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

Families, longtime soccer fans and casual viewers mixed on the concourse, creating a festival atmosphere with chants, flags and interactive soccer activities on the field. —Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 22 June 2026

Dozens of vendors lined the festival route, including author Jonathan Marshall, who writes children's books featuring Black fathers and families. —Eva Andersen, CBS News, 21 June 2026

Noun

The organizers of a family-friendly bluegrass festival have cancelled their fall festival, according to an announcement made on the event’s website. —Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

The Score Lawrence street festival is rocking with live music, carnival games and balloon art ahead of tonight’s showdown between Argentina and Algeria. —The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 June 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