Watch the spectacle of Mt. Wakakusayama light up at the annual Yamayaki grass burning festival.

World Buskers' Festival: All the sidewalks are a stage at this celebration of eccentric performances.

La Tamborradaa. A loud tribute to a patron saint with costumed drum corps marching their raucous way through this coastal city over a 24 hour period.

Celebrate Orthodox Christmas at St Sava Temple, one of the largest in the world, and share a feast with Belgraders on Terazije Square.

Ati-Atihan is a nine day feast for the eyes; a visual exhibition of costume and dance, ending in a masquerade ball.

Sapporo Snow Festival. For one week, Odori Park transforms into a wonderland of ice sculptures.

Taiwan Lantern Festival. Tens of thousands of lanterns will light up the skies to mark the Lunar New Year.

Mardis Gras. One of America's biggest parties kicks off with parades through the French Quarter.

Rio Carnivale, Feb 24-28. Hit the party hard with samba, street parties, and parades. Sequins compulsory.

Tapati Rapa Nui, Feb 3-18 (TBC). A summer festival celebrating Polynesian pride with queens and volcano tobogganing.

Melbourne Cup festival, Oct 29 -Nov 5. Horses meet hats and haute couteur on the field.

King Island Show. You’ve tasted the beef, savoured the cheese, now come meet the people who produce it.

Art Basel Miami, Dec 1-4. The world's biggest art galleries and emerging masters gather to see and be seen.

Art Dubai 2016. Dubai's art scene is growing in scope and quality. This great event is now in its 10th year.

Paris Book Fair. Fans have more than 4000 book signing opportunities with authors.

ANZAC Day. Camp out overnight at ANZAC Cove to see in the Dawn Service.

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong, Nov 20. Float candles down river, send lanterns into the night sky to honour the Buddha.

Field of Light: 50,000 solar-powered illuminated stems will bloom as nightfalls across a remote desert area.

Coachella is one of the world's biggest music festival and it pulls in some of the world's best DJs.

Sure it's cherry blossom season, but Kameido Tenjin's Wisteria Festival is worth a visit.

Kulturstrand, May 12-Aug 14. The world's biggest sandpit opens for a three-month summer beach party.

Vivid Sydney: Lights! Music! Ideas! The harbour city sparkles every night of the festival.

Lotus Lantern Festival, May 6-8. Make lanterns, pour tea, get Zen at Buddha's birthday bash.

Cannes International Film Festival. For 12 days, this coastal city is transformed into a glitzy show of cinema.

Noosa Food & Wine festival, 19-22 May. Top chefs, top nosh, top beaches: go into gourmet overdrive.

Dark Mofo, June 10-21. MONA's midwinter festival is curated by Violent Femmes' Brian Ritchie.

WOMADelaide. Mar 10-13. Global vibes: the world comes to Adelaide to sing it and shake it.

Ningaloo Reef. Whale shark season, April - Sept.Bigger is better: swim with the biggest fish in the ocean‎.

Santa Catalina Wogasia Spear Festival. Celebrate a new year and the yam harvest with spear fighting and feasting.

UK London Wimbledon June 27-July 10. Break out the strawberries and cream for top tennis on the lawns.

Thaipusam, Feb 10. Tamil Hindus parade their extreme piercings and hardship for their warrior god.

Salzburg Festival, Jul 22-Aug 31. Celebrate the city’s favourite son, Mozart, in a feast of opera, theatre and concerts.

Bastille Day, July 14. Drink champagne, eat cheese and watch parades for liberty, equality, fraternity.

Blue Mountains Yulefest, Jun-Aug. Missing Santa? Hit the hills for carols, log fires and turkey galore.

Goroka: The Goroka Show, 16-19 Sep. Tribal gathering and Sing-sing with lavish costumes and music.

Mexico, Guadalajara. International Mariachi and Charreria Festival, end Aug. Six days of mariachi music and cowboys. Ole!

Serengeti. Wildebeest migration, Aug-Oct. Hordes of herds move from the Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara.

Darwin Festival, 4-21 Aug. Dance, cabaret, music and theatre in the tropics.

Vava'u. Swim with whales, Aug-Oct. It's peak season for the humpbacks in Tonga, so dive right on in!

Kandy Esala Perahara, 8-18 Aug. Lord Buddha’s sacred tooth is paraded on an elephant at the Buddhist celebration.

Oktoberfest, Oct 7-9, 14-16. Can't afford to head to Munich? Brissy boasts Australia's biggest German beerfest.

Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, Oct 27-30 Oct. It’s a gourmet party in Asia’s food-crazy party capital.

Paro Festival, Mar 2-9. Dancing monks are a highlight of the mountain kingdom's most popular gathering.

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, Oct 26-30. One of the world’s great writers’ festivals in creative Bali.

It's a great year for seeing the Northern Lights and Sweden is one of the best places to experience this phenomenon.

Iceland Airwaves 2014. Experience the musical edge of Nordic culture at this alternative rock festival.

Day of the Dead Festival. Be intrigued and fascinated at Mexico's carnival of the departed souls.

Krampusnacht 2015. This pre-Christmas carnival is not for the faint-hearted. If seeing Krampus, a demon-like creature said to derive from pagan origins, is more than spine tingling for you, hang around for the Feast of St. Nicholas in December to welcome some Christmas magic.

The Berlin Wall. Along the wall, white balloons will be released to commemorate the end of the wall.

Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival 2014. Sit back and enjoy five days of jazz, food, wine and paddle steamers.

Falls Festival is a relaxing alternative to those big out-door art and music festivals.

Hogmanay Street Festival. Start your New Year celebrations at the world-famous Street Party.

Christmas in NY, December. Hearts melt as the skating ice freezes around the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Rhythm and Vines Festival. Held at a vineyard, it's said to be the ultimate New Year festival experience.

Christmas Eve. Join processions in Jerusalem and take the community walk to Bethlehem.