There are lots of festivals like Holi are celebrated all over the world that fill your world with colors, laughter, and joy. Like Holi is an Indian festival of color, other countries have similar festivals based on their historic culture and tradition.
If you are looking for festivals like Holi that foster connections with love and color then you will find this blog helpful. We are going to discuss popular festivals from several countries from Thailand to the USA that resonate with India’s Holi.
List of Festivals Celebrated Around The World Similar To Holi
Here is the list of 10 famous festivals like Holi that are celebrated in different countries:
| Country | Festival Name |
| USA | Michigan’s Annual Mud Day |
| Spain | La Tomatina |
| Greece | Flour War Festival |
| Germany | Oberbaumbrücke Water Fight |
| Italy | Battle of Orange |
| England | Gloucester Cheese Rolling Festival |
| South Korea | Boryeong Mud Festival |
| Australia | Chinchilla Watermelon Festival |
| Thailand | Songkran |
Below we have shared information on each festival and how it is similar to Holi festival. If you want to learn more about these festivals then stay with us.
Michigan’s Annual Mud Day (USA)
Michigan Annual Mud Day is the popular festival of Michigan that is celebrated in Hines Park, Westland. In this festival, mainly children come along and play with each other in the mud.
There are also lots of mud-related contests like mudslides, racing in mud, making mud pies, etc., to make this festival more exciting. In the end, the winners are crowned as King & Queen of Mud followed by a ceremony.
This Michigan’s Annual Mud Day is similar to Holi as it is celebrated with joy and strengthens bonding with the community. As Holi is played outside with your friends, Michigan’s Annual Mud Day is also celebrated out in a park.
La Tomatina (Spain)
La Tomatina is a famous festival in Spain that is celebrated in the town of Buñol near Valencia. During this festival, all the participants engage in tomato fights including both adults and children.
La Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday of August during the weekly celebration of San Luis Bertràn who was Buñol’s patron saint. As Holi is celebrated in India with many different colors, La Tomatina has the only color of Tomato which is red.
Not only friends or families but strangers also celebrate La Tomatina with each other just like Holi and it creates a colorful bond of joy. Both Holi and La Tomatina have their cultural values and people of different walks of life come together and have a lot of fun while celebrating them.
Flour War Festival (Greece)
The Flour War Festival of Greece is also considered among the festivals like Holi are celebrated all over the world. Also called as Alevromoutzouromata in Greek, this festival takes place in Galaxidi in Greece on the last Sunday of Carnival.
As people have color and water fights in Holi, participants of the Flour War festival engage in white flour fights with each other. People also dance to traditional music followed by a bonfire and some might even jump over these bonfires.
Oberbaumbrücke Water Fight (Germany)
Oberbaumbrücke Water Fight is a popular festival in Germany that takes place on the Oberbaumbrücke bridge over the river Spree in Berlin. All local folks and tourists take part in this festival and enjoy celebrating with each other.
Just like water and balloon fights in Holi, all participants in Oberbaumbrücke Water Fight throw water balloons as part of the tradition. Drenching each other & passersby with water guns, this festival on the historic bridge fills the air with vibrant joy.
Battle of Orange (Italy)
The Battle of Orange is celebrated during the carnival of Ivrea, which happens in the Northern Italian city named Ivrea. This festival has been celebrated in Italy since 1947 and is popular as the largest food fight festival across its neighboring countries.
This festival depicts a historic rebellion against an evil tyrannical duke and hence people throw oranges at each other as a symbol of the uprising. Just like Holi, this festival is a symbol of the triumph of good over evil. The battle of orange festival continues for 3 days from Sunday to Tuesday and is played between 9 teams of orange throwers.
Gloucester Cheese Rolling Festival (England)
The Gloucester Cheese Festival has taken place on Spring Bank Holiday Monday in late May every year since the 1800s. During this festival, people roll a Double Gloucester cheese down the slope of Cooper’s Hill in England. The participants then have to race downhill while chasing the cheese and the first one who crosses the finish line at the bottom of the hill is the winner.
As Holi, this cheese rolling festival in England is an old tradition since the 19th century that attracts people from across the world. Men and women take part in downhill races whereas for children there is an uphill race, so everyone can enjoy the Gloucester Cheese Rolling Festival.
Boryeong Mud Festival (South Korea)
A small town named Boryeong in South Korea celebrates the Mud Festival in summer. Lots of people across the world come to enjoy the Boryeong Mud Festival in July. Since 1998, people have been participating in mud wrestling and enjoying mudslides and mud baths in the Boryeong Mud Festival.
People also dance to the traditional Korean music at this festival while enjoying the local delicacies offered by food stalls. Where you enjoy playing with water and color in Holi, the Boryeong Mud Festival is all about playing in mud as both have their own cultural values.
Chinchilla Watermelon Festival (Australia)
The Chinchilla Watermelon Festival is held in February in Queensland, Australia. There are lots of activities that take place during this festival such as seed spitting competitions or watermelon eating contests.
People also enjoy the grand street Parade consisting of decorative floats and there are also live music performances. Where many adults and children enjoy the carnival rides, you can also come across crafts stalls.
Songkran (Thailand)
Songkran is Thailand’s New Year Festival is celebrated for 3 days starting on the 13th April to the 15th April. On this festival, people clean their houses and workplaces and also visit Buddhist temples where they offer food and listen to Monks.
Songkran is a lot similar to Holi as every street is converted into a water fight area where people splash water on each other using water guns or buckets.
Final Words
Festivals like Holi are celebrated all over the world and serve as a medium for joy, connection, and celebration for all humans. Whether it’s the colors of India’s streets, the mud of South Korea’s beaches, or the water of Thailand’s Songkran, each of these celebrations have something in common i.e. spreading happiness and community gatherings.
Across worldwide continents and cultures, the spirit of Holi resonates in different forms of festivals, uniting people to embrace life’s colorful moments with each other.