Asia: Festivals & Events
80 events across 15 countries
Cambodia
Music festival Kampot Alternative Festival Kampot February (22–24 February 2026) An underground three-day music event on the Cambodian coast south of Kampot: 600 people, psytrance and electronic music on outdoor stages, and an atmosphere that rewards the effort of reaching one of Southeast Asia's more off-grid party destinations.
Beach party Koh Rong Beach Party Season Koh Rong October to May (peak: December–February) Cambodia's party island runs bioluminescent night swims, beach bonfires, and bar-hopping on 4K Beach from October through April — a rawer, cheaper version of the Thai island circuit.
Beach party Koh Sdach Slow Season Beach Parties Koh Sdach November to April (dry season) A Cambodian fishing island with one bar strip, no tourist infrastructure, and weekend bonfires that the handful of travellers who make it here organise themselves.
Urban bar and riverside nightlife circuit Phnom Penh Riverside Nightlife Phnom Penh Year-round The bars along the Tonle Sap riverside and the Street 136 and 104 corridor run until 3am–4am with cheap beer, live music, and a crowd of travellers and expats that makes Southeast Asia's nightlife circuit pause in Cambodia's capital.
Street bar scene Siem Reap Bar Street Nights Siem Reap Year-round (coolest and busiest: November–February) Pub Street's kilometre of open-air bars, cheap cocktails, and live music runs every night in a city where the temples are two kilometres away and the nightlife runs until sunrise.
Beach party scene Sihanoukville Beach Party Scene Sihanoukville November–May (dry season; wet season is June–October) Otres Beach's quieter stretch and the remaining independent bars around Serendipity Beach offer a stripped-back version of the Cambodia coast nightlife before the major Chinese-resort development changed the city's character.
China
Urban nightlife scene Shanghai Club Nights Shanghai Year-round (peak: May–October) The Bund's rooftop bars and the clubs of Julu Road and Yongkang Street make Shanghai one of Asia's most sustained late-night cities: last call rarely comes before 5am.
Music festival Strawberry Music Festival Beijing Labour Day weekend and May holidays 2026 (1–4 May; exact venue TBC) Beijing's biggest outdoor music festival celebrates its annual theme with pop, indie rock, and folk across multiple outdoor stages in a park in the city's north.
India
Traveller social scene / Hill station nightlife Dharamshala Backpacker Social Scene Dharamshala Year-round (peak: March–June, September–November) McLeod Ganj's café circuit, rooftop bars, and hostel common rooms draw a global crowd of long-term travellers, yoga practitioners, and weekenders from Delhi into an unusually convivial hill station social scene.
Seasonal party destination Goa Party Season Goa November–March (peak: December–January) Five months of beach parties, full moon raves, and electronic music on the Arabian Sea coast. November to March is when North Goa comes alive.
Music festival Jaipur Music Stage Jaipur Annual (2026 dates to be confirmed; typically November–February) A two-day outdoor music festival at the Albert Hall Museum Gardens: Indian classical artists, contemporary fusion acts, and international names performing in one of Jaipur's most architecturally remarkable public spaces.
Religious festival / street spectacle Mumbai Monsoon Festival Season Mumbai 22 August to 1 September 2026 (dates shift annually with the Hindu lunar calendar) Mumbai's Ganesh Chaturthi brings 10 days of street processions and idol immersions in September, while the city's Colaba and Bandra bar circuit runs year-round.
Cultural festival and camel fair
Pushkar Camel Fair (Pushkar Mela) Pushkar Annual (Kartik Purnima, full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik): October–November (2026: 19–27 November) One of the world's largest camel fairs happens every November in the Rajasthan desert: 50,000 camels, a full moon over the Brahma ghats, and an atmosphere that is equal parts Hindu pilgrimage and extraordinary spectacle.
Indonesia
Cultural festival Bali Arts Festival Bali Mid-June to mid-July (15 June – 13 July 2026) A month of daily performance at the Bali Arts Centre in Denpasar: gamelan competitions, Kecak fire dance, Barong processions, and ceremonial weaving on a scale that has no equivalent elsewhere on the island.
Beach bar / rooftop nightlife Canggu Sunset Sessions Canggu Year-round (dry season April–October best; peak July–August) Bali's digital nomad and surf hub runs nightly beach bars, rooftop parties, and club nights in a 3km strip between Echo Beach and Batu Bolong.
Beach party / Island nightlife Gili Trawangan Sunset Strip and Beach Club Scene Gili Trawangan Year-round (peak: July–August, December–January) The smallest of the three Gili Islands runs the most concentrated party strip in Indonesia: a beachfront kilometre of beach clubs, fire shows, and open-air bars with no motorised vehicles on the island.
Club scene / Bar district / Cultural nightlife Jakarta Club Scene and Kota Tua Night Market Jakarta Year-round; Ramadan significantly changes the scene Southeast Asia's largest city has a club circuit in Kemang and SCBD that runs until 6am, a craft beer quarter in Menteng, and a regenerated colonial waterfront in Kota Tua that draws a local crowd every weekend.
Club / bar scene Kuta Bali Nightlife Season Kuta Year-round (peak: June–August and December–January) Bali's original party strip — Poppies Lane, Sky Garden, and Jalan Legian — runs a nonstop club and bar circuit six nights a week, year-round, anchored by free entry deals and rooftop DJs.
Beach festival Kuta Karnival Uluwatu October (typically late October; check official Kuta Karnival schedule for 2026 dates) Uluwatu's surf culture meets Bali's festival calendar: five days of beach competitions, live music, and cliff-top parties drawing surfers and travellers from across the island.
Beach party / Bar scene Kuta Lombok Beach Party Scene Kuta Lombok Year-round (peak: May–October, dry season) The surf town that Bali used to be — Kuta Lombok's crescent beach, long swells, and a handful of beach bars running until midnight make it the quieter southern island alternative.
Beach club circuit / island social scene Nusa Lembongan Beach Club Circuit Nusa Lembongan Year-round (peak: May-September dry season) A 20-minute fast boat from Bali's Sanur beach lands you on an island with no traffic, three beach clubs, and an evening bar scene that ends at midnight and starts again at sunrise.
Clifftop bar scene / island social scene Nusa Penida Cliffside Bar Nights Nusa Penida Year-round (peak: May-September dry season) Indonesia's most dramatic island has a small but growing social scene at its clifftop guesthouses, with sunset bars above Kelingking Beach running from 4pm until midnight.
Music festival Prambanan Jazz Festival Yogyakarta July (typically first or second weekend of July; check prambananjazz.com for 2026 dates) Three nights of jazz and world music in front of Indonesia's largest Hindu temple complex: 8th-century stone temples as a backdrop for 20,000 attendees under the Javanese night sky.
Seasonal beach club scene Seminyak Beach Club Season Seminyak Year-round (driest and busiest: May–September) Bali's most concentrated stretch of beach clubs runs from Ku De Ta to Potato Head: sunset cocktails, DJ sets, and pools that stay busy from noon to midnight.
Cultural arts circuit / evening entertainment Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest Nights and Arts Scene Ubud Year-round (peak: July-August dry season) Bali's cultural capital runs a year-round arts scene with evening Kecak fire dances at Pura Dalem Ubud and a small but consistent bar circuit in the rice paddy alleys.
Japan
Cultural festival Kyoto Gion Festival Kyoto 1–31 July annually (main processions: 17 and 24 July; Yoiyama street parties: 14–16 and 21–23 July) Japan's most celebrated summer festival runs the entire month of July: 32 wooden floats assembled without nails, Yoiyama street parties on the evenings before the main processions, and a million people over the peak weekend.
Urban nightlife circuit Osaka Nightlife Circuit Osaka Year-round Dotonbori neon, Namba basement clubs, and the bars of Amerika-mura: Japan's most unpretentious city for a night out, with last trains at midnight and after-midnight clubs running until 6am.
Music festival Summer Sonic Tokyo Tokyo Mid-August (13–16 August 2026) Tokyo's largest summer music festival returns to Odaiba and Makuhari Messe for four days of K-pop, indie rock, and international headliners drawing 80,000 people across two venues simultaneously.
Laos
Cultural festival Boun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival) Vientiane May (typically mid-May, timed to the full moon of the sixth lunar month; 2026 dates TBC) Vientiane's Boun Bang Fai fires home-made bamboo rockets skyward to summon seasonal rains: three days of village-level competitions, processions, and riverside celebrations before the wet season arrives.
Cultural festival / water festival Luang Prabang Pi Mai Luang Prabang 14 to 16 April 2026 Lao New Year in the UNESCO World Heritage old town: three days of water fights, temple processions, and a gentler version of Songkran set against gold-spired monasteries.
Outdoor activity Vang Vieng Tubing Season Vang Vieng November to March (dry season) Float down the Nam Song river on a rubber tube, stopping at riverside bars for cheap Beer Lao and rope swings. The party that nearly got shut down is back, calmer but still brilliant.
Malaysia
Bar scene Kota Kinabalu Waterfront Bar Scene Kota Kinabalu Year-round (best: April–October, dry season) Borneo's gateway city runs a compact waterfront strip on Jalan Haji Saman where Filipino bars, live bands, and cold Sabah draft beer keep things going until 2am most nights.
Music festival Kuala Lumpur Good Vibes Festival Kuala Lumpur July or August (2026 dates to be confirmed) Malaysia's largest music festival runs for two days at Genting Highlands, 6,000 feet above Kuala Lumpur, with 30,000 people and a lineup that brings international pop, R&B, and electronic headliners to Southeast Asia's most accessible highland venue.
Street party Langkawi Street Party Langkawi 2026 (specific dates to be confirmed; first edition launched 2025) Malaysia's first official street party festival on Langkawi island: pulsating music across multiple outdoor stages, local food stalls, and a crowd that mixes island visitors with Malaysian weekend travellers.
Urban bar circuit and street food night market Penang Street Party and Georgetown Nightlife Penang Year-round Georgetown's UNESCO-listed lanes have some of the best bar-hopping in Malaysia: craft beer bars in pre-war shophouses, rooftop spots above street art walls, and the Armenian Street corridor from 9pm.
Nepal
Bar scene / Live music / Traveller social Kathmandu Thamel Bar Scene and Live Music Circuit Kathmandu Year-round; peak trekking seasons October–November, March–April Nepal's capital runs a concentrated traveller quarter in Thamel with live music bars, rooftop venues, and a nightlife that draws trekkers at the start and end of every Himalayan expedition.
Lakeside bar circuit and trekker social scene Pokhara Lakeside Bar and Trekking Base Nights Pokhara Year-round (peak: October to November and March to April, trekking season) Phewa Tal lakeside has Himalayan views from bar terraces, live acoustic music from 8pm, and the specific energy of a town where people arrive from a Annapurna Base Camp trek and have their first cold beer in two weeks.
Bar and club scene Pokhara Lakeside Party Season Pokhara Year-round; peak October–November and February–March Trekkers and travellers unwind along Phewa Lake in Nepal's most sociable mountain town, where rooftop bars and a compact nightlife strip keep things going well past midnight.
Philippines
Beach nightlife Bohol Island Hopping Parties Bohol Year-round (peak November–May dry season) The Philippines island best known for its Chocolate Hills and tarsiers also runs beach bar nights at Alona Beach, where the dive crowd mixes with backpackers after dark.
Beach party Boracay White Beach Parties Boracay Year-round (dry season November–May peak) White Beach Station 2 is the Philippines' most social stretch of sand, with beach bars, fire shows, and cliff jump parties running nightly through the dry season.
Urban bar crawl Cebu City Bar Hop Cebu Nightly (Thursday–Saturday busiest) The Philippines' second city runs a tight nightlife circuit in Mango Square and the IT Park area, with clubs open until 4am and bar bands playing covers until closing.
Island party scene / Dive social Coron Island Hopping and Sunset Bar Scene Coron Year-round (peak season: November–May) Palawan's dive capital pairs world-class wrecks and limestone lagoons with a compact waterfront bar strip that runs hard from sunset until the generators cut out.
Night market / Waterfront bar scene Dumaguete Friday Night Market and Beach Bar Scene Dumaguete Year-round; Friday Night Market weekly; peak season December–May Negros Oriental's university city runs the Rizal Boulevard promenade every Friday and weekend, with a seafood market, live music bars, and a tight-knit traveller scene that punches well above the town's size.
Street party El Nido New Year's Festival El Nido 31 December – 1 January New Year's Eve at TownSquare El Nido draws thousands of visitors to the limestone karst beach town for fireworks over Bacuit Bay, live music on the beachfront, and the most photogenic midnight countdown in the Philippines.
Urban nightlife season Manila Bar Crawl & Nightlife Season Manila Year-round (peak: December–January) BGC and Makati run back-to-back: rooftop bars, megaclubs on McKinley Road, and a street party scene that treats weeknights as warmly as weekends.
Beach bonfire / hostel social scene Nacpan Beach Bonfire Nights Nacpan Beach November to May (dry season) One of the Philippines' best beaches runs a small but consistent bonfire and bar scene through the dry season, with firepit evenings at a handful of beachfront guesthouses.
Island festival and beach party season
Palawan Island Hopping Season Palawan October to May (peak November–April); avoid June–September (typhoon season) The Philippines' most celebrated island chain opens its turquoise lagoons and limestone sea caves to island-hoppers from October to May, with beach parties running at El Nido's main strip and a dive season that doubles as a nightlife circuit.
Beach party circuit Panglao Island Party Scene Panglao Year-round (peak: December to May, dry season) Alona Beach packs more bars into 500 metres of sand than anywhere else in the Philippines, with fire shows at midnight, dive shops doubling as late bars, and parties that run until sunrise.
Cultural festival
Sagada Lumad Festival Sagada Lumad Festival: late November; cave and mountain season year-round The highland Igorot communities of Sagada celebrate their living culture every November with harvest rituals, traditional Kankanay weaving demonstrations, and rice wine ceremonies that have been practised in these mountains for centuries.
Surf competition and festival Siargao International Surfing Cup Siargao Late September to early October 2026 Cloud 9's barrelling right-hander draws the world's best surfers to a Philippine island where the after-parties are as legendary as the waves.
Beach bar scene and cultural performance Siquijor Island Fire Dancer Nights Siquijor Year-round (dry season peak: March–May; busiest for tourism: December–May) A small Filipino island with a night market, beachside bars, and fire dancer performances along San Juan beach most nights of the week in a setting that hasn't been overrun.
South Korea
Music festival BOF Busan One Asia Festival Busan 27–28 June 2026 Two days of K-pop at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in June: one of the largest K-pop festival events in South Korea outside of Seoul, drawing acts from across the Korean music industry.
Music festival Busan ONEASIA K-Pop Festival Busan 27–28 June 2026 Two days of K-pop at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in late June: a 50,000-capacity outdoor arena on the southern Korean coast, big-name lineups, and a city that does excellent seafood and late-night Korean BBQ between sets.
Music festival Seoul Electronic Music Festival Seoul Summer (typically June–August; dates vary by year) South Korea's premier electronic music gathering: international techno and house headliners across outdoor stages in Seoul's Han River parks over a summer weekend.
Sri Lanka
Beach party / seasonal nightlife Arugam Bay Surf Season Parties Arugam Bay May to October (peak season) Sri Lanka's east coast surf capital runs beach bonfires, full-moon gatherings, and bar nights through the May-to-October season when the swell arrives.
Urban nightlife Colombo Colombo Street Party Colombo Nightly (year-round; peak December–March dry season) Sri Lanka's capital has a growing bar scene centred on Galle Face and Colombo 3, where rooftop bars, craft beer pubs, and night markets run year-round.
Beach party / Surf social Hikkaduwa Beach Party and Surf Scene Hikkaduwa Year-round; surf season November–April; full moon parties monthly Sri Lanka's most consistent party beach runs a beachfront strip of reggae bars, surf shacks, and full moon gatherings along a 3km coral reef coast that has hosted travellers since the 1970s.
Beach bar circuit / seasonal party scene Mirissa Whale-Season Beach Parties Mirissa November to April (peak: December-February) Sri Lanka's most social beach runs open-air bar nights from November to April, when the whales are offshore and the backpacker crowd is at its densest.
Thailand
Beach party Full Moon Party Koh Phangan Monthly (night of the full moon) Haad Rin beach turns into Southeast Asia's biggest monthly party: 30,000 people, fire shows, and multiple stages until sunrise.
Beach party Koh Lanta Full Moon & Long Beach Bar Scene Koh Lanta Monthly (full moon night); bar scene year-round Long Beach's cluster of bungalow bars hosts monthly full moon gatherings and a steady nightly scene that runs quieter and cheaper than Koh Phangan without sacrificing the fire shows.
Beach party Koh Samui Full Moon Season Koh Samui Year-round (peak: December–February and July–August) Koh Samui serves as the launch pad for Koh Phangan's monthly Full Moon Party, but the island has its own beach club scene, monthly events, and a water park party at Ark Bar that draws 2,000 people per weekend.
Music festival Koh Tao Hii Festival Koh Tao 28 March 2026 (annual, typically March–April) A two-day electronic music festival on the quieter north side of Koh Tao: international DJs, an outdoor jungle stage, and the kind of small-island intimacy that Koh Phangan's Full Moon Party lost years ago.
Bar scene / Beach party Krabi Ao Nang Bar Scene & Full Moon Parties Krabi Year-round (peak: November–April); full moon monthly Ao Nang's strip of open-air bars and Railay Beach's monthly full moon gatherings give Krabi a two-location party circuit connected by a 20-minute longtail boat.
Night market and monthly full moon party Pai Night Bazaar and Full Moon Party Pai Year-round; Night Bazaar daily; Full Moon Party monthly A mountain town in northern Thailand with a 500m walking street, fire show bars, and a monthly full moon gathering that is small enough to actually talk to people at.
Year-round club and bar street Pattaya Beach Party Season Pattaya Year-round Walking Street's kilometre of open-air clubs and go-go bars runs every night of the year, starting quietly at 8pm and peaking from midnight to 5am with a crowd that has come from every corner of the world.
Beach party Phi Phi Island New Year Party Koh Phi Phi 31 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 Ring in the new year on a Thai island where the countdown happens on the beach, fire dancers perform at midnight, and the party runs until the sun comes up.
Nightlife season Phuket Sandbox Party Season Phuket November to April (high season) Patong's Bangla Road hosts Southeast Asia's most concentrated strip of bars, clubs, and beach parties. The high season from November to April is when it peaks.
Religious festival Phuket Vegetarian Festival Phuket 17 to 25 October 2026 (approximate: follows lunar calendar) Nine days of firewalking, blade-ladder climbing, and facial piercings. Phuket's most extreme festival is not for the squeamish but utterly unforgettable.
Cultural festival / street water fights Songkran Water Festival: Bangkok Bangkok 13–15 April 2026 Khao San Road foam cannons and Silom's 2km water-fight corridor: Bangkok's Songkran is bigger, louder, and easier to reach than anywhere else in Thailand.
Cultural festival / street water fights Songkran Water Festival: Chiang Mai Chiang Mai 12–16 April 2026 (official dates: 13–15 April) Five days of city-wide water fights centred on the Old City moat: the most intense Songkran celebration in Thailand.
Vietnam
Cultural festival Da Nang International Fireworks Festival Da Nang April – June (Saturday nights; 2026 specific schedule to be confirmed) Two months of Saturday night fireworks competitions above the Han River: teams from eight countries display 20-minute shows set to music, drawing 100,000 spectators to the riverfront bridges in central Da Nang.
Traveller social scene / Mountain guesthouse circuit Ha Giang Loop Hostel Scene and Mountain Party Nights Ha Giang Year-round; best conditions September–November, March–May The motorbike loop through Vietnam's northernmost karst mountains brings together riders from every direction at five or six guesthouses along the route, creating an informal nightly gathering that is part debrief, part party.
Street bar scene / Night market / Live music Hanoi Old Quarter Bar Scene and Night Markets Hanoi Year-round; weekend night market Friday–Sunday; Tết (January–February) quieter The 36 guilds streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter pack craft beer bars, bia hoi corner stalls, and live music into a walkable labyrinth that runs until 2am every weekend night.
Music festival Ho Chi Minh City A State of Trance Ho Chi Minh 13 June 2026 On 13 June 2026, the 25th anniversary A State of Trance event comes to Van Phuc City in Ho Chi Minh: Armin van Buuren and the ASOT trance lineup in their largest ever Vietnamese production.
Cultural festival Hoi An Lantern Festival Hoi An Monthly (14th of each lunar month; 2026 dates: 1 Feb, 3 Mar, 1 Apr, 1 May, 30 May, 29 Jun...) On the 14th day of each lunar month, Hoi An's ancient town turns off its electric lights: paper lanterns float on the Thu Bon River, the yellow-plastered merchant houses glow by candlelight, and the 400-year-old trading port becomes briefly visible again.
Bar scene / Cultural city nightlife Hue DMZ Bar Scene and Cultural Night Circuit Hue Year-round; best weather February–April, June–August Vietnam's former imperial capital has a DMZ bar circuit on Phạm Ngũ Lão Street that runs until 2am, a moat-enclosed Citadel to explore at dusk, and a traveller social scene built around day trips to war history sites.
Cultural and beach festival Nha Trang Sea Festival Nha Trang 10 to 14 June 2026 (biennial, held in even years) Vietnam's coastal party city celebrates with beach sports, seafood feasts, boat races, and a nightlife scene that peaks during festival week.
Hostel social scene / outdoor activity circuit Ninh Binh Cycling and River Festival Ninh Binh Year-round (peak: October-April dry season) The limestone karst region around Ninh Binh hosts a small but growing traveller social scene built around boat trips, cycling routes, and hostel evenings in Tam Coc village.