Christmas is a huge event celebrated by many countries all across the globe. Many people see it as a religious tradition and some see it as a cultural event. As December approaches, the list of festive events a lot of people are about to attend are becoming endless! Gift-giving, colorful lights, scrumptious Christmas eve meals – all of which are observed whenever Christmas events are commemorated. Whatever part of the world you may be in right now, one thing is for sure – December is the most colorful and festive month of the year! In this article, we have searched for the biggest Christmas events that are observed all over the world. You may want to include some destinations here for your holiday travels!
#1 Budapest Christmas Fair, Hungary
The annual Christmas Fair in Budapest, Hungary usually takes place from the mid-week of November to the 1st week of January. It is one of the most anticipated events in the city during the year for it involves so many family friendly activities. The said fair includes fun festival games, night markets and entertaining programs. If you are in search for unique holiday gifts or festive Hungarian delicacies, the Budapest Christmas Fair is something to put on the list.
#2 Lantern Festival – Naga City, Philippines
Making and decorating Christmas lanterns are a huge part of the Filipino tradition. Every December, the streets are filled with lights and lanterns that come in a variety of designs. In Naga City, they hold a festival dedicated to showcasing the creativity of Filipinos through its lanterns. They make unique and extravagant lanterns and showcase them during the lantern parade. It involves both lavish materials and recycled materials to create a festive lantern. During the lantern festival, there are also street fairs wherein you can buy tons of different stuff.
#3 Christkindlmarket – Chicago, USA
While the event is held in Chicago, USA, Christkindlmarket is inspired by the extravagant Christmas Fair held in Nuremberg, Germany. It gives both the locals and the tourists a unique shopping experience – something one shouldn’t miss! It features diverse holiday entertainment through performances and fun booths. In addition to this, they also showcase different kinds of foods and drinks that everyone can truly enjoy.
#4 Christmas Market – Frankfurt, Germany
This is one of the biggest and oldest German traditions that happen every holiday season. It is the biggest Christmas market in Germany in terms of the number of visitors, the variety of stalls and the extravagant decorations. The tradition goes back in the late 1930s wherein it has become tradition to stop by the market at least once during the holiday season. Like most Christmas markets, the event features numerous entertainment and scrumptious delicacies.
#5 Festival of Lights – Portland, Oregon
Source: passengers on a little spaceship
With almost 25,000 people visiting the Festival of Lights every year, it is no doubt one of the biggest events that happen during the holiday season. It is labeled as one of the most magical festivals around the world for it features around 500,000 light displays in the village. It features the famous Holiday Village, wagon rides and the world’s largest Nutcracker! If you want a real magical experience, Oregon’s Festival of Lights is definitely something you should book right now.
#6 Gramado Natal Luz – Gramado, Brazil
“Natal Luz” translates to “Christmas of Lights” which explains this huge annual event held in Gramado, Brazil. Gramado has been labeled Brazil’s Christmas capital which is why the biggest festivals are held here. During Gramado Natal Luz, the 99-foot tall Christmas tree is lightened and visitors can experience how it feels like to be inside it. It has over 3,500 ornaments, 2,600 string lights, 1,000 strobe lights and an artificial snow machine. Apart from this, the event also has so many festive attractions like unique stalls, lighting shows and contests.
#7 Ice Festival – Alaska
Where else can one truly experience Christmas other than the North Pole?! Alaska is one of the most popular tourist attractions every time the Christmas season approaches. One festival in particular is the Ice Festival. This is when ice sculptors showcase their astonishing work of art through sculpting and decorating everything directly from ice! Contests are held to choose the winning ice sculpture and tourists are also encouraged to try creating one themselves!
#8 Misa de Gallo – Manila, Philippines
Source: Salt + Light Television
The Philippines is a country where Roman Catholicism is quite dominant. During Christmas season, Catholic churches light up and prepare for Misa de Gallo, an annual tradition wherein people visit the church for nine days to attend midnight masses. Apart from the mass being held, it is also quite popular for the delicacies you can try after attending the mass. Stalls outside the church sell very popular Filipino delicacies like “Bibingka” and “Puto Bumbong”.
#9 Christmas Market in Plaza Mayor – Madrid, Spain
Christmas markets are just super popular all around the world. We all know how Christmas can be a huge commercial mass to everyone, right? In Spain, a huge Christmas Market is held annually in its biggest central park called Plaza Mayor. It also features several stalls that offer holiday products perfect for gifts. But apart from those, it is quite popular for its food market. It serves several cuisines and fine drinks that you can try eating outdoors.
#10 Winter Wonderland – Hyde Park, London
One of the biggest and most popular Christmas Fairs in the world is London’s Winter Wonderland. It features so many fun attractions like ice skating, circus shows, the Giant Observation Wheel and the famous Nutcracker on Ice show. This leisure park draws almost 2.5 million guests every holiday season! It features a lot of different rides that both kids and adults can enjoy. The leisure park is open from 10am to 10pm but it’s quite recommended to visit the place during the night for its amazing light decors.
We hope you enjoyed this festive list of amazing events that happen around the world. What country are you from? Are there any special festivals in your country that happen every holiday season? Share it with us and let us know in the comments below!