as in celebrations
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 festivals
As one of Middle Tennessee’s largest fall festivals, the event is packed with family-friendly activities, live music, costume contests for pets and families, shopping, arts & crafts, and more.
—
Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
That legacy of engagement still defines Valladolid today, keeping Seminci vital as one of Europe’s most socially-aware auteur festivals.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The draw is a sparsely populated, protected landscape that caters to visitors interested in archaeology, art, nature, and wellness, as well as festivals and concerts featuring global stars like Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
On this week’s episode, Anne Thompson is fresh back from the Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia, which showed the importance of regional festivals as a building block to Oscar nominations.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
To really feel like a local, summers are filled with food festivals called sagras.
—John Skelton, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Its expanding partnership with distributor PepsiCo (similar to the deal between Monster and Coca-Cola), and its sponsorships of festivals, sporting events, and athletes is also helping establish its presence among consumers.
—Charlotte Hu, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Earlier this year, the short took home multiple awards across various festivals including the Golden Gate Mid-Length Film Award from the San Francisco Film Festival, Best Drama Short from Out on Film in Atlanta, and both the Canal+ and audience awards at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Gabrielle Chenault, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
That legacy of engagement still defines Valladolid today, keeping Seminci vital as one of Europe’s most socially-aware auteur festivals.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The draw is a sparsely populated, protected landscape that caters to visitors interested in archaeology, art, nature, and wellness, as well as festivals and concerts featuring global stars like Alicia Keys and Andrea Bocelli.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
On this week’s episode, Anne Thompson is fresh back from the Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia, which showed the importance of regional festivals as a building block to Oscar nominations.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
To really feel like a local, summers are filled with food festivals called sagras.
—John Skelton, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Its expanding partnership with distributor PepsiCo (similar to the deal between Monster and Coca-Cola), and its sponsorships of festivals, sporting events, and athletes is also helping establish its presence among consumers.
—Charlotte Hu, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Earlier this year, the short took home multiple awards across various festivals including the Golden Gate Mid-Length Film Award from the San Francisco Film Festival, Best Drama Short from Out on Film in Atlanta, and both the Canal+ and audience awards at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festivals
Noun
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Happy belated birthday to Ashanti and cheers to many more island celebrations with family and friends!—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
27 Oct. 2025
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Vilnius kicks off its Christmas celebrations on November 29 with the lighting of its Cathedral Square tree, whose design and size change every year.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Spooky celebrators get to partake in Halloween festivities on a Friday this year, offering a change of pace from years past when the holiday falls before a work or school day.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
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Kansas City native, Pyet DeSpain grew up with food at the center of many cultural festivities.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For those traveling with children, TAFER’s signature Little Luxuries family program offers activities including face painting, ancestral Mexican games, traditional Mexican Cumbia live dance performances, beachside fiestas and more.—
Judy Koutsky,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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The Semana Santa processions in Seville date back to the 16th century and are one of Spain's most famous fiestas.—
Nina Aquino,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Festivals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festivals. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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