10 global summer festivals worth planning a trip around

A curated list of ten summer festivals across three continents, running from mid-June through late August, each offering a unique cultural experience tied to a specific location. The festivals include Sweden's Midsummer (midsommarafton), a solstice celebration with maypole dancing and herring; Brazil's Festa Junina, a monthlong harvest festival with forró music and quadrilha dancing; Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, a five-day music and performing arts event; Mongolia's Naadam, a national festival featuring wrestling, archery, and horse racing; Kyoto's Gion Matsuri, a monthlong shrine festival with towering floats; the Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo and agricultural fair; Siena's Palio, a bareback horse race around Piazza del Campo; South Korea's Boryeong Mud Festival, a beach event with mud pools and slides; Spain's La Tomatina, a tomato fight in Buñol; and Budapest's Sziget Festival, a week-long music festival on Óbudai Island. Each festival has a fixed calendar date, allowing travelers to plan trips around them. The list emphasizes scale, specificity, and the irreplicable nature of each event, from centuries-old traditions like Gion Matsuri (dating to 869 CE) to modern inventions like Boryeong Mud Festival (founded in 1998). Practical details include ticket availability, accommodation tips, and local customs.