Research Methodology
How we discover, verify, and maintain the world's most comprehensive cultural calendar
FestivalAtlas is building the authoritative source for authentic cultural celebrations worldwide. Unlike crowd-sourced platforms, we use AI-powered research combined with rigorous verification to discover and document what humanity actually celebrates.
Current Coverage
13,741
Festivals
1,042
Regions
209
Countries
The 5-Point Community Test
Every festival must pass all five criteria to be included in FestivalAtlas. This ensures we document authentic cultural celebrations, not tourist traps or commercial events.
Local Participation
The celebration must be attended and valued by local community members, not created primarily for tourists.
Cultural Significance
It must have meaning within the community - religious, historical, agricultural, or cultural identity.
Recurring Pattern
It must happen regularly (annually, biannually, or on known cycles), not be a one-time event.
Authentic Traditions
The celebration practices genuine cultural traditions, even if they've evolved over time.
Community-Driven
It would happen even without tourist attendance. Local participation is the primary driver.
Multi-Source Verification
We verify every festival through multiple independent sources before inclusion. Our AI research system cross-references government tourism sites, cultural heritage databases, local news archives, and community calendars.
Minimum Standard
Every festival must be verified through at least 3-5 independent sources before being added to FestivalAtlas. We document our sources for transparency and ongoing verification.
FPDM: Festival Practical Data Maintenance
Festival dates change. Many follow lunar calendars, harvest cycles, or are announced months in advance. Our FPDM system keeps every festival current through intelligent monitoring and automated updates.
Intelligent Scheduling
FPDM learns when each festival typically announces dates (e.g., 6 months before, 3 months before) and automatically checks at optimal times. This minimizes API costs while ensuring accuracy.
Calendar Type Intelligence
The system understands different calendar systems - Gregorian (fixed dates), lunar (Islamic, Chinese), lunisolar (Hindu, Jewish), and calculated dates (Easter-based, harvest-dependent).
Multi-Source Monitoring
FPDM checks official festival websites, government calendars, and local news sources to catch date changes as soon as they're announced.
Cost-Efficient Accuracy
FPDM maintains current dates for ~13,000 festivals at approximately $0.50 per festival per year, making comprehensive global coverage sustainable.
Three-Phase Intelligence System
Discovery Phase (One-Time)
AI research system identifies all cultural focus areas within a country, then deeply researches authentic celebrations in each focus area. This happens once per area.
- • Maps distinct cultural focus areas (not just provinces)
- • Researches religious, harvest, historical, and cultural festivals
- • Cross-references multiple sources for verification
- • Discovers "unknown unknowns" - festivals tourists don't know exist
Maintenance Phase (Ongoing)
FPDM system keeps dates current through intelligent monitoring. This happens continuously at optimized intervals.
- • Monitors official sources for date announcements
- • Updates lunar/calculated dates annually
- • Verifies fixed dates haven't changed
- • Tracks venue and practical detail changes
Evolution Phase (Annual)
Annual refresh to catch new festivals, discontinued celebrations, and cultural evolution.
- • Discovers newly established festivals
- • Removes discontinued or tourist-trap events
- • Updates cultural significance and participation levels
- • Refines regional classifications
Our Commitment to Transparency
FestivalAtlas is building an institution, not just a database. We're committed to:
- • Publishing our methodology openly
- • Documenting source counts for each festival
- • Showing last verification dates
- • Explaining our inclusion criteria
- • Maintaining anti-commercial standards
If you have questions about our methodology or want to report inaccuracies, contact us.