDF would storm Palestinian community centers, confiscating flags and shutting down celebrations.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The show then transitioned from the runway space into the show's official anniversary celebration, where the festivities continued through the night on the pink-illuminated dance floor equipped with a giant disco ball and resident DJs.
    Morgan Evans, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But unfortunately, this year’s festivities, which concluded on Monday, were not without incident.
    Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 9 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 13 Sep. 2026.

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