festival

play

adjective fes·ti·val \ˈfe-stə-vəl\

Definition of festival

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

Recent Examples of festival from the Web

Related: How to look festival-ready for Forecastle no matter the weather 4.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "How to act like an insider at Forecastle Festival," 30 June 2017
Festival audiences can do funny things to, and for, what's actually on the screen.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'The Big Sick' review: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan are the medicine we need now," 29 June 2017
Festival headquarters and main ticket office is at 923 First Ave.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Four more from the Fringe: Breakfast, lunch, America and zombies," 26 June 2017
Festival headquarters and main ticket office is at 923 First Ave.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Dispatches from the Fringe Festival: 4 early picks," 25 June 2017
U2 is currently touring in support of the album's 30th anniversary and Bonnaroo was the Irish band’s first-ever U.S. festival appearance.

— dave brooks, Billboard, "Bonnaroo's Attendance Bounces Back With 65K Turning Out For U2, Weeknd: Exclusive," 12 June 2017
Festival events are produced entirely by volunteers.

— christina mayo, miamiherald, "Music scholarship winners shine and help families honor loved ones," 25 May 2017
Festival hours are Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more festival information visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com/main-street-fest/v or call 817-410-3185.

— star-telegram, star-telegram.com, "Northeast happenings: Festival, finalist and fire department," 16 May 2017
Festival managers add up the scores to find the winner.)

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "Crawfish Mambo names boil, eating contest winners for 2017," 13 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'festival.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of festival

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

festival

noun fes·ti·val

Definition of festival

1a : a time of celebration marked by special observancesb : feast 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

See festival defined for English-language learners

See festival defined for kids

Examples of festival in a Sentence

Each year, a festival was held to celebrate the harvest.
The town has a summer festival in the park.

Recent Examples of festival from the Web

An Arab arts festival, Shubbak, offers a platform to human rights activists, like the Egyptian author, Basma Abdelaziz, fearful of talking at home.

— The Economist, "To escape repression, critics are leaving the Gulf," 20 July 2017
Lisa Henry, who performed at the festival and has worked nationally and globally, told the committee that said she did get paid.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "Kansas City Jazz Festival vendors still owed $150,000," 19 July 2017
Curlfest, created by the organization Curly Girl Collective, is the world’s largest natural beauty festival.

— brianna moné, Teen Vogue, "Best Natural Hair Tips From Curlfest," 17 July 2017
Twelve people, including four Americans, were gored at last year’s festival.

— alvaro barrientos, The Seattle Times, "Spain’s running of the bulls: 6 injured on Day 6 in Pamplona," 12 July 2017
Led by the Port City Secondliners, the parade will run right into the heart of Downtown Mobile, ending at Cathedral Square, where Mobile's monthly arts and crafts festival LoDa Art Walk will already be in full swing.

— AL.com, "Urban music meets service with Alabama Hip-Hop Week in Mobile," 10 July 2017
For security reasons, the festival decided to continue with its programming.

— sara aridi, New York Times, "‘We Are Not Heartless People’: Green Day on Performing After Fatal Stunt," 9 July 2017
Just like the New Orleans festival, Essence Festival Durban will bring together international performers and speakers to entertain and inspire, as well as a host of local artists and experts.

— Washington Post, "Essence preps for return to Durban, South Africa," 6 July 2017
During the island's San Juan festival, held each year on June 23 and 24, Minorcan race horses gallop and prance on their rear legs through the streets of Ciutadella to honor of the town's patron saint.

— alan taylor, The Atlantic, "Photos of the Week: 6/24–6/30," 30 June 2017