Costumes are in many more celebrations than just Halloween, though many might only get that one time a year to dress up and feel like a different person. There are many festivals that allow participants to dress up, but you may have to travel in order to join in on the party. Here are six great festivals that you need to visit, costumed, of course, before you die.
1. UFO Festival in Roswell, New Mexico
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WwfzjOIVL0]
Have you ever felt the uncanny desire to dress up like an alien from outer space and parade around town? If not, that’s okay — it probably saves you some therapy bills. But if so, traveling out the ostensible site of a UFO crash landing in New Mexico is the perfect chance to let out your little green man or woman.
This even lets you go all out in celebration of the people from different worlds, and gives you some perspective about this one.
2. Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3t58kpMAs]
If you are a fan of either renaissance or steampunk gear, this is the place to get your old school on. With jousting, theatre and other events that highlight how great the world used to be through the rose-colored glasses of idealization, this is a fun little event in a fun little town during the summers. Having gone on since 1981, Scarborough Faire has become a serious tradition.
3. Up Helly Aa in Shetland, Great Britain
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-iCxh56i0]
Have you ever felt like being a viking might be a fun life? Yes? Go to Up Helly Aa, and you’ll feel right at home. With torch processions, a replica of a viking ship getting set ablaze and plenty of re-enactments to enjoy in your best berserker gear, you can experience how life might have been like a thousand years ago for the worshippers of Odin and Thor.
While there isn’t any actual pillaging involved, this event certainly embodies the spirit of freedom and strength that made the vikings a force to be reckoned with.
4. Burning Man in Nevada
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SWV6eLrTU]
Burning Man is a powerful event and has even been called a lifestyle. The idea is that every year, people go into the desert and create a town called Black Rock City. With bartering fully encouraged, shows are as simple as someone randomly deciding to put on a show for whomever passes by, and the costumes vary greatly. Needless to say, there are sexy costumes, scary costumes, and costumes where it’s unclear whether there’s even a person in them.
5. Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCIBjRLl-tU]
Fasnacht takes place from the Monday to Thursday after Ash Wednesday, and is a carnival celebration of sorts. With the merriment of musicians that travel the streets and plenty of people wearing masks, it’s a surreal good time. Then the event ends in a torch procession that requires a dedicated crew to keep anything from getting burnt down — there have been house fires caused by passing revelers in the past.
6. Holi Festival in India
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqsRFAJVN9c]
This is partially a costume festival and partially a “decorate your neighbor” festival. On the last full moon day of February or March, people throw water and colored powder on each other. Sikh and Hindu alike celebrate this festival of people-decorating equally and with abandon. The sight is truly beautiful, with clouds of dye drifting everywhere, mixing, and coating everyone it comes in contact with.
While this isn’t a festival based on costumes, the end result of the festivities truly make you look completely different than when you started.
There are a lot of festivals where people are decorated and obscured. It’s a part of human nature that you should experience for yourself. Book a plane ticket and head over to these once in a life time celebrations. Don’t forget to dress up!
