As we dust off and celebrate another new year, people worldwide prepare for festivals to celebrate everything from culture, traditions, and heritage. Celebrations are traditionally colorful, with loud music, parades, lots of food, dancing, and creative costumes. If attending festivals is on your bucket list, not even the Covid 19 pandemic can stop a drive-up festival, which is still sure to be as festive and fun. Listed below are some of the biggest festivals celebrated around the world and a little bit about each.
Prominent Festivals
Mardi Gras (New Orleans, Louisiana) is a cultural festival, also known as Fat Tuesday. It is a tradition that started back in the 1700s with roots that trace back to medieval Europe. There are street processions, carriages, dazzling gaslight torches, and lots of magic and mystery to the Mardi Gras celebration. Although it is celebrated all over the world, New Orleans always plays host for the United States. Mardi Gras is colorful: purple is for justice, green for faith, and gold is for power. Fun fact – Mardi Gras starts 12 days (about 1 week 5 days) after Christmas.
Carnival (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) is one of the largest festivals and parties worldwide. Typically around 5 million people (about twice the Mississippi population) attend this festival, which started as a religious festival beginning 40 days (about one and a half months) before Easter. However, it is full of scantily dressed women up and down the street in costumes composed of less than a bikini bathing suit with sequins, gems, and feathers everywhere.
Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin, China. They try to make the most of winter by creating ice sculptures. It is less about the clothing and costumes and more about alpine skiing, touring, and swimming in frigid waters.
Dia De Los Muertos (Mexico) Known as Cinco de Mayo in the United States, this cultural celebration is another festival celebrated with food, wine, and music. Culturally, it is one of the world’s biggest festivals, typically held on the 5th of May with speeches and parades.
Clothing for festivals is as big as being there for it. Many shop months for their festival clothing so that they are in spirit as they celebrate. Many choose to have handmade custom festival clothing, but that is more expensive and often pushes deadlines.
Depending on what you are at the festival to do, be a spectator, or in the parade, festival clothing shops are wide-ranging in costumes and accessories. Many of these shops offer the less is more philosophy for festival dressing and have everything you need to appear sexy at the festival. Below is a list of some of those shops.
Shopping for Festival Clothes
IHeartRaves – is home of booty shorts and the place to go for colorful fringe skirts, mesh bell-bottom pants, booty shorts, mesh skirts, or other sexy festival style clothes. The prices are meager, and shipping fast and easy.
Amazon is home to several sellers of festival accessories and outfits. They have everything from shiny glitter halter tops to feather headpieces and complete Samba outfits, feather wings, and even glittery shoes to match outfits. Amazon sellers also have multiple sellers of colorful beads.
Poshmark, Etsy, eBay are social marketplaces with several sellers reselling new or used festival outfits. Many include the entire costumes, booty shorts, and accessories.
Funidelia is a website loaded with costumes for festivals and carnivals. Their website is easy to navigate, and you can shop based on the cultural extravaganza you are attending. In addition to festival outfits, they have decorations for your festival celebrations.
Finding the right outfit for a festival or carnival to celebrate your culture or religion need not be stressful. Some shops and what you need to look for are easy to find.
