Events & festivals in November
11 curated experiences happening in November — festivals, natural phenomena, food seasons, sport. We highlight the off-the-beaten-path versions of famous events.
Festivals & Cultural
🇹🇭
Loy Krathong / Yi Peng
Chiang Mai · Full moon of November (12th lunar month)
Thousands of paper lanterns released into the sky simultaneously, mirrored by candle-lit floats released onto the river.
Rising
🇫🇷
Christmas Markets
Strasbourg · Late November – December 24
Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik runs since 1570 — Europe's oldest.
Mainstream
Nature & Wildlife
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Monarch Butterfly Migration
Sierra Chincua · Late October – mid-March (peak: January-February)
100 million monarch butterflies flying 4,500km from Canada to overwinter in 12 Mexican mountain forests.
Hidden gem
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Coral Spawning, Great Barrier Reef
Cairns · Few days after the November / December full moon
Once a year, 500+ coral species release eggs and sperm simultaneously into the water column — an underwater snowstorm.
Hidden gem
🇳🇴
Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
Tromsø · Late September – early April (peak: November–February, dark hours)
Tromsø sits in the auroral oval — the band where Northern Lights are most likely.
Mainstream
🇲🇽
Whale Shark Migration
La Paz · October – mid-April (peak: November-March)
La Paz Bay, Baja Sur — juvenile whale sharks (12m long, gentle, plankton-eating) gather close enough to swim with from a boat tour.
Hidden gem
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Polar Bears, Churchill
Churchill · Mid-October – late November
World's largest gathering of polar bears, waiting on the Hudson Bay shore for the ice to refreeze.
Hidden gem
🇧🇷
Iguazu Falls, peak flow
Foz do Iguaçu · November – March (rainy-season peak flow)
275 individual waterfalls, 80m drops, 1.
Mainstream