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fes·ti·val | \ ˈfe-stə-vəl 
\
\Definition of festival
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of, relating to, appropriate to, or set apart as a festival
festival
nounDefinition of festival (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : 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
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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 To McClean, this was an opportunity to create something that had never existed: a true R&B festival hand-crafted by one of its contemporary rising stars.
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Sarah Grant, Billboard, "Famous Friends, Big Brands & a Higher Purpose Underscore Artist Festival Panel at Billboard Live Music Summit," 5 Nov. 2019 Lauryn Hill’s only festival appearance) and the idiosyncratic synth-pop stylings of Blood Orange, whose only other fest is Osheaga, across the border in Montreal.
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Billboard, "A Guide to Planning Summer Music Festival Season 2018," 2 June 2018 The jury president swept through the party while festival head Theirry Fremaux was spotted taking selfies.
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Rhonda Richford, The Hollywood Reporter, "Cannes: Cate Blanchett Fetes the HFPA at Beachside Bash," 14 May 2018 Lauryn Hill’s only festival appearance) and the idiosyncratic synth-pop stylings of Blood Orange, whose only other fest is Osheaga, across the border in Montreal.
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Billboard, "A Guide to Planning Summer Music Festival Season 2018," 2 June 2018 The jury president swept through the party while festival head Theirry Fremaux was spotted taking selfies.
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Rhonda Richford, The Hollywood Reporter, "Cannes: Cate Blanchett Fetes the HFPA at Beachside Bash," 14 May 2018 From 24 concerts reported to Billboard Boxscore for LCD Soundsystem since the beginning of 2016, the performances -- aside from festival appearances -- are averaging a gross of about $200,000 per show from primarily theater-sized venues.
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Bob Allen, Billboard, "LCD Soundsystem Scores on Hot Tours Tally With Fall Run," 11 Jan. 2018 The song itself, a brilliant and controversial standout from his new album, isn't exactly festival material.
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Matt Miller, Esquire, "Jay-Z Made a Powerful Statement During His Meadows Performance," 16 Sep. 2017 Festival space is located at Broad Street at Farm Road 157/Main Street.
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Faye Reeder, star-telegram, "Open house will show how Arlington Charities fights hunger, poverty," 30 Aug. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The ancient festival of All Saints falls on Nov. 1 and All Souls on Nov. 2.
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Matthew Robert Anderson, Quartzy, "“The Good Place” taps into our hunger for second chances and redemption," 27 Nov. 2019 This was the first Thanksgiving, the great festival of New England.
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Claire Bugos, Smithsonian, "The Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue," 27 Nov. 2019 Welcome to the National Hockey League’s officials combine, an annual late-summer festival of phantom calls and practice puck drops.
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Stephen Smith, New York Times, "Getting Hockey Referees Ready for the Big Leagues," 20 Nov. 2019 For more information, call 1-800-TRI-RAIL (874-7225) This Hanukkah pop-up experience will celebrate the festival of lights.
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Jennifer Boehm, sun-sentinel.com, "Where to find Santa, snow and other holiday happenings," 19 Nov. 2019 Once a year, at the end of the dry season, Garamba National Park celebrates Ranger Day, a festival of martial display and appreciation of those who carry the Kalashnikovs and the responsibility for defending the park’s wildlife and civil order.
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David Quammen, National Geographic, "To save wildlife, African governments turn to private management," 12 Nov. 2019 And the center of this nonstop festival of pain is Jabba, who waits patiently for minions to bring incidents in front of him.
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Darren Franich, EW.com, "Return of the Jedi," 6 Nov. 2019 The pollution in the Indian capital also peaks after Diwali celebrations, the Hindu festival of light, when people set off fireworks.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Traffic police officers, wearing protective masks, signaled cars to stop for not following the temporary rule. New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed for residents to follow the rule and for private taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers to support it.," 5 Nov. 2019 The pollution in the Indian capital also peaks after Diwali celebrations, the Hindu festival of light, when people set off fireworks.
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NBC News, "India's capital New Delhi restricts cars as resident choke on toxic smog," 4 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for festival
festival
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of festival
: a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something
: an organized series of performances
See the full definition for festival in the English Language Learners Dictionary
festival
nounfes·ti·val | \ ˈfe-stə-vəl \
\Kids Definition of festival
1 : a time or event of celebration
a harvest festival
2 : a program of cultural events or entertainment
a jazz festival
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Time Traveler for festival
The first known use of festival was in the 14th century
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