The 7 Best Festivals In Asia For Your 2020 Bucket List

A festival is a simple concept of bringing people together to have a good time. There are tens of thousands of them around the world, but if you had to had to create an Asia festival bucket list for 2020 what would it look like? Well, we have the best festivals across the region.

From unmissable music festivals to ice sculptures, mud baths and magical lanterns, these are the events in Asia you simply have to make time for…

Ultimate Asia Festival Bucket List 2020

1. Fuji Rock Festival – Niigata, Japan

Fuji Rock is the biggest music festival in the country – an annual three-day rock festival at Naeba Ski Resort with more than 200 Japanese and international musicians. It’s just a 90-minute train ride from Tokyo and there’s so much more than music to enjoy.

Think: hot springs to soak off that festival tiredness and nature walks in beautiful Japanese scenery.

2. Boryeong Mud Festival – South Korea

This unique festival is one of Korea’s most popular summer festivals, and for good reason. The entire festival revolves around nutrient-rich mud, with plenty of mud themed events. Head to the Giant Mud Bath at the Mud Square and take part in recreational activities perfect for friends and families or pamper yourself with a mud massage or mud facial pack.

You can also enjoy creative activities like painting with coloured mud or take the challenge to pass through a mud maze as fast as you can. The festival mood is made even better by the EDM music pumping out at the Mud-M event!

3. The Great Food Festival – Singapore

This tasty food festival at Resorts World™ Sentosa has some of the world’s best food. There’s great wines, masterclasses by the world’s top wine critics, festival-exclusive dishes created by acclaimed celebrity chefs, as well as exciting pop-up dining concepts.

The festival is split into different zones, with a Rollin’ Sweet Times section – an entire area for desserts and pastries. Get ready to gain 10kg and pig out on some of the best food in Asia.

4. Songkran – Thailand (Nationwide)

Thais celebrate the New Year festival with a four-day long holiday every April that turns into a nationwide waterfight. Across the country, there’s friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week. It’s also about the act of cleansing, and has become one of the wildest water fights in the world.

Khao San Road in Bangkok is one of the craziest places for Songkran. We suggest you should visit this at least once. Prepare to get wet – very, very wet.

5. Ice and Snow Festival – Harbin, China

This incredible winter festival is the largest ice and snow festival in the world. It takes place from December until February, so you’ve no excuse not to visit! The Ice and Snow World is the main venue of Harbin Ice and Snow Festival. This has the most beautiful ice sculptures during the festival and there will be more than 2,000 displayed.

As well as amazing ice sculptures, there’s also skiing, sledding, ice golf, ice archery winter swimming, fishing and more. Past sculptures include a teeth-chattering sculpture of The Great Wall (doubling as an ice slide)!

6. Sky Lantern Festival – Pingxi, Taiwan

This unique Taiwanese lantern festival is one of the most beautiful sights you’ll ever see, as thousands of lanterns float into the sky carrying the prayers and vows of locals and tourists alike. Every year, thousands flock to the village of Pingxi for its annual Lantern Festival.

There’s also folk performances, lantern riddle contests, and street folk carnivals.

7. Full Moon Party – Koh Phangan, Thailand

This is one of the most famous parties in the world and is a must visit for anybody traveling around South East Asia. What until only a decade ago was a small gathering has sprouted into a huge event with 1,000s of people flocking to the beach.

You’ll find lots of music, the famous buckets of alcohol and lots of creative performers from fire throwers to jugglers. The best bit? It takes place every single month!