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

Satter worked alongside festival founder Robert Redford since 1981. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024

From can’t-miss shows and fly away festival experiences to partnerships with top charting artists and exclusive fan giveaways, White Claw® is no stranger to the music space. —Meghan Mahar, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2024

Noun

Fall can be an autumnal festival or murder mystery. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2025

Troubled indie Western Rust was finally unveiled at the Camerimage cinematography festival in Poland late last year with a sombre world premiere. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025

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