Fun From Home: Summer Festivals Around the World
One of the best parts of summer is having more time to do fun activities with the family. If you’re looking for some inspiration, look no further than the corners of the world! Learn about these spectacular festivals in Russia, Spain, Austria, and South Korea, and bring some of the celebration home! Spend a day participating in one, two, or even all of these festivals! Or, take part in a festival every other week to celebrate all summer long.
White Nights Festival (Russia)
Do you love art, music, or theater? If so, the White Nights Festival is for you! This annual arts festival takes place in St. Petersburg from late May through the middle of July. During the festival months, the sun never sets on St. Petersburg, making the city naturally illuminated for 24 hours a day. Thus, the name “White Nights” was born. At the White Nights Festival, people gather to enjoy live performances at the Mariinsky Theatre, play carnival games, watch fireworks, and more. One of the most anticipated events at the festival is the Scarlet Sails celebration, an epic show that features pirates battling on boats in the Neva River!
White Nights at Home: Create your own carnival by setting up your own games and performances. Use mugs, cups, and a ping-pong ball to create a DIY cup-and-ball game. Grab a small ball and stack a few non-fragile items, and you have your own “knock over the milk bottles” game! For a live performance, recreate scenes from the kids’ favorite movies. Lastly, dress up as pirates and have your own epic pirate battle!
Madrid Water Fight (Spain)
Nothing says summer like a water fight! During the second week of July, people in Madrid prepare themselves for a gigantic water fight in the streets of Vallecas, where everyone is invited to join the fun. People gear up with everything from water balloons to buckets full of water and spend the day soaking each other. This is such a beloved tradition that the crowds can sometimes exceed 10,000 people!
Madrid Water Fight at Home: Host a water fight in your yard! Break out the water balloons, squirt guns, and hoses, and douse your family with a bucketful of summer fun!
Pflasterspektakel (Austria)
Pronounced flast-er-spek-tack-il, this street festival is one of the most diverse and popular street festivals in all of Europe. What began as a gathering point for street artists transformed into this annual spectacle that now takes place in Linz, Austria, every year. During Pflasterspektakel, over 200,000 people gather to watch acrobats, plays, musical performances, magic tricks, and parades—there’s even a special segment just for kids. With tons of local street artists in attendance, every square inch of Linz becomes a stage!
Pflasterspektakel at Home: Have everyone in the family choose their own act and perform it for one another. Your act can be anything from juggling to dancing, hula-hooping to walking on your hands! Whatever your act is, make it unique to you.
Boryeong Mud Festival (South Korea)
The Boryeong Mud Festival, locally known as Mudfest, began as an event to promote beauty products containing mud from Boryeong. The event’s activities were so popular that it eventually evolved into an annual celebration that now takes place in Daecheon Beach, South Korea. Some festivities include mud slides, mud wrestling, mud throwing, and even mud sculptures! After sunset, the beach comes alive with music, parades, and a spectacular display of fireworks.
Mudfest at Home: It’s mud battle time! For those who are brave enough to endure a mud battle, put on white shirts and mix up some homemade mud in the yard. Have a free-for-all battle or choose teams. Whoever has the least mud on their white shirt at the end is crowned victorious!
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