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

In other words, the festival space now occupies a similar footprint as the Kentucky State Fair, minus the South Wing and Freedom Hall. —Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Sep. 2025

Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara sat alongside Ben Hania and her cast at the premiere having boarded the film as executive producers alongside Brad Pitt and Alfonso Cuarón just days before its festival debut. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025

Noun

Pride Plays was started as a festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, six years ago. —H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Major studios began making acquisition deals at the festival each January, Redford added. —Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 16 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