festival

adjective

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

noun

Definition 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about festival

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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

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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — Faye Reeder, star-telegram, "Open house will show how Arlington Charities fights hunger, poverty," 30 Aug. 2017 Festival tickets start at $55, mountangelabbey.org/bach or 503-845-3064. — Amy Wang, OregonLive.com, "7 arts picks: 'Snow White,' Minor White, opera concert for MAX victims, more," 20 July 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 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Reader’s Digest reports that Pagans used to celebrate this time with a festival of light. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "The Complete History of Groundhog Day," 18 Jan. 2019 Bristol’s 10 pound note gives a nod to the city’s urban wildlife and its annual hot air balloon festival. — Avantika Chilkoti, WSJ, "Your Bowie Is No Good Here, But He’ll Pay for a Zumba Class in Brixton," 18 Jan. 2019 Cannes is the type of festival where an early premiere berth can mean a film gets forgotten by the end of the 10 days. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "“I wanted to make it a beautiful disaster”: Pawel Pawlikowski on his new film Cold War," 21 Dec. 2018 The first is the 36th annual Reel Music film festival that takes place January 18 to February 17 at the Portland Art Museum ’s Whitsell Auditorium. — Rebecca Misner, Condé Nast Traveler, "What to Do in Portland, OR, in January 2019," 20 Dec. 2018 Other festivals will take place around the world, from Scandinavia to China, with bonfires, family gatherings, music, and poetry used to symbolically celebrate the sun. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Winter Solstice 2018: Who Celebrates the First Day of Winter?," 20 Dec. 2018 The festival photographer snaps a photo of me looking like a lounge singer. — Annemarie Conte, Woman's Day, "Why the 'Gilmore Girls' Fan Festival Is the Ultimate Friends Weekend Getaway," 26 Oct. 2018 The new German outreach campaign will see more than 1,000 events across the country over the coming year, including debates, musical performances, art exhibitions, soccer competitions and — of course — beer festivals. — Fox News, "Germany seeks to woo Americans amid rocky Trump relationship," 3 Oct. 2018 Wisconsin may be known for many things: cold weather, beer, cheese and festivals. — Adriana Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Oconomowoc Harley-Davidson continues construction on in-house training course," 13 July 2018

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.