Top Festivals with Best Night Time Experiences
Festivals are a celebration of culture and people. Even on a rough estimate, you would find a thousand festivals which are celebrated around the world today. While some festivals are celebrated during the day, some are celebrated during nights and some over a number of days or months. Here, we have a handpicked list of nocturnal festivals which are some of the big-time bucket-listed items for travellers across the world. From attending a psychedelic music event at Nocturnal Wonderland to cruising on luxury Vivid Cruises on Sydney Harbour and everything in between, read on to know more about what these festivals have in store for you.
Nocturnal Wonderland, California, USA
This two-day festival that takes place in the USA is an electronic dance music festival that was founded in 1955. At the Nocturnal World, you enter a sensory world of sounds and sights that comes alive at night. Usually, there are around 5 main stages at the event, having different themes and lighting. The 5 stages are: The Labyrinth, Alice’s House, The sunken garden, The Upside Downroom, The Queen’s Grounds and The Big Top Tent. If you’re into camping, Nocturnal Wonderland allows you to bring your own tent and enjoy camping at an affordable rate, that too with a camping community.
New Year’s Eve, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio’s Copacabana Beach is Google’s first suggestion when looking for the world’s best New Year’s Eve celebration, which essentially happens at night. Every year, millions of people go to this beach to celebrate like a local. The Copacabana Beach is the largest in Brazil where the jaw dropping fireworks displays happen. A mix of spiritual and traditional rituals take place at the beach. One of the famous rituals you will find at this beach is a Spiritual Offering to Lemanja, Goddess of the Ocean. The beach also attracts the highest number of people to watch one of the biggest fireworks displays in the world.
Lantern Festival in China
The Lantern Festival, also known as Shangyuan Festival, is a Chinese traditional festival which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese calendar. During the festival, kids go out at night carrying paper lanterns of different shapes and sizes. The lanterns are a symbol for people letting go of their past self and acquiring a new one. Mostly, the lanterns come in red colour, which symbolise good fortune. The houses are decorated with colourful festoons and lanterns, with riddles written on them. The celebrations include parades, fireworks, lion and dragon dances. The most popular food eaten during this festival is tangyuan-small glutinous rice balls stuffed with fruits and nuts. The round shape of these balls symbolises wholeness and unity within families.
Vivid Sydney in Sydney, Australia
Vivid Sydney is one of the biggest arts festivals in Australia, which celebrates lights, art and music. It attracts both tourists and the locals to the festival which happens across the many light precincts, museums, art galleries and open spaces in the city. Most venues have open-entry and that means you get to enjoy the best of the festival with little or no money in your pockets. Vivid Sydney usually happens during the cusp of winter and spring season and that’s the best time to be spending time outdoors in Sydney, especially at nights. The famous Sydney Harbour venue is where the most prominent event of the festival takes place, the Vivid Lights. People usually get on board a dinner cruise in Sydney to enjoy the views while enjoying a delicious dinner. Also, the marvellous sight of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera house during Vivid is indeed something you shouldn’t miss.