Live Blogging Cultural Festivals: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices

By Flora Szandi | March 4, 2024

Cultural festivals are the collective expression of history, art, customs and traditions. From large, internationally known events to small, local celebrations, festivals offer unique insights into a country or region’s heritage. Live blogging festivals allow audiences worldwide to experience the energy and cultural significance in real time.

What’s more, bloggers and news organisations that cover festivals with timely content increase  their chances of having content rank higher in search results, improving visibility and attracting more readers.

Whether you’re covering a major cultural festival such as Holi – a significant Hindu festival celebrating colours, love, and the arrival of spring – or a local street parade just down the block, presenting the spirit of these events requires planning, storytelling skills, and the right tools.

Follow these six key steps to master the art of live blogging cultural festivals.

1. Plan Ahead and Do Your Research

Successful live blogging starts before the festival begins. Researching the cultural event’s history, traditions, and key moments helps you identify the most important aspects to capture in your live blog. Look up the festival schedule, and identify key venues, must-see performances or ceremonies. Reach out to locals for insider tips on the best viewing spots. A well-developed plan ensures that you’re present at major events and don’t miss out on anything important. You can also draft a few posts in advance and schedule them using a live blogging platform such as Live Blog, ensuring consistent coverage throughout the event.

2. Use the Live Blog Reporter App

You can live blog directly from your smartphone to post from anywhere, without needing a laptop. Make sure your phone has a high-resolution camera for capturing quality photos and videos. With the Live Blog Reporter app, you can conveniently update your live blog while on the go.

3. Incorporate Multimedia Content

Using diverse multimedia content will enhance the live blogging experience for your readers. High-quality photos help to show different festival elements such as costumes, decor, food, or cultural artifacts. Videos offer an immersive experience, showcasing the atmosphere and energy of the event as if the audience were there. These different forms of media create a rich narrative that keeps your followers connected to the festival in real time. Share content from social media posts by attendees and influencers across different channels. Embedding user-generated content from platforms such as Instagram, X and Facebook not only provides diverse perspectives but also fosters community engagement.

Incorporate Multimedia Content into Your Live Blog

4. Interact with Your Audience

Before the festival, ask your audience to leave comments about what they’re most excited to see or experience, whether it’s performances, local food, or cultural rituals. During the event, actively respond to comments and viewer requests, and conduct live Q&A sessions to answer questions and discuss the festival. Create polls about the cultural event and ask your readers to participate. The more you interact with your followers, the more invested they will be in your live coverage.

5. Showcase Local Perspectives

One of the best ways to enrich your live blog is by including stories from the people who make the festival special. Interviewing performers, locals, and festival-goers adds an authentic, personal touch to your coverage. Ask locals about their preparations for the festival and the meaning behind traditional costumes, their stories from previous festivals, or any myths associated with the event. Interview people in real time with the help of the Live Blog Reporter application. Featuring these local perspectives brings depth to your storytelling, going beyond visuals and helping your audience understand the cultural significance of what they are watching.

6. Wrap Up with a Post-Festival Summary

A recap after the festival allows you to highlight the best moments, reflect on the experience, and engage with your audience one final time. Create a dedicated post that showcases the cultural festival highlights, featuring your top photos, videos, and key takeaways. Create a short video montage capturing the most exciting parts of the event. Talk about upcoming plans or next year’s festival to keep your audience excited and looking forward to your next live blogging adventure.

5 Famous Festivals to Live Blog in 2025

Deciding which cultural festivals to live blog depends on your audience’s interests, but we’ve collected some ideas to choose from.

1. Las Fallas: Valencia, Spain (1 – 19 March 2025)

Las Fallas is a vibrant celebration held annually in Valencia. The festival is known for its large, handcrafted sculptures (called ninots), which are made of wood and other materials, often portraying satirical scenes or political figures. These sculptures are displayed throughout the city before being set on fire on the final night, with a spectacular fireworks show. The festival also features street parties, traditional Valencian costumes, music, paella cooking, and fireworks almost every day, creating an immersive celebration of art, tradition, and community spirit. Showcase the transformation of the sculptures throughout the festival with image galleries. Include detailed photos of the ninots as they are built, highlighting the craftsmanship and creativity, leading up to the dramatic moment when they are set on fire. This will offer your audience an engaging visual journey from start to finish.

2. Rio Carnival: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (28 February – 08 March 2025)

The Rio Carnival is the world’s largest and most famous festival, attracting millions of visitors each year. Samba schools from different neighbourhoods compete in the Sambadrome (the epicentre of samba), showcasing vibrant dances. Beyond the parades, the carnival offers street parties, live music, and endless celebrations across the city, making it an unforgettable cultural experience. Engage your audience by conducting polls on which samba school performance they think is the best.

3. Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Edinburg, Scotland (1 – 25 August 2025)

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival, hosting thousands of performances across a variety of genres, from theatre and comedy to music, dance, and experimental art. Performances take place in various venues, from traditional theatres to outdoor spaces and even street corners. The festival is a celebration of creativity, offering a platform for both emerging and established artists to showcase their work. Offer real-time reviews of performances in your live blog, along with interviews with artists, to keep your audience connected to the diversity of the festival.

4. Oktoberfest: Munich, Germany (20 September – 5 October 2025)

Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival. This cultural event draws millions of visitors yearly who come to enjoy Bavarian beer, traditional foods, and lively folk music. The festival also features colourful parades, with participants wearing traditional costumes (lederhosen and dirndls), as well as carnival rides and games. Oktoberfest is a perfect mixture of culture, food, and fun, making it one of the most iconic celebrations in Europe during the autumn season. Highlight traditional costumes and dishes while engaging your audience by sharing fun facts about the festival’s history.

5. Day of the Dead: Mexico (2 November 2025)

Día de los Muertos is a celebration that honours the lives of deceased loved ones. Families create altars with flowers, candles, photos, and offerings of food, often including sugar skulls and marigolds. Traditional dances, music, and processions are key elements of the festivities, offering a unique and colourful way to celebrate both life and death. Showcase unique cultural symbols and share stories behind the traditions to provide a deeper understanding of the celebration.

Live blogging cultural festivals offers a dynamic way to experience global traditions from anywhere in the world. Whether it’s the artistic spectacle of Las Fallas or the vibrant energy of Rio Carnival, real-time coverage brings cultural stories to life. It makes these celebrations more accessible and immersive for a worldwide audience, allowing more people to engage and follow the festivities in real-time.