The Tokushima Awa Odori Dance Festival is arguably Japan’s most famous summer dance event, featuring thousands of ren (dancers) performing the unique, energetic Awa Odori style throughout Tokushima City. The main attraction is the non-stop street parade, set to a distinct traditional rhythm, showcasing contrasting high-stepping men’s movements and graceful women’s dances.

Kandy Esala Perahera is an event during which Sinhalese people show their appreciation for the Lord Buddha. The central element of the festivity is the Sacred Tooth – an alleged piece of the Buddha’s earthly remains. They start having this event more than 1000 years ago. During all these years many traditions were created and many others were forgotten. But because this event is so old, it manages, at least for 10 days a year, to keep alive the most important of them.

The Mumbai Ganesh Chaturthi Idol Festival is a gigantic, ten-day event marking the birthday of the elephant god, Lord Ganesha, featuring thousands of massive idols built by artisans and communities to invite the deity’s presence. On the final day these large idols are moved in major processions throughout the city until they reach the shores of the Arabian Sea. Here, the idols are thrown into the sea, symbolizing the god’s return to nature’s elements.

The Gujarat Navratri is the world’s longest dance festival, extending over nine continuous nights. It is a grand spectacle focused on the Garba and Dandiya-Raas dances, performed in honor of Goddess Amba (Durga). This powerful communal celebration commemorates her nine-night fight over the shape-shifting buffalo demon Mahishasura.

Kolkata Durga Puja is a UNESCO-recognised festival that celebrates the brief annual return of the Goddess Durga (Ma) to her maternal home (maika). Locals celebrate this by transforming the city into a public art exhibition, installing elaborate Pandals – massive, artistic structures built as old temple replicas or modern creative exhibits. The festival’s main attraction is Pandal Hopping, a continuous pilgrimage in which crowds explore thousands of Pandals each night across the entire city.