September is a month of festivals and celebrations of early fall when nature dresses up with new colors and the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a month of Autumn Equinox, colorful foliage, and other holidays. Several unique festivals such as the Oktoberfest of Germany, Burning Man in the Black Rock City of Nevada, and La Merce film festivals in Barcelona are organized in Toronto and Venice. The mid-autumn festivals with mooncakes, lanterns are celebrated in the Asian countries. Let’s have a look at the cultural festivals celebrated in September across the world.     

Oktoberfest    

Oktoberfest is a famous cultural festival of Munich held in the last week of September from 21st September to 6th October. This is a world-famous beer festival that is celebrated with traditional Bavarian music, dance, food, and most importantly authentic German beers. Tourists can enjoy live performances of folk music and polkas, marching bands, and horse-drawn beer wagons.    

Visitors often join this festival in traditional Bavarian clothing, such as lederhosen for men and dirndls for women. They serve regional dishes of pretzels, sausages, roast chicken, schnitzels, and pastries at local restaurants. Families with kids can enjoy the fun and excitement of this festival with amusement rides, games, and family-friendly activities.   

Take part in beer-drinking contests, yodeling competitions, and other traditional games or cultural events showcasing Bavarian culture and crafts throughout the festival.    

Burning Man  

The Burning Man is a counter culture festival of Black Rock City, Nevada in USA that is celebrated between 25th August and 2nd September. It features the unique tradition of burning a giant wooden sculpture called “the Man” on the second to last night of the event. This festival is celebrated with art and music to celebrate creativity.  

This festival is guided by 10 principles including radical inclusion, gifting and radical self-reliance. The events of this festival include cooking, dancing, singing, making art, wine tasting, ziplining, drinking and tattoo making activities. The participants of this festival can enjoy a complete festive vibe and community spirit.  

La Merce  

La Merce is a festival of Barcelona, Spain that is celebrated between 20th September and 24th September in the honor the virgin of Grace with cultural events, music, dance and art.  The people of Barcelona recall the history of this festival dating back to 1687 when the Virgin of La Merce was named the patron saint of Barcelona. They celebrate this festival with cultural activities for all ages including music, art, dance and more.  

A famous tree projection show is also organized each evening during this festival where the images are displayed on a building in the square. Multiple exhibitions of giants, dragons, and beasts from different neighborhoods take place in the city. This festival is celebrated in Barcelona every year and served as a model for other festivals in Catalonia.  

Sapporo Autumn Fest  

Sapporo autumn fest is a famous festival of Hokkaido, Japan that is celebrated for 24 days (about 3 and a half weeks) from 6th September to 29th September. It brings together all the regional dishes and is known for its vibrant autumn spirit. This festival presents food and drink from all over Hokkaido including seasonal ingredients, craft beers and local wine, sake.  

The festival is organized in Odori Park at the center of Sapporo, with multiple venues within a perimeter of 1 km. Some family-friendly activities with many non-alcoholic beverages are also presented for children during this festival. The festival arranges roofed dining tents to serve food for their visitors irrespective of the weather. The festival also has a section completely dedicated to Oktoberfest with craft beers from Germany and all over Hokkaido.  

Ganesh Chaturthi 

Ganesh Chaturthi is a popular September festival of India that is celebrated across multiple Indian cities. People worship Lord Ganesha as the God of new beginnings, wisdom and intelligence during this festival. In the beginning the clay idols of Ganesha are installed in homes and public spaces with celebration and decoration. People worship Ganesha with prayers, offerings, and devotional singing daily during this festival.  

Grand processions with colorful parades, music, dance, and decorated floats carry the idols through the streets. This festival concludes with the immersion of Ganesha idols in water followed by chants and celebrations. Multiple performances with traditional dances, music, and theater performances take place during this festival reflecting regional cultural heritage. 

Feast of San Gennaro  

Every year the day of 19th September is celebrated as the feast of San Gennaro in the calendar of Catholic church. On this is a special day for Neapolitans the devotees pay their respect for the city’s patron saint in Naples and surrounding region. This festival is celebrated with traditional activities, parades, food vendors, live music, religious ceremonies and spiritual devotion.   

The visitors can watch processions with a statue of San Gennaro and bands, colorful floats that is the beginning of this festival. Then they can enjoy performances of traditional Italian music and contemporary bands and take part in fun contests with games, talent shows and competitions. The exhibits and religious celebrations of this day highlights Italian heritage, art, and history. Visitors can feel the community spirit of Naples through this festival and enjoy activities like face painting and rides.  

Tbilisi International Film Festival    

The international film festival of Tbilisi, Georgia celebrated in the third week of September between 15 and 23 is a favorite event for participants interested in films, screenings, and film discussions all over the world. Participate in red-carpet events and special tributes to filmmakers and actors or workshops on filmmaking by filmmakers and industry professionals.    

Watch International competitions, Georgian competitions, and short films focusing on emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. Special screenings of classic or influential films honoring the work of notable directors or specific themes can also be held during this festival. Filmmakers often arrange panels to discuss current issues in the film industry or to connect with other professionals to share their ideas.     

National Hispanic Heritage Month  

The national Hispanic Heritage Month is a famous festival of USA that is celebrated between 15th September and 15th October every year by Hispanic and Latin Americans to commemorate histories, cultures and contributions of their ancestors from Spain, Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America. This festival is celebrated to honor the culture of Hispanic Americans and their contributions to the United States.  

The festival is celebrated with cultural events like salsa, merengue, and mariachi featuring traditional and contemporary Hispanic music, food, art and dance. Educational programs, discussions, and workshops focusing on Hispanic history and contributions are arranged to celebrate this month. Visitors can take part in community gatherings, parades, culinary events and film screenings at theaters.  

Mid-Autumn Festival  

The mid-autumn festival of China and other East Asian countries celebrated on 17th September is also popular as Moon or Mooncake festival. This is a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture during the full moon of 8th month in Chinese calendar. The festival is known as mooncake festival as a traditional food is eaten during the festival which is round like full moon and filled with sweet bean paste, egg yolk, meat, lotus seed paste.  

The mid-autumn festival is celebrated with lanterns of different shapes for a good future filled with prosperity. People offer prayers for the harvest, fine weather and peace for the country during this festival, enjoy lantern parades and performances together. Local people and visitors also eat delicious taro and hairy crabs during this festival.  

Nairobi International Trade Fair    

The International Trade Fair of Nairobi, Kenya, is a major celebration of the agricultural fair with exhibits on farming innovations, crafts, and food from Kenya and beyond. It is celebrated from late September to early October every year. This festival highlights innovations in farming equipment, techniques, and crop varieties drawing many participants from the agribusiness community.     

The Nairobi International Trade Fair presents exhibitions from local and international companies highlighting the sectors of agriculture, technology, manufacturing, and services. This kind of festival gives networking opportunities to potential clients, suppliers, and partners with the enjoyment of cultural performances and displays.     

Participants can arrange their seminars and workshops on industry trends and business strategies, this time providing deep insights.    

So, in conclusion, we can say…    

September is a month of celebrations and festivals that bring new enjoyment and fun into our lives, erasing all darkness, grief, and sorrow. The festivals bring people together and help them communicate and understand the cultural experiences of that region on world tours. Make your journey memorable with TrekHops.