as in celebration
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something
tourists flock to the town for its annual strawberry festival
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Recent Examples of festival
And throwing himself into everything from sumo wrestling to organizing music festivals (there’s an unexpected Backstreet Boys cameo), Poldi is never short on extracurricular exploits, either.
—
Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
According to the festival, more than 80 percent of the competition films are from creators identifying as female or gender non-conforming, with 53 percent identifying as BIPOC, Asian or Pacific Islander and 40 percent identifying as LGBTQIA+.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 10 June 2026
Investigators determined the victim and suspect had been involved in a dispute at a festival in Sacramento.
—Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
The opening night of the festival, June 4, is held at the Sandbox, the community performance and activity space overseen by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven located at 70 Audubon St. in New Haven’s arts district.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for festival
Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
According to the festival, more than 80 percent of the competition films are from creators identifying as female or gender non-conforming, with 53 percent identifying as BIPOC, Asian or Pacific Islander and 40 percent identifying as LGBTQIA+.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 10 June 2026
Investigators determined the victim and suspect had been involved in a dispute at a festival in Sacramento.
—Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
The opening night of the festival, June 4, is held at the Sandbox, the community performance and activity space overseen by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven located at 70 Audubon St. in New Haven’s arts district.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for festival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festival
Noun
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The annual celebration was established by El Centro de Ayuda over 20 years ago as a way to curb gang violence in the 1990s.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Although the structure itself has been replaced, the site has been home to community gatherings, events, concerts and celebrations for the past 130 years.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Noun
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The controversy is unlikely to overshadow this week’s festivities.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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The festivities were held at the terrace bar nine floors above Times Square at the Edition Hotel, and anyone sneaking in an illicit cigarette out on the balcony gets treated to a giant Wicked billboard flashing in LEDs.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Find the fiesta on May 2 and 5 at 9776 Eagle Creek Center Blvd.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Chile Brings Out the Big Guns Chile’s joyous presence as the Country of Honor at FICG meant panels, tributes, masterclasses and fiestas galore.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festival. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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