as in celebration
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 festival
Access to the festival is is included with regular Epcot admission.
—
Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The festival took a break during the pandemic, and last year’s edition—billed as Young World V—was abruptly canceled, with no reason given.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
Starting and finishing at the iconic Rainbow Bridge, with a post-run festival at Richardson Historic Park & Nature Preserve, the event will include prize money in men’s, women’s and nonbinary divisions.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The weekend event was one of four ArtWalk San Diego festivals in the region each year, and the events support ArtReach San Diego, an organization aimed at increasing equity in visual arts education in schools with free or low-cost workshops.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for festival
Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The festival took a break during the pandemic, and last year’s edition—billed as Young World V—was abruptly canceled, with no reason given.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
Starting and finishing at the iconic Rainbow Bridge, with a post-run festival at Richardson Historic Park & Nature Preserve, the event will include prize money in men’s, women’s and nonbinary divisions.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The weekend event was one of four ArtWalk San Diego festivals in the region each year, and the events support ArtReach San Diego, an organization aimed at increasing equity in visual arts education in schools with free or low-cost workshops.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for festival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festival
Noun
-
Kate Perez The royal visit is part of the celebrations surrounding the 250th anniversary of the United States.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Of course, that’s probably because Boldy blacked out during his own celebration.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Dogfish Head is the official beer of Record Store Day and has gotten in on the festivities beginning in 2025 via a series of limited-edition Grateful Dead compilations titled On a Back Porch.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2026
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Privately, one network executive explained why the festivities moved forward.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Find the fiesta on May 2 and 5 at 9776 Eagle Creek Center Blvd.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Chile Brings Out the Big Guns Chile’s joyous presence as the Country of Honor at FICG meant panels, tributes, masterclasses and fiestas galore.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festival. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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