I. ˈfestəvəl adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Old French, from Latin festivus festive, gay + Old French -al — more at festive
: of, belonging to, appropriate to, or set apart as a festival
the festival celebration of the Holy Communion
playing festival concerts
their mood was festival
on a festival day
• fes·ti·val·ly -vəlē, -li adverb
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a time of celebration marked by special observances:
a. : an occasion observed with religious ceremonies
the planting and harvest festivals of primitive peoples
: feast
the great festivals of Whitsuntide, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi — S.E. Morison
b. : an occasion devoted to festive community observances often held annually to celebrate the anniversary of a notable person or event or the harvest of an important product : a program of public festivity
the best known festival at the college is Founder's Day
2.
a. : a program of cultural events consisting typically of a series of performances of works in the arts sometimes devoted to a single artist or a particular genre and often held annually for a period of several days or weeks
a Bach festival
a Shakespeare festival
a drama festival
a dance festival
b. : something resembling such a festival
the radio station held a festival of books with readings, talks, and discussions
a cartoon festival for children advertised by the local theater
the occasional festivals at which the square-dance clubs of the area gather
3. : conviviality , gaiety , cheerfulness
alcohol had always loosened … his sense of festival but now it only dragged him down into despondency — Budd Schulberg
4.
a. : fair V 2
b. : strawberry festival