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 of festival

Noun

• celebration
• festivity
• fiesta

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

Heineken House The incomparable sips and sounds are returning to the festival scene with Heineken House, where refreshing beverages and great music collide! —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

During festival season, Bravo charges around $150,000 for a weekend at one of the villas. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Noun

The invite-only event has become one of the festival's hottest gatherings, drawing top artists from the labels and festival lineup alike. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

The film, backed (with no apparent irony) by the company of a previous ineffable tech character, arrives in theaters later this year and will supply Altman with the tech mogul’s must-have 21st century accessory of a fleeting film festival discourse. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026

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