Don't just watch. Take part.
A free, source-checked guide to festivals, contests and expeditions worldwide where travellers join in hands-on: build it, crew it, or learn the skill that gets you in.
34 experiences · 5 continents · 6 ways to take part
Good first trips
These five cover four of the ways to take part, across three continents, between November 2026 and April 2027.
International Kite Festival / Uttarayan
USE locally made patang kites & firki reels; fly from rooftops during Uttarayan
Hoi An lantern-making class + Full Moon Lantern Festival
BUILD a bamboo-and-silk lantern with local artisans
Texas SandFest (amateur competition)
BUILD a sand sculpture in your own plot
AfrikaBurn
BUILD artworks, theme camps, mutant vehicles
Rio Carnival - parade with a samba school
USE a fantasia (costume) made in the samba school's barracão and parade in a wing (ala)
From racing your own build to learning a skill with others
Every listing is tagged with how a traveller joins in. Not everything needs an entry: "Watch & buy local" means you go, watch and use what local makers built.
Team entry
Build something and enter it: some events are open, some by application, lottery or qualification.
See these experiences → 10Workshop / open build
Book a class or turn up and build with locals or makers.
See these experiences → 11Use local gear
Buy or rent what local makers built (kites, lanterns, costumes) and take part with it.
See these experiences → 2Crew
Join the crew for someone else's build: launch, chase and pack down.
See these experiences →Learn the skill
Learn a skill with others, such as sailing a tall ship, wayfinding or paddling in a team, and join in with it.
First listings coming soonWatch & buy local
Watch the makers at work, then buy their work. No entry needed.
See these experiences →The six counts add up to 51, more than the 34 experiences, because 17 listings have two tags.
Next dates and deadlines
- Deadline29 Oct 2026Burning Man 2027 Honoraria art-grant Letter of Intent (5pm PDT)Black Rock City, Nevada, USA · 5pm PDT on 29 Oct = 5:30am IST on 30 Oct.
- Upcoming31 Oct 2026Red Bull Flugtag Miami 2026Multi-city (2026: Minneapolis, Miami), USA · Bayfront Park, Miami.
- Upcoming1 Nov 2026Sumpango Giant Kite Festival (Barriletes Gigantes)Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala · Held every 1 November (Govt of Guatemala). The 2026 programme isn't published yet.
- Upcoming22 Nov 2026Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam · 14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source.
- Upcoming23–25 Nov 2026Yi Peng / Loy Krathong, Chiang MaiChiang Mai, Thailand · Official: Chiang Mai Yi Peng 23-25 Nov 2026 (PRD Radio Thailand Chiang Mai, 24 Sep 2026); main site Ton Lamyai Market public park; Grand Krathong Parade contest on the Tha Phae Gate to City Hall route; 25 Nov is the usual parade night, but the official page does not name the day (not confirmed).
- Upcoming1–10 Dec 2026Hornbill Festival 2026 (Craftscape)Kisama Heritage Village, near Kohima, Nagaland, India · Kisama, near Kohima. Inner Line Permit / registration rules apply.
- Upcoming3–6 Dec 2026Hoi An International Lantern Festival 2026Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam · First edition (Da Nang city tourism portal). New find, not one of the original 27 rows.
- Upcoming22 Dec 2026Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam · 14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source.
- Deadline1 Jan 2027Knaresborough Bed Race 2027: entries OPENKnaresborough, North Yorkshire, UK · Official FAQ: entries open 1 Jan each year.
- Upcoming10–14 Jan 2027International Kite Festival 2027, Gujarat (Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad)Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India · Official: 10-14 Jan 2027, Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad (Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, source: Gujarat Tourism).
- Upcoming14 Jan 2027Uttarayan / Makar Sankranti, Ahmedabad (kite-flying day)Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India · Makar Sankranti is 14 Jan 2027 (Government of India 2027 holiday list). The International Kite Festival 2027 runs 10–14 Jan 2027 at Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad (Incredible India, source: Gujarat Tourism).
- Upcoming21 Jan 2027Hoi An Full Moon Lantern Night (Hội An Legendary Night)Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam · 14th night of the lunar month (Hội An Creative City portal). Calendar date: our lunar-calendar check; Unconfirmed: no official source.
Every fact links to its official source. Free, nothing to buy, no tracking. How we check →