cultural history

Nation

Holiday Festivals

Thrillist's 'Holiday Festivals' showcases some of the best holiday-time festivals across the globe, detailing where they are located and when they run.

Holiday Festivals: Seasonal Celebrations to Visit Around the World

Photo courtesy of Museum für Glaskunst Lauscha

Travel

Explore adventure guides and design a custom itinerary for the destination of your choice in and around the city.

Best Travel Guides, Cool Hotels and Interesting Events - Thrillist

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The East German town of Lauscha, set in a deep valley tucked away in the Thuringian Forest, looks like one of those imaginary villages people like to scatter across their homes during the holiday season.

It's Bauble Season in the Birthplace of the Christmas Ornament

Mats Astrand/TT/Getty Images

It’s a foggy December morning just east of Gothenburg, Sweden, and a man in the straw goat mask is about to take us from holly jolly to heebie-jeebies.

The Positively Metal Origins of Sweden’s Adorable Christmas Goats

Edmund Lowe Photography/Moment/Getty Images

The morning was cool but sunny when I climbed into Riley’s gray Kia Soul.

On Lummi Island, Indigenous Reefnet Fishing Thrives in the Face of Extinction

Photo by Siddhartha Joshi, courtesy of Grace Farms 

It’s a balmy night in Darjeeling, India.

When the Full Moon Rises Over Darjeeling, the Race for the ‘Champagne of Tea’ Begins

UCG/Contributor/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

It’s fair to say that Dracula’s Castle—practically teetering atop a steep cliff in Transylvania—is dramatic.

The Real Dracula Castle in Transylvania Throws the Best Halloween Party

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Grief-tinged gaiety, gravesite reunions, and skeletons on stilts—Día de Muertos is celebrated both publicly and privately in parks, plazas, cemeteries, and homes all around Mexico.

Honor the Dead in Style at Mexico’s Best Día de Muertos Events 

Disney Parks

"Anyone know what will come of The Villains Park (Dark Kingdom) concepts?"

The Untold Story of Disney's Long-Rumored, Villain-Themed 'Dark Kingdom' Park

Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick

“When you think of witches, you think of nebulous forms,” says Steven Intermill, director of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland's Occult Museum Spills the Tea Leaves on Occult History

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Although images of skeletons, skulls, and coffins dominate the decorations for both Halloween and Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead celebrations favor honoring deceased loved ones over candy-fueled parties and kiddie costume parades.

Incredible Día de los Muertos Celebrations Across the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Stena Line

It’s just after sunset somewhere in the middle of the Baltic Sea, and Stena Germanica is shockingly raucous on a murky late-spring weekday.

Overnight Ferries Are the Perfect Cruise Alternative—And a Great Travel Hack

Photo by Kalen Goodluck for Thrillist

Walk past the Hotel Chimayó, just off the Santa Fe Plaza, and sweep your eyes across my ride: a sleek silver ‘64 Chevy Impala, bathed in the sun, a time capsule commanding the gaze of anyone that lays eyes on her lustrous yet understated carriage.

Cruising Low ‘n Slow with the Women Shaping New Mexico’s Lowrider Scene

Location Scout

Transport yourself to the real-life locations of some of the most iconic TV show and movie titles in Hollywood history with Thrillist’s Location Scout.

Location Scout: Where Famous TV Shows & Movies Were Filmed

Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist

Ask any woman who acquired her first bra in the early 2000s, and she’ll agree: The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a perfect film.

cultural history

It's Bauble Season in the Birthplace of the Christmas Ornament

The storybook village of Lauscha, Germany holds the glitzy ghost of Christmas past.

The Positively Metal Origins of Sweden’s Adorable Christmas Goats

In a jolly twist of events, a pair of Nordic monsters evolved into one cuddly holiday festival fixture. But is it really as sweet as it looks?

On Lummi Island, Indigenous Reefnet Fishing Thrives in the Face of Extinction

In ‘Endangered Eating,’ culinary historian Sarah Lohman rides along as reefnetter Riley Starks fights to keep the sustainable salmon fishing practice alive.

When the Full Moon Rises Over Darjeeling, the Race for the ‘Champagne of Tea’ Begins

Get up close and personal with India’s ceremoniously harvested Second Flush Tea, one of the region’s most coveted exports.

The Real Dracula Castle in Transylvania Throws the Best Halloween Party

Trick-or-treating could never compare.

Honor the Dead in Style at Mexico’s Best Día de Muertos Events

Mingle with the dead in the vibrant land of the living.

The Untold Story of Disney's Long-Rumored, Villain-Themed 'Dark Kingdom' Park

Don't plan your next vacation just yet.

Cleveland's Occult Museum Spills the Tea Leaves on Occult History

Take a photo tour of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick, where crystal balls, black mirrors, and glowing robes honor the father of modern witchcraft.

Incredible Día de los Muertos Celebrations Across the U.S.

These tributes to the dead are bursting with life.

Overnight Ferries Are the Perfect Cruise Alternative—And a Great Travel Hack

Check your troubles—and your car, truck, or bike—at the door, then kick back and enjoy the ride.

Cruising Low ‘n Slow with the Women Shaping New Mexico’s Lowrider Scene

From post-war California to the modern-day Southwest, custom cars fit with gravity-defying hydraulics have long been a boy’s game—until now.

The 2000s Teen Rom-Coms That Introduced a Generation to International Travel

In other words, 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie' is the Roman Empire for girls.