USA TODAY 10Best
Readers choose Water Lantern Festival as Best Cultural Festival
Best Cultural Festival (2019)
Where travel offers an introduction to a new culture, whether in another state or another country, festivals are an intimate and advanced study. Raucous or restrained, artistic or irreverent, our 10 winners for Best Cultural Festival are each travel-worthy in their own right, and each offers the chance to broaden horizons, try new things and connect with others from around the continent and the world.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Cultural Festival are as follows:
- How Weird Street Faire - San Francisco
- National Cowboy Poetry Gathering - Elko, Nev.
- Texas SandFest - Port Aransas, Texas
- Aloha Festivals - Hawaii
- Frozen Dead Guy Days - Nederland, Colo.
- Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Ashland, Ore.
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - New Orleans
- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - Albuquerque
- Kutztown Folk Festival - Kutztown, Penn.
- Water Lantern Festival - Multiple Locations
Photo courtesy of Stephen Kelly / Flickr
No. 10:
For one day each spring, thousands of people in quirky, colorful costumes gather in the heart of San Francisco to celebrate “peace, creativity and weirdness.” Each year has its own theme, as well as multiple stages for live entertainment, unique vendors and fantastic local food.
Photo courtesy of Paul Zarzyski by Jessica Brandi Lifland
No. 9:
A celebration of the rural West, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nev. is at once honest and romantic. Unlikely cowboy poets from around the country and the world gather to share what life on a ranch is all about, not only through poetry, but also through music and storytelling. Events include ticketed performances, open mics, workshops (in crafts, cooking and poetry writing) and contests.
Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Michael Zamora
No. 8:
For three days each April, some of the world’s best sand sculptors join tens of thousands of festival goers for the largest native sand sculpture competition in the USA, Texas SandFest. This Port Aransas festival also features live music, food, a craft market and kids activities.
Photo courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson
No. 7:
The Aloha Festivals bill themselves as a "cultural showcase of Hawaii" — a celebration of the music, dance, food and cultural traditions of the Hawaiian archipelago. The festivities started out as Aloha Week in Honolulu and has since expanded to include hundreds of events on six different islands. Event highlights include the Aloha Festival Parade, coronation of a royal court, hula performances, block parties, food and plenty of live, local music.
Photo courtesy of Frozen Dead Guy Days
No. 6:
Quirky, irreverent and more than a little macabre, Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland, Colo. centers around the cryogenically frozen corpse of Bredo Morstoel, a Norwegian patiently awaiting reanimation in the town. In honor of this bizarre resident, Nederland residents hosted the first installment of its festival in 2002. Events include coffin races, costume polar plunging, ice turkey bowling, frozen t-shirt contests, a parade of Hearses, a poetry slam, frozen salmon toss and snowy human Foosball.
Photo courtesy of T. Charles Erickson / Oregon Shakespeare Festival
No. 5:
The marathon Oregon Shakespeare Festival runs from February to October and features 11 plays (four of them works of Shakespeare) at various venues. But the festival extends well beyond the stage. Attendees can experience backstage tours, park talks, classes, workshops, lectures and post-show conversations to enhance the theatrical experience. Enthusiastic festival-goers can see as many as nine different plays in a single week during this annual celebration of the stage.
Photo courtesy of Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File
No. 4:
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is a long-standing annual festival every spring that celebrates the culture and music of Louisiana. Attendees listen to jazz and gospel hymn, watch a parade and see live musicians from around the world. The past lineup has encompassed the biggest names in jazz: B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Al Green — you name it. Other genres are also represented. The festival was inspired by Mahalia Jackson and the Eureka Brass Band in the 1970s.
Photo courtesy of New Mexico Tourism Department
No. 3:
For nine days each October colorful "upside down ornaments" dot the big, blue Albuquerque skies during the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The world's largest ballooning event welcomes some 500 balloon teams from two dozen countries to the Southwest city, with the headlining event being the weekend mass ascension, when hundreds of balloons take to the sky together. Popular events like the Special Shapes Rodeo and Balloon Glows are complemented by a juried art show, local food trucks and live music.
Photo courtesy of Jim Goudie / Flickr
No. 2:
The nine-day Kutztown Folk Festival is the nation’s oldest continuously operated folklife festival, drawing visitors from around the globe. A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and heritage, the event includes America’s largest quilt sale, 200 craftsmen and folk artists, local food and family friendly entertainment.
Photo courtesy of Water Lantern Festival
No. 1:
The Water Lantern Festival is all about connections. Magical nights in cities across the U.S. include food, live music and the beauty of thousands of lanterns adorned with letters of love, hope and dreams floating on the water.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning festivals!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Tamara Mendelsohn
As the VP and GM of Consumer at Eventbrite, Tamara... Read More
As the VP and GM of Consumer at Eventbrite, Tamara is responsible for helping event creators sell more tickets by growing Eventbrite's global audience of consumers. She was one of Eventbrite's earliest hires in 2009, and before taking on her current role, Tamara built the company's global marketing team from the ground up. When she's not at work or home, you'll find her in a yoga class or checking out a new band at one of the many great SF venues.
Tamara Mendelsohn
As the VP and GM of Consumer at Eventbrite, Tamara is responsible for helping event creators sell more tickets by growing Eventbrite's global audience of consumers. She was one of Eventbrite's earliest hires in 2009, and before taking on her current role, Tamara built the company's global marketing team from the ground up. When she's not at work or home, you'll find her in a yoga class or checking out a new band at one of the many great SF venues.
Zack Sabban
When Festicket CEO Zack Sabban was a successful... Read More
When Festicket CEO Zack Sabban was a successful investment banker, he traveled the world to fulfill his passion for live music. After attending countless festivals, Zack realized the need for a music festival community website and founded Festicket in late 2012. Festicket empowers music fans with a seamless service to discover and book tickets and travel packages to music festivals worldwide. The platform has quickly grown to become an influential live music travel platform and the world’s largest seller of travel packages for music festivals. Based in London UK with smaller bases in the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal, Festicket recently opened an office in San Francisco to accelerate its international expansion.
Zack Sabban
When Festicket CEO Zack Sabban was a successful investment banker, he traveled the world to fulfill his passion for live music. After attending countless festivals, Zack realized the need for a music festival community website and founded Festicket in late 2012. Festicket empowers music fans with a seamless service to discover and book tickets and travel packages to music festivals worldwide. The platform has quickly grown to become an influential live music travel platform and the world’s largest seller of travel packages for music festivals. Based in London UK with smaller bases in the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal, Festicket recently opened an office in San Francisco to accelerate its international expansion.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
