The Lisbon Iberian Mask Festival is an annual cultural event that brings ancestral pagan rituals from rural Portugal and Spain to the capital. Its primary focus is the large-scale parade featuring hundreds of masked characters known as caretos, who perform ancient rituals in colorful wool outfits. The event also includes a dedicated showcase for regional food and handmade crafts from the Iberian Peninsula.

The Goroka Show is Papua New Guinea’s premier tribal gathering, celebrating national unity and indigenous culture. It brings together over 100 Highland and coastal ethnic groups for a spectacular showcase of massed Sing-Sing performances, iconic Asaro Mudmen reenactments, Piki-Piki youth dances, traditional archery, and local craft displays.

Kurultai Festival is a celebration of Turkic and Tatar nomadic culture, bringing together international delegations from over 40 countries. Visitors can experience a spectacular traditional costume parade, explore authentic ancestral tents, and participate in interactive UNESCO traditional game workshops. It offers a unique opportunity to witness historic sports, ancient rituals, and living heritage right in the heart of the city.

The Festima Mask Festival is the largest cultural event in West Africa dedicated to preserving and celebrating the culture of the traditional African mask. Its most famous attraction is the performance of hundreds of diverse traditional masks (made of materials like leaves, wood, and textile) from various ethnic groups across West African nations. During the festival, mask wearers perform energetic, ritualistic dances set to traditional music, which symbolize the communication with ancestors and spirits.

The Onbashira Matsuri – Log Riding Festival is an ancient, extremely high-risk Japanese Shinto event held every six years to spiritually renew the Suwa Taisha shrines by installing new sacred pillars. Its fame comes from the breathtaking spectacle of the Ki-otoshi (riding colossal logs down treacherously steep slopes) and the final Tate-onbashira (erecting the massive pillars to serve as new anchors for the deity’s spirit).

The Bosch Parade is a prestigious biennial event that pays tribute to the 15th-century master of the surreal painting, Hieronymus Bosch. It’s a dramatic aquatic theater, featuring spectacular floating art installations and silent theatrical performances. Visitors can enjoy a slow-moving procession of extravagant, semi-submerged sculptures, haunting musical soundscapes, and vibrant artistic celebrations within the temporary ‘Garden of Delights’ festival village.