Water festivals

Water fights, boat races and river rites. Expect to get wet, often on purpose.

Happening nowOct 11–28, 2026est.

Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival

Gilded Buddhas tour Inle Lake by golden barge, towed by teams of leg-rowers

Inle Lake, Myanmar$$$$

Dec 31, 2026

Sydney New Year's Eve

Fireworks pour off the Harbour Bridge as one of the first big cities greets the new year

Sydney, Australia$$$$

Jan 18–20, 2027est.

Timkat

Ethiopia's Epiphany: white-robed crowds, sacred processions and a blessing by water

Gondar, Ethiopia$$$$

Apr 13–15, 2027

Songkran

Thai New Year turns an entire country into the world's biggest water fight

Chiang Mai, Thailand$$$$

Jun 9, 2027

Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu)

Drums, dragon-prowed boats and sticky rice dumplings on the fifth day of the fifth moon

Yueyang, China +2$$$$

Jul 23 – Aug 8, 2027est.

Boryeong Mud Festival

Korea's beach town turns mineral mudflats into the world's messiest summer party

Boryeong, South Korea$$$$

Jul 24–25, 2027est.

Tenjin Matsuri

A hundred torch-lit boats and 3,000 fireworks turn Osaka's river into a stage

Osaka, Japan$$$$

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