Cinco de Mayo
Puebla, Mexico
5 May 2026
Forget cheap margaritas and taco salads at your local Tex-Mex joint – the real way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo is to head to the place where the festivities began: Puebla, Mexico.
Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexican Independence Day (that falls on 16 September), and you won’t find blockbuster celebrations held throughout the country. Instead, the 5th of May is the day on which, in 1862, the Mexican army achieved an unlikely victory over French invading forces in the city of Puebla. Nowadays, the win is celebrated with battle reenactments, followed by a big parade with bands, dancers and colourful costumes, as well as street food, lively music and evening fireworks. Puebla then keeps the party going until 10 May with a programme of cultural events in a family-friendly carnival atmosphere at the Puebla State Fair.
Tasting Australia
Adelaide, Australia
8-17 May 2026
Calling all gourmets: prime your palate for one of Australia’s longest-running and most anticipated festivals of food and drink.
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Much like South Australia’s foodie scene itself, the Tasting Australia programme is diverse and delectable. Savour the Southeast Asian stylings of chef Poh Ling Yeow over a long, communal lunch. Take a seat for 20 head-spinning courses of Punk Royale’s Michelin-grade Scandinavian cuisine in a daringly gritty setting. Experience a night of fire-driven dining and Aboriginal artistry under a starry Aussie sky. From masterclasses to vineyard tours and once-in-a-lifetime culinary encounters, the festival offers more than 100 events – some budget-friendly, some for deeper pockets – highlighting the region’s freshest, most flavourful products as well as the creative makers behind them.
BottleRock Napa Valley
22-24 May 2026
Napa Valley, California, USA
Think: too-cool-for-school music festival, but minus the sweaty masses and plus the idyllic surroundings of California’s premier wine country. That’s BottleRock Napa Valley.
The Backstreet Boys will be there this year, as will Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Lorde and the Foo Fighters – not to mention the first-class wine and foodie delights (and celebs) that made the region famous in the first place, and who keep its flavour scene spinning and evolving to this day. We’re talking Masaharu Morimoto, José Andrés, Hubert Keller, Ken Frank, Marcus Samuelsson, Andrew Zimmern… so yeah, come hungry. Once you’ve had your fill, soak in the breathtaking Napa Valley surrounds, stroll through the charming town of Napa, stop into a few of its world-class galleries and museums, and consider extending your stay beyond the festival to explore the stunning natural attractions beyond.
Bergen International Festival
Bergen, Norway
27 May – 10 June 2026
When it comes to attractive cities, Bergen is a looker, nestled as it is between mountains and sea. But it’s also a city of culture and the arts – a fact that’s never more obvious than during its annual international festival in late spring.
Dance, theatre, opera, ballet, music, literature, the visual arts: you name it, Bergen International Festival has it. As the largest and longest-standing Nordic event of its kind, the festival hosts hundreds of shows across the city, transforming Bergen into a Mecca of the arts. Discover surprising and family-friendly street performances, explore boundary-busting experimental art, experience the intersection of technology and culture, attend world-class theatre and classical music productions – which have formed the heart of the event since its induction in 1953 – and see how the festival makes good on its promise to capture the imagination of visitors young and old.
Orkney Folk Festival
Orkney, Scotland
21-24 May 2026
For an even more intimate art-focused festival, head south – but only ever-so-slightly – to Scotland’s Orkney Islands. This windswept archipelago between Shetland and the Scottish mainland has been throwing a folk fest celebrating its rich musical heritage since the ‘80s, and inviting international music-makers to join the fun.
The 2026 edition of the Orkney Folk Festival will see artists from the US, Canada, Finland, Ireland, England and wider Scotland converge on the isles to perform alongside homegrown talents like Hullion, Auskerry and The Chair, with workshops, songwriting sessions, dance performances, parades and ceilidhs rounding out the programme. If you head this way, be sure not to miss the two top annual highlights: a Fiddlers’ Rally, inviting fiddlers far and wide to grab their instruments and make something beautiful together, and the beloved pub sessions, which bring the taverns of Orkney to life with traditional tunes and a convivial crowd.
