Carnival (Carnaval, Καρναβάλι (Carnavali), Carnevale, Carnestoltes, Carnaval, Karneval, Carnaval and Karnawał in Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Catalan, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Polish languages) is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, masque and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. 1.A festival marked by merrymaking and processions 2.A frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere" 3.A travelling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill Festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community. Among many religions, a feast or festival is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. However, the term "feast" has also entered common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious festival rather than a film or art festival. In the Christian liturgical calendar there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) and the Feast of the Resurrection, (Easter). In the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican liturgical calendars there are a great number of lesser feasts throughout the year commemorating saints, sacred events, doctrines, etc. 1.A day or period of time set aside for feasting and celebration 2.An organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place) "a drama festival" cowboy....

festival is a special occasion when people celebrate something such as a religious event or an occasion where there are performances of many movies,plays,pieces of music which happen in the same place every year. but carnival is a celebration with drinking,dancing and parade through the streets,usually happens before the beginning of Lent,etc...

Carnival is like special kind of festival or more like festival season. Originally religious one...Catholic. But I don't see anything religious with many of the current ones where people are drunk as hell, puke around, public nudity etc. It's festival that has parade/street party and people often dress up like for masquarade.

damn, that came out weird. this is what i meant to say with punctuation: a festival is a general thing. can be a lot of different things. but a carnival is a specific type of festival. usually at carnivals people ride roller coasters and ferris wheels and bumper cars, eat cotton candy, and play games where you have to shoot moving targets with a toy gun and it's rigged so that you lose no matter what and cant win the teddy bear on display for your little sister. oh, and watch out for carnies.

festival is a general thing can be a lot of different things but a carnival is a specific type of festival usually at carnivals people ride roller coasters and ferris wheels and bumper cars, eat cotton candy, and play games where you have to shoot moving targets with a toy gun and it's rigged so that you lose no matter what and cant win the teddy bear on display for your little sister. oh, and watch out for carnies.