A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times and places. The festival is a celebration of the food grown on the land and typically features feasting, both family and public, with foods that are drawn from crops.

In Britain, thanks have been given for successful harvests since pagan times. Harvest festivals are held in September or October depending on local tradition. The modern Harvest Festival celebrations include singing hymns, praying, and decorating churches with baskets of fruit and food in the festival known as Harvest Festival, Harvest Home, Harvest Thanksgiving or Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving.

Harvest festivals in Asia include the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most widely spread harvest festivals in the world. In Iran, Mehrgan was celebrated in an extravagant style at Persepolis. Visitors from different parts of the Persian Empire brought gifts for the king, all contributing to a lively festival.

Harvest festivals are also celebrated in other parts of the world, such as Germany, Austria, and Poland. The times and places that harvest festivals occur vary around the world due to the variations in climatic conditions and the difference in crops grown worldwide.