Where to travel in May: 46 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 63 cities in May: Sanja Matsuri (Tokyo), Prague Marathon (Prague), EDC Las Vegas (Las Vegas), Lei Day (Honolulu…

Top 10

Tokyo

• Sanja Matsuri — Three days on the third weekend of May: over 100 portable shrines surge through the lanes and two million people turn up. Asakusa hotels fill months ahead.
• Kanda Matsuri — The full festival runs in odd years, next in mid-May 2027, when the shrine procession passes right through Akihabara's electronics district.

Prague

• Prague Marathon — Runners start at Old Town Square and loop the river; central trams stop that morning, so plan to walk.
• Prague Spring International Music Festival — Opens on 12 May, Smetana's death day, with Má vlast; opening-night tickets sell out months ahead.
• United Islands of Prague — A free music festival with stages on the river islands; watch from a bridge and drop down to whichever stage pulls you.

Las Vegas

• EDC Las Vegas — North America's biggest EDM festival, dusk till dawn. From 2027 it runs over two weekends, so mid-May hotels fill up. Tickets went on sale in May 2026.
• Helldorado Days — A Wild West celebration running since 1934: a downtown parade, rodeo and carnival on a mid-May weekend. The parade is free.

Honolulu (Hawaiʻi)

• Lei Day — Lei competition entries, hula all day on the lawn, and the crowning of the Lei Queen.
• Lantern Floating Hawaii — Thousands of lanterns drift out at dusk. The lantern tent runs 10–4; claim a spot early afternoon.

Macau

• A-Ma Festival — The sea goddess's birthday, with Cantonese opera on a stage outside the temple.
• Feast of the Drunken Dragon — Fishermen dance with wooden dragon heads, drinking as they go. It kicks off at Senado Square in the morning.

Venice

• Festa della Sensa — The Sunday after Ascension the mayor's boat drops a ring into the sea off the Lido, followed by a procession of rowing boats.
• Vogalonga — Late May: thousands of rowing boats circle 32 km of lagoon. Grand Canal water buses stop that morning.
• Venice Biennale — Art in even years, architecture in odd years. Allow a full day to see both venues.

Sapporo

• Cherry and plum blossom — A month behind Honshu, cherries and plums open together from late April into early May. Grilling jingisukan under the trees is the local way to picnic.
• Sapporo Lilac Festival — Lilac scent, a Hokkaido wine garden and open-air concerts. The best walking weather Sapporo gets.

Okinawa

• Naha Hari dragon boat races — Dragon-headed boats race across the harbour to drumbeats. Free to watch; the final afternoon's deciding heats draw the biggest crowd.
• Rainy season — It doesn't rain all day, but it's humid and the sea turns murky. The upside is the cheapest flights and rooms of the year.

Saipan

• Taste of the Marianas — The Tourism Month headliner: twenty-odd restaurants set up tents on the park lawn and sell by the plate. Free entry; bring a mat and cash.
• Flame trees in bloom — From late April into June the roadside trees go orange. The road north out of Garapan is the reddest stretch.

Nha Trang

• Thap Ba Po Nagar Festival — Opens with a procession carrying sacred water to the towers; on the evening of lunar day 20 flower lanterns float down the Cai river. The towers are packed with pilgrims that week, so go early.
• Sunrise on the beach — The beach faces east, so the sun comes up out of the sea around 05:30 while locals swim and do their exercises. The rocks at Hon Chong are the best spot.

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