The world is not short of breathtaking extravaganzas each year.
They will offer you more than just a beautiful spectacle: you get to witness the local culture, mingle with lots of happy people, sample the local cuisine, enjoy the music, drama and, throw in drinks and you got yourself memories to last a lifetime.
Here are the five best street parties around the world that every party enthusiast should have in their bucket list!
1. Rio Carnival, Brazil
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Christened the carnival capital of the world, the Rio Carnival is held to celebrate the coming of Easter and Lent. The world famous carnival commences exactly 40 days before the holiday, with most parties continuing around the clock for a little under a week.
An absolute must-see is the spectacular Samba Parade. Nowhere else on earth will you witness such an exuberance of color and sensational costumes that would put the Playboy bunnies to shame as scantily-clad Brazilian women dance and groove to the infectious rhythm of the percussion bands.
The emphasis though is on pure fun and spontaneity . The Rio Carnival is sure to give you a devil of a good time that will last two lifetimes.
2. Songkran Festival, Thailand
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The Songkran Festival is a celebration of the Thai New Year held every 13–15th of April (the hottest month of the year). The three-day public holiday in this Asian nation involves among other indulgences, beauty pageants, wild parties (they also kick up a heel over there) and the crème de la crème itself – water fights!
Songkran means ‘a change’, and this is a period in which the Thais clear the house, call on family and fulfill other religious commitments as they drench away the evil and sin of the past year in anticipation of a clean slate for the forthcoming year.
Of course, a lot of the fun is that this festival allows “grownups” like you and me to play with water pistols and squirt guns!
To make things better: It all culminates in a boozy affair (and a beauty pageant graced with a bevy of hot Asian girls) as revelers party the three nights away under the stars on the rooftop bars.
3. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, USA
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Should you feel the need to shake things up a bit right around March, then a getaway to New Orleans, Louisiana will get you started pretty notably.
Host to Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday) this is a carnival celebration held every year the day before Ash Wednesday. The partying is concentrated for about two weeks prior to and through Fat Tuesday and is a great opportunity to indulge in balls (masquerading balls too), parades and king cake parties.
4. Trinidad Carnival
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If there is one word that can sum up the Trinidad Carnival, ‘epic’ would be it. The Trinidad Carnival dates back many centuries and this blowout is reputedly so intense and wild it would make some popular festivals look like a Veterans Day parade. No kidding.
Non-stop dirty dancing to Calypso and Soca music that would rival the girls on that Anaconda video are the norm, with voluptuous beauties that include Miss Universes baring painted breasts and merrymakers drinking themselves to a stupor.
People from the world over conglomerate here every year on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday to partake in one of the best street parties on Planet Earth. An explosion of color, revelry, creativity, and music make up for a euphoric spectacle.
It has spawned similar festivals in several countries but there can only be one Trinidad Carnival. There is nothing quite like it (trust this to be an understatement).
5. The Mazatlan Carnival and Street Party, Mexico
Source: flickr
The Mazatlan International Carnival is one of the biggest and best street parties the world over. Thousands of costumed partygoers throng the beaches and streets in Mexico in yet another carnival held before Lent (five days before, this one).
The religious affiliation seems to have been ditched for flesh flashing \ as throngs let their hair down and fill the streets for seven days of non-stop partying that culminates the day before Ash Wednesday.
When it comes to partying, few do it better than the Mazatlan.
These are seriously some of the best street parties in the world.
C’mon, life is waiting… which street party would you like to go to the most? Got a tip for an even better party? Tell us about it in the comments.