Seasonal festivals are determined by the solar and the lunar calendars and by the cycle of the seasons. The changing of the season was celebrated because of its effect on food supply. Ancient Egyptians would celebrate the seasonal inundation caused by the Nile River, a form of irrigation, which provided fertile land for crops. In the Alps, in autumn the return of the cattle from the mountain pastures to the stables in the valley is celebrated as Almabtrieb. A recognized winter festival, the Chinese New Year, is set by the lunar calendar, and celebrated from the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice.

A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers (and often other alcoholic drinks) are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries.

British beer festivals:

In the UK the Great British Beer Festival held annually in August in London is the largest and most famous beer festival, and is organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The "GBBF", as it is known, was founded in 1977 and was attended by over 66,000 people in 2006, and 350,000 pints of ale were consumed over the five days of the festival. The CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival, designed to showcase beer styles which may not be readily available when the main summer festival is held, takes place in January at various venues across the country. Other festivals in London, Nottingham, Peterborough, St Albans and Reading, Berkshire, to name a few, are both very large and offer an interesting and distinctive selection of British beers.

German beer festivals:

The oldest and the largest beer festival in the world is Oktoberfest in Germany. Several other smaller beer festivals are held all over Germany all over the year. The 2nd largest beer festival in Germany and probably in Europe, is the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. Its popularity increases and more and more people come from around the world to visit the festival every year. Many other places have beer festivals styled as "Oktoberfests", but taken on its own the name is generally taken to mean for the Munich event.

is the presentation or showcasing of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues. The films are usually of a recent date and, depending upon the focus of the individual festival, can include major international releases as well as those made outside a country's established film industry. Sometimes there is a focus on a specific genre or subject. Film Festivals are typically annual events.

Many festivals are annual, or repeat at some other interval. Some, including many rock festivals, are held only once. Some festivals are organized as for-profit concerts and others are benefits for a specific cause. Europe's biggest music festival is the Donauinselfest in Vienna. Every year about 2 million people visit this open air event.

A food festival is a festival, usually held annually, that uses food, often produce, as its central theme. The largest one in the United States is the Taste of Chicago held in Chicago, Illinois.

Others include the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California; Brentwood Cornfest in Brentwood, California; Mushroom Festivals in various locales; the Castroville Artichoke Festival, in Castroville, California; the Posen Potato Festival, in Posen, Michigan; the NSA Oyster Festival, in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the Howell Melon Festival in Howell, Michigan, known for electing the Howell Melon Queen. Increasingly, vegetarian food festivals are becoming some of the largest food celebrations in the country, including Vegfest in Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California, and the Los Angeles Tofu Festival in Little Tokyo.