festival

1 of 2

adjective

fes·​ti·​val ˈfe-stə-vəl 

: of, relating to, appropriate to, or set apart as a festival

festival

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a time of celebration marked by special observances

b

: feast sense 2

2

: an often periodic celebration or program of events or entertainment having a specified focus

a daffodil festival

a Greek festival

3

: gaiety, conviviality

Synonyms

Noun

• carnival
• celebration
• fest
• festivity
• fete
• fête
• fiesta
• gala
• jubilee

Examples of festival in a Sentence

Noun

Each year, a festival was held to celebrate the harvest.

The town has a summer festival in the park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The fund has distributed more than $300,000 in festival travel grants and professional development programs for filmmakers since its creation. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

Autumn is the best time in Madrid for music lovers, as festival season draws world-class acts to the city’s stages throughout September as the International Jazz Festival takes place between September and November. —Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2024

Noun

Every year, the festival’s official worm reader (which has, for years, been ex-NBA basketball player Tommy Burleson) hands down the forecast. —Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 7 Nov. 2024

The film has already toured the festival circuit, making stops at the Houston Asian American Pacific Islander (HAAPI) Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival Barcelona among others. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin festivus festive

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing festival

• mooncake festival
• moon festival

Kids Definition

festival

noun

fes·​ti·​val

ˈfes-tə-vəl

1

: a time of celebration in honor of a special occasion

2

: an often regularly occurring program of events or entertainment

festival adjective

Etymology

Noun

from earlier festival (adjective), derived from early French festival "festive," from Latin festivus "festive," from festum (noun) "festival, feast" — related to feast, fiesta