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

Such easy overlap between juror and filmmaker speaks to a wider festival goal toward building a real sense of community within the genre world. —Ben Croll, Variety, 14 July 2025

Previously, our editor, Dominique Fluker, selected ten fashionable outfits from H&M’s summer assortment to inspire our festival goers as a packing guide for the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 July 2025

Noun

The film screened at over 90 festivals, received 17 awards, and is currently featured on The New Yorker Screening Room and the Criterion Channel. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 July 2025

The duo took the festival’s stage just before Kneecap, another band that has been outspoken in its support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Hamas. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 15 July 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