festival

1 of 2

adjective

fes·​ti·​val ˈfe-stə-vəl How to pronounce festival (audio)
: 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
2
: an often periodic celebration or program of events or entertainment having a specified focus
a daffodil festival
a Greek festival
3

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
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.
Adjective
Fort Worth’s Fourth will be full of festival food, cold drinks, kids’ activities, live music and a fireworks show beginning at 9:30 p.m. Gates will open at 5 p.m. and admission is free. Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2025 In addition to the heavy hitters in the genres of techno, drum and bass, dubstep and house music, this year’s EDC Orlando features more than 30 artists making their festival debut. Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2025
Noun
Reactions to the sudden move varied: Those in the community who considered the festival a nuisance were relieved. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025 Many of the beers that medal at each festival have limited distribution and are sometimes only available at the taproom at the brewery where they were produced. Erik Ofgang, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for festival

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of festival was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Festival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/festival. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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

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