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

The pipeline that produced the highest-grossing A24 debut of all time was not the festival circuit. —Tyler Chou, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026

Organizers say the biggest reward is not the attendance numbers or growth over five decades, but hearing stories from families who have made the festival part of their own traditions. —Daily News, 28 May 2026

Noun

On June 6 and 7, the festival transforms streets and sidewalks into a temporary outdoor art museum. —Laura Daily, Denver Post, 3 June 2026

While the film’s presence at the festival has sparked some controversy, Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal defended the move to Variety, claiming the film should be looked at within the context of the ongoing Iran war. —Corbin Bolies, Variety, 3 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