Best Ways to Celebrate Spring Around the World

The snow is steadily melting away, revealing the vibrant green shoots of grass and the delicate buds of flowers eager to bloom. The air is infused with the sweet scent of beginnings, and each day grows warmer and more inviting. It’s unmistakably spring! As spring pushes aside the last remnants of winter’s chill, countries around the Northern Hemisphere can embrace the promise of sunnier days ahead.

Every destination has its own unique traditions for welcoming this cherished season, whether through lively festivals bursting with colour, jubilant parades that fill the streets with music and laughter, or communal meals that bring people together to share in the joy of renewal. So let's dive into all things spring and learn about some of our favourite spring festivals:

Spring Festivals

Songkran Water Festival - Thailand

Celebrated: 13 April, lasting 3 days

The Songkran water festival marks the beginning of the Thai New Year. This Buddhist water festival symbolises cleansing, reverence and good fortune. It's a time to reunite with family and honour your ancestors. On the streets, it's like a giant water fight, with people throwing buckets of water at each other and using water pistols. In less raucous settings, water is also poured on images and statues of Buddha and the hands of monks as a sign of respect. The water is thought to wash away the previous year so people can get ready for the next. Songkran is also traditionally marked with spring cleaning.

Holi - South Asia and worldwide

Celebrated: The last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month - it usually falls between late February and early March. This year it's 14 March 2025.

Holi, or the festival of colours, is typically celebrated in South Asian countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as in Hindu communities in the UK, US and Australia. Celebrants throw coloured powder over each other, symbolising the vibrant hues of spring. There is lots of singing, dancing and sweet treats. 
The spring festival celebrates new beginnings and playfully breaks down social barriers covering everyone equally in colour. The practice is thought to reference the Hindu legend of Lord Krishna playfully throwing colours on his beloved Radha - an act that represents love and joy.

Easter - Worldwide

Celebrated: The first Sunday after the first Full Moon, after the spring equinox. Can occur anywhere between 22 March and 25 April.

Celebrated almost worldwide, Easter is a Christian holiday observed in Europe, the Americas, Australasia and parts of Africa. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and the triumph of life - very apt for spring. It comes at the end of a 40-day period of fasting and penitence, usually culminating in a feast, or the giving of food. Each country has their own way of celebrating. For instance, in the US, the White House hosts an 'egg roll', in which children roll eggs - and themselves - down Capitol Hill on Easter Monday; in Bermuda, people fly kites on Good Friday; and in Spanish cities like Seville, Malaga and Granada, there's a procession on Good Friday.

Cimburijada – Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Celebrated: 21 March

Cimburijada, which translates to 'Festival of Scrambled Eggs', is a hyper-local festival that takes around the spring equinox. Residents greet the new day on the banks of the Bosna River, which meanders through the city. Here hundreds of eggs are scrambled simultaneously in giant cast iron pans - enough to feed all the festival goers. The eggs symbolise new life - aligning perfectly with spring - as promised by the return of warmer weather.

Flower Parade of the Bollenstreek - Holland, the Netherlands

Celebrated: A Saturday in spring. This year it falls on 12 April 2025.

The Flower Parade began in 1947, during the post-World War II era, to celebrate Dutch culture and floriculture, and today still brings communities together, fostering a sense of pride and unity. More than 1,000,000 people from all over the world come to the flower-growing region of Bollenstreek to enjoy the colourful parade floats decorated with beautiful spring flowers, like hyacinths, daffodils and, of course, tulips.

If you love flowers, why not check out the dutch bulb fields keukenhof gardens on our river cruises to the Netherlands

Canadian Tulip Festival - Ottawa, Canada

Celebrates: Every May, usually two weeks before Victoria Day, and lasts 11 days.

Over 5,000 km away from Holland, Canada also celebrates spring with flowers. The Canadian Tulip Festival, hosted in Ottawa, was also established after WWII. The Dutch Royal family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to the Canadians as thanks for sheltering the future Queen Juliana and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The Dutch continue to send 20,000 tulip bulbs every year, remembering the role of the Canadian troops in the liberation of the Netherlands and Europe, as well as commemorate the birth of Dutch Princess Margriet in Ottawa during World War II - the only royal personage ever born in Canada. Millions of tulips are planted throughout the city, and the city organises ceremonies, runs and lots of family fun.

Valborg - Sweden

Celebrated: 30 April

Originating in medieval Germany, Valborg - or Walpurgis Night - has been co-opted by Sweden who celebrate on the eve of the 1st May, the feast of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century English missionary. People gather around large bonfires - called majbrasor - believed to scare away predators and evil spirits, as well as burning winter brush. These gatherings sing and listen to speeches and choirs singing spring hymns as a way to welcome spring and a brighter future.

Fallas Festival - Valencia, Spain

Celebrated: 15 -19 March 

Celebrating the city's patron saint, San José, Las Fallas de Valencia is a week-long festival including parades, fireworks, and the burning of giant monuments made of wood and papier-mâché - or a falla, in Spanish. Each neighbourhood commissions its own falla - ranging in price from several thousand euros to over 100,000 euros. At the end of the festival, these incredible works of art are burned, symbolising the coming of spring, purification and community renewal. In 2016, it was named a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity, celebrating its creativity, community and traditional arts and crafts.

The Drowning of Marzanna - Poland

Celebrated: 21 March

The drowning of Marzanna marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Marzanna or Morana was a Slavic goddess representing death, winter and disease. In this modern take on a pagan ritual, locals make straw effigies and drown the doll in the river to summon spring and let winter drift away with the current. It's celebrated on the 21 March, in line with the spring equinox.

Spring is a time of renewal, celebration, and the joy of warmer days ahead. From vibrant festivals to ancient traditions, cultures around the world mark the season in unique and unforgettable ways. If these colourful springtime celebrations have inspired you, why not experience them for yourself? Explore our selection of spring holidays and start planning your next adventure today!