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

For festival executive producer and Huntington’s director of film and television Joe Schramm, the festival is a unique opportunity to highlight production opportunities in Long Island. —Matt Minton, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025

But even with a too-small sampling of festival titles, often a theme emerges — in this instance an idea of how memories of our lives, or the lives of others, can be reclaimed or questioned years afterward. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025

Noun

This kind of big festival is really a super good opportunity to send this message. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025

The festival is opening with a female debut filmmaker for the first time in the shape of Amélie Bonnin’s Leave One Day, and seven of the 19 films in Competition are first-time Palme d’Or contenders. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Apr. 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