festival
nounCEFR B1
What does “festival” mean in English?
festival — a multi-day cultural event organised around music or another art form
Example sentences
Compré el abono del festival con meses de antelación porque sabía que las entradas se agotarían enseguida en cuanto se anunciara el cartel.
I bought the festival pass months in advance because I knew the tickets would sell out quickly as soon as the line-up was announced.
El festival de cine de la ciudad atrae a directores y actores de todo el mundo y es uno de los más importantes de Europa.
The city's film festival attracts directors and actors from all over the world and is one of the most important in Europe.
Asistir a un festival de música en vivo es una experiencia completamente diferente a escuchar los mismos artistas grabados en casa.
Attending a live music festival is a completely different experience from listening to the same artists recorded at home.
How to use it
Festival is a masculine noun (el festival, los festivales) — a near-perfect cognate of English 'festival'. It refers to a cultural event, usually multi-day, centred on music, cinema, theatre, gastronomy, or a specific art form. Common collocations: un festival de música (music festival), el festival de cine (film festival), el festival de jazz, comprar un abono de festival (to buy a festival pass), el cartel del festival (the festival line-up). Festival differs from espectáculo (a single show) and certamen (a competitive event or contest with awards). The festival season (la temporada de festivales) is a B1 cultural-participation theme.
Common mistake
El abono del festival (festival pass) covers multiple days and events; la entrada covers a single session. Festival and certamen overlap in some cultural events, but certamen specifically implies competition with awards (a contest/competition), while festival is broader. El cartel del festival is the line-up or poster — not the price list (that is la lista de precios).