- As the Kumbh Mela festival dominates headlines, travel experts find Brits are seeking more culturally immersive travel experiences
- For those in need of inspiration, Wild Frontiers list 5 of the most unmissable cultural festivals from around the world
- It comes as Wild Frontiers reports a surge in bookings for cultural experiences
- The experts also reveal the cultural traditions of the festivals, from masks which are thought to bring death in Togo and Benin, to buildings made out of snow and ice in China
With India’s Kumbh Mela festival underway—one of the largest religious gatherings on Earth—the interest in authentic cultural festivals has never been stronger. The Hindu pilgrimage draws millions of devotees to its sacred waters, showcasing the power of cultural traditions to unite communities from across the world.
For travellers, festivals like this offer a powerful and enriching way to immerse yourself in the heart of a community and its traditions. So much so that Wild Frontiers has reported a surge in bookings for cultural experiences, with group tours that involve a local festival consistently selling out faster than those without – and with twice as many bookings.
Although continuing until the 26th of February, the Kumbh Mela only occurs every 12 years, so the B Corp travel experts reveal five other festivals that promise similarly transformative experiences in the not-so-distant future.
Ouidah Voodoo Festival: Togo and Benin, West Africa
(Image credit: Wild Frontiers)
The highly spiritual Ouidah Voodoo Festival which takes place every year in January, sees the Bassar people celebrate the ancestral cults that are the foundation of various forms of traditional religion practised in the country. The Voodoo adepts – those who follow the religion – gather in Ouidah and travel in a long procession to the ‘Door of No Return’; a poignant monument that commemorates those who were enslaved and taken from Africa. The festival is intended to celebrate a reconnection with the roots and heritage of Africans and their descendants through spiritual practices that you won’t see anywhere else in the world.
Festival participants wear traditional costumes with striking outfits adorned with beads, cowrie shells, feathers, and other sacred materials. Masks representing deities and ancestral spirits add a mystical aura to the festivities, and the Egun mask represents the spirits of the deceased. According to the local population, they “are” the deceased. The men wearing them emerge from the forest, parading through the village streets and leaping at spectators who venture too close. Avoid contact with the Egun, as touching them is believed to bring danger—even death. Some who are touched collapse instantly to the ground.
The town of Ouidah is long considered the spiritual home of Voodoo, and was once one of the largest trading posts along the infamous Trans-Atlantic slave routes, with an old slave trail known as ‘La Route des Esclaves’. Its crumbling Afro-Portuguese architecture still seems to harbour the ghosts of those who suffered such horrors from the barbaric trade. There is also a small Python Temple in Oudaih which can be visited whilst you are there.
Hayley Cleeter, Wild Frontiers Content Manager, comments that “Ouidah’s famous Vodun festival was an exhilarating experience far beyond the event itself. Journeying through Togo and Benin at this time in the Vodou calendar, we were captivated by the Bassar people, who un-flinchingly chewed on burning embers, and living embodiments of deceased ancestor spirits came to electrifying life at the Egun masked dances.
Traditional ceremonies, where divinities took over their chosen vessels, eyes rolled back in trance as bodies writhed to hypnotic drumming, revealed the profound depths of this often-misunderstood and culturally rich religion. Peering behind the sacred and closely guarded veil of vodou offered a thrilling and transformative perspective on the world – an absolute privilege to witness!”
You can visit the festival with Wild Frontiers by embarking on their Togo & Benin: Voodoo Explorer (Ouidah Festival) group tour, with departure dates 7th January 2026 – 21st January 2026 and 26th December 2026 – 9th January 2027.
Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival: China
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, held annually in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, is officially the largest ice and snow festival in the world. It attracts millions of visitors from across the globe with its breathtaking displays of creativity, artistry, and innovation. The festival began in 1963 as a local celebration of traditional ice lantern art and adopts a different theme each year, showcasing intricate ice and snow sculptures inspired by global landmarks, cultural symbols and imaginative designs.
There are sculptures built all around the city, and there are two main exhibition areas: Sun Island which features enormous snow sculptures, and Ice and Snow World which features illuminated full-size buildings. The buildings are made with ice taken directly from the Songhua River as artists work to sculpt using ice; one of the most difficult materials in the world to work with.
The festival officially begins on the 5th of January each year and runs until the ice starts to melt, typically into late February. Some installations open as early as late December for previews.
If you’re interested in visiting wider areas of China, you can read further information on Wild Frontiers Chinese Silk Road Taklamakan Adventure. Prices start at 18 Days From £4650.
Hagen Festival: Papua New Guinea
(Image credit: Wild Frontiers)
One of the most culturally diverse countries on the planet, Papua New Guinea is home to more than 850 known languages. One of the least explored countries anywhere in the world, both culturally and geographically, Papua New Guinea has adventure written all over it.
One of the longest-running annual tribal gathering and cultural festivals in Papua New Guinea is hosted in Hagen, the Capital of the Western Highlands Province, and takes place annually in August. More than 50 tribes participate in the event performing extraordinary displays of ‘singsings’ – traditional songs, dances and ritual performances – providing a dazzling array of colour and energy that showcases the wonderful diversity of this fabulous island.
Visit the Hagen Festival with Wild Frontiers Tribal Lands of Papua New Guinea group tour. Available departure dates 5th August 2025 – 18th August 2025 and 4th August 2026 – 17th August 2026. Prices start from £9125 for 14 days.
Gangtey Tshechu Festival: Bhutan
(Image credit: Wild Frontiers)
The Gangtey Tsechu festival, which takes place each year in early October, sees colourful and well-choreographed masked dances performed, telling the legends of Buddhist ancestors. Set in the majestic courtyards of the spectacular dzongs, surrounded by hundreds of locals, a visit to Bhutan will carry you back in time and into another disappearing world. Days are filled with masked folk dancing and the atmosphere of a truly authentic Bhutanese festival.
In many places in Bhutan, things have barely changed at all over the last 500 years, leading to a one-of-a-kind visit that is sure to appeal to adventure travellers looking to visit authentic cultural festivals.
Visit the Gangtey Tsechu festival with Wild Frontiers’ group tour to Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon on departure dates 4th October 2025 – 16th October 2025 and 22nd September 2026 – 4th October 2026. Prices start from £4795 for 13 days.
Kalash Winter Solstice, Chawmos Festival: Pakistan
(Image credit: Wild Frontiers)
Celebrated for two weeks from December 7th to the 22nd, the pagan Winter Solstice Festival is the most important time of year for the Kalash people, when life, the gods and ancestors are celebrated. As well as dancing, singing and feasting, religious priests (or Qazis, as they are known) summon the spirits and ask for their blessing.
During one day, the women of the valley must cleanse their souls by performing certain purification rituals including a bucket wash, before offering up some pure chapatis – a flatbread also known as a roti – at the Temple of Jastak Khan. On another day, it is the turn of the men to cleanse themselves, this time with goats’ blood at the temple of Sagi Gor. Here, more than 40 goats will be sacrificed as an offering to the gods, wine will be drunk and preparations for the dancing will start. From here, the men could wear the salwar kameez.
Book ahead for 11th December 2025 – 22nd December 2025 with Wild Frontiers’ Pakistan: Under a Pagan Moon group tour for 12 days. Prices start from £2835 per person.
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