# Festivals in similar-named places **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 7, 2022, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492 "2022-11-07T04:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/1 "2022-11-07T04:20:20Z")
I’ve thought of traveling to foreign places to participate in celebrations. But only those where the celebration and the place name are sort of similar. Things like near rhyme, or aliteration, or similar. I thought of spending Diwali in Delhi. This is actually a thing. You can book holidays staying with a family in Delhi, and participating in the festival. Sounds like something I’d like to do next year, or the year after. I also thought of spending New Year in New York. (Which is an exotic foreign location for me. I’m British, and live in a suburb of London. ) After that I hit a blank. Looking for suggestions. Only celebratory festivals, please. Things involving fireworks and fountains, music, dancing and food. Something where they will welcome strangers to join in the fun. Nothing too sombre or reflective. So I won’t be spending Ramadan in Hamadan. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/2 "2022-11-07T05:09:52Z")
You could spend Arbor Day in a harbor or a bay. Mardi Gras in Shangri-La. A hullaballoo in Malibu. I’ll keep working on it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/3 "2022-11-07T05:32:21Z")
Cinco de Mayo in Cincy, Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/4 "2022-11-07T06:07:27Z")
Fourth of July at the Firth of Forth. Or if you prefer to call it Independence Day, do it in Independence, Oregon. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/5 "2022-11-07T06:13:05Z")
Well, there’s always Christmas in Christiana, but Christiana was renamed Oslo in 1925. Or you could try Christmas in Christianshavn, a district in Copenhagen. East in East Anglia? East Hampton? The East Indies? You’re a lot of options for Easter, I think. Passover in Passage West? Independence Day in Independence, Mo? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/6 "2022-11-07T06:16:31Z")
Easter in Esther, Alberta. Arbor Day in Barber’s Bay, Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/7 "2022-11-07T07:15:53Z")
Christmas on an [Isthmus](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isthmus_of_Suez#:~:text=The%20Isthmus%20of%20Suez%20is,Africa%20from%20the%20Sinai%20Peninsula.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/8 "2022-11-07T12:18:21Z")
For clarification, I want places where the celebration is actually a thing. Like Diwali is actually a pretty big thing in Delhi. New Year is a big thing in New York. But, for instance, only the USA celebrates the 4th of July. There will be no fireworks over the Firth of Forth. Saying Easter in East Somewhere isn’t enough. Nominate a place where there is actually a fairly large public festival celebrating Easter. Arbor Day isn’t particularly observed in Barbers Bay. But it is [actually a thing](https://www.a2gov.org/departments/forestry/Pages/Arbor-Day-2021.aspx) in Ann Arbor. Going to Cincinnati for Cinco de Mayo is a definite possibility. Thanks for that idea. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/9 "2022-11-07T12:20:54Z")
Columbus Day in Columbus ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/10 "2022-11-07T12:21:40Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Wh8Ku8eE3S0/maxresdefault.jpg "[I'm Spending] Hanukkah In Santa Monica") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh8Ku8eE3S0) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/11 "2022-11-07T13:22:42Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Christmas on an [Isthmus](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isthmus_of_Suez#:~:text=The%20Isthmus%20of%20Suez%20is,Africa%20from%20the%20Sinai%20Peninsula.) They issued a “Buy this cereal and get a free comic” mini comic book in Cap’n Crunch entitled “I’m Dreaming of a Wide Isthmus”. I have to think someone on the Jay Ward staff wrote that. [https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=556191](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=556191) (They later stole the title for an episode of the TV show _Wackiest Ship in the Army_ . Two years later) ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/12 "2022-11-07T14:01:35Z")
**[Fantasy Fest in Key West](https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrFa2qVDWlj6NgxY2FXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1667857942/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.fantasyfest.com%2f/RK=2/RS=Z1_CRA1dGxWixYq0Nyoq30vKPEs-)** ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/13 "2022-11-07T14:30:41Z")
San Fermin in San Francisco. There will be no running of the bulls, but there will be plenty of leather on display. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/14 "2022-11-07T14:42:46Z")
Kwanzaa in Mwanza (a city in Tanzania - you might need to find some African American expats to celebrate with) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/15 "2022-11-07T14:49:25Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Fantasy Fest in Key West We once had someone schedule a business offsite at Key West, not knowing that this was going on. That was one hell of an experience. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/16 "2022-11-07T14:58:10Z")
A RenFaire in Kenmare. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/17 "2022-11-07T14:58:28Z")
Christmas in [Bethlehem, Pennsylvania](https://historicbethlehem.org/christmas/activities/) seems like an option. The name isn’t similar, but it certainly thematically good. There are other towns in the US that actually have Christmas in the name, but none I would recommend. I was sad to see no Epiphany celebration in Parsippany, New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/18 "2022-11-07T14:59:32Z")
Bet any new employees were impressed! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/19 "2022-11-07T15:05:58Z")
The things I saw, Crane. The things I saw. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492/20 "2022-11-07T15:11:28Z")
So, Peter\_Morris, how about Key West Fantasy Fest? You can travel light. All you need is a tooth brush, G string or jock strap and a hundred bucks for a body paint job. Beats standing in a freezing crowd watching a crystal ball fall. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/festivals-in-similar-named-places/974492.md?page=2)