We love arts festivals, but we dig them even more when there's a sense of ephemerality involved. Impermanence makes things feel a little more special, doesn't it? Think about it: Would Burning Man be as epic without the burning of the Man or the temple? Would the artworks at Art Basel be as coveted if they weren't all on the verge of being whisked away by collectors? Would your jaw drop as far to the ground at the Sapporo Snow Festival if you knew the sculptures would be there come springtime? When things are destroyed or disappear, we feel a rebirth. We can let go. We can feel new again.

Whether the art burns to the ground, melts, gets consumed, or floats away into the night sky, we can't help but be totally enchanted by these festivals and their offerings.

Afrikaburn, Tankwa Karoo National Park, South Africa

Like at Burning Man, you better be pretty intentional in your desire to make this trek. Given that the event is during the southern hemisphere’s early fall, there are so many similarities to Burning Man, you may feel like you’re hallucinating. In fact, the event is held over South Africa’s version of Labor Day, May Day. And, given the nature of the event, that may be true depending upon your predilections.

AfrikaBurn is like Burning Man 15 years ago. There are roughly 9,000 attendees, and everyone is a participant. Idealism abounds. The otherworldly landscape and the ephemeral art make for a soul-searching experience. There’s a belief in the human spirit that’s alive and well.

Though there are tons of sculptures and other forms of art dotting the dusty desert, the main sculpture at this art event is called the San Clan and it’s designed to look like a San rock art glyph of a group of people to convey the sense of unity at the event. Of course, all of it is burnt to the ground towards the end of your days in the desert.

Burning Man, Black Rock City, Nevada

Capturing the primal instinct in all of us, Burning Man offers tons of art that burns, from the elaborately designed David Best temple to the ceremonial burning of the Man. For bonus firepower, you'll see tons of fire dancers and even roaming bands of tribal majorettes tossing flaming batons in the air.

Las Fallas, Valencia, Spain

The Las Fallas celebration dates back to the Middle Ages when excess winter supplies were torched in an equivalent to a spring cleaning. Today’s rendition takes a more grandiose approach, paying homage to Spain’s history and culture with spectacular displays of pyrotechnics. Lighting fires has long been a way to kick off the start of spring. Long before lightbulbs, Valencian carpenters and artisans plied their trades under candlelight, using pieces of wood called parots as wick holders. Come spring, when sunlight replaced candlelight, the parots were burned. The pagan ritual merged with the church's commemoration of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the carpenters, and thus Las Fallas was born.

The Las Fallas celebration reaches its apex on the final night. During La Cremá or burning, the smaller fallas are set on fire at 10 pm, while the larger ones go up in flames in a bonfire closer to midnight. Laced with pyrotechnics, the massive sculptures burn at such high temperatures that the crowds are forced to step far back behind the safety barriers and fire crews perpetually hose nearby buildings with water to keep them from crumbling under the heat. The scene is intense. Under the roaring flames, the artistic creations collapse, and thousands of hours of work, hundreds of thousands of Euros, all go up in smoke. Not missing a beat, the entire city erupts into a giant dance party.

Wickerman Festival, Dundrennan, Scotland

The Wickerman Festival is an annual music festival held at the East Kirkcarswell Farm in the picturesque region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Musically as well as creatively, the festival has been likened to a smaller version of Glastonbury . With a widely eclectic mix of music and art to suit everyone, it has suitably been dubbed "Scotland's Alternative Music festival."

Wickerman has been a sellout event in recent years, attracting nearly 20,000 devout followers. The festival is known to have a cult-like following and caters to a broad audience, from rockers to ravers, with plenty of activities for families too. What truly completes the festival, though, is its unforgettable finale, as thousands of fans flock to watch a towering 40-foot (13 meter) Wickerman statue be spectacularly set alight at midnight on the last day of the event. The burning of this effigy harks back to pagan rituals.

Up Helly Aa, Lerwick, Scotland

The Shetlands, Scotland’s northernmost islands, have long been an ideal target for Vikings, but today their only invaders are festival-goers. The last Tuesday of every January, Lerwick, the islands’ capital, is overtaken by costumed warriors bearing torches, which they use to set a traditional longboat aflame.

Bellowing war cries, beating drums, firing guns and wielding swords, these barrel-chested men and boys paraded before hundreds of residents and visitors who've come to witness the celebration for hundreds of years. It all culminates in the epic burning of a massive, painstakingly constructed viking war boat lit afire by 1,000 torches – making it one of Europe's biggest fire festival. Of course, there are after-parties until dawn, replete with more costumes (sometimes transvestites!) and plenty of booze and testosterone. Think of it as a viking-style Burning Man that has to be seen to be believed.

Harbin Ice & Snow Festival, Harbin, China

At the two-month Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, you’ll get into a habit of dropping your jaw—that is until your teeth start chattering. Set in Harbin’s coldest months, this festival features breathtaking temporary works of art, all created with ice from the Songhua River. Between the four primary parks and amusement zones, there are a few thousand pieces, not to mention all the ice architecture created throughout the city for the winter (it's everywhere you look).

Deionized water is used on some pieces to produce ice as transparent as glass, and multicolored lights add multi-dimensional depth and beauty. Over the course of a hurried half-month, more than 15,000 people carve (by hand or laser) more than 4 million cubic feet of ice. From scaled-down versions of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall to simpler student-created pieces, the sheer volume of beauty is staggering. And when the sun goes down, the lights go on. Have your camera ready.

Sapporo Snow Festival, Sapporo, Japan

The staging of nearly 400 spectacular ice and snow sculptures is what draws visitors to the 12-block stretch of Odori Park, home to much of the action and the majority of sculpture activity. During the day, stroll and watch the artists at work, carving up everything from life-size renderings of animals and historical monuments, temples and buildings (Taj Mahal), to scenes of Japanese life, manga characters, internationally recognizable cartoon characters, religious icons (life-sized Ganesha, anyone?) and mazes you can walk through. In 2015, a massive Star Wars spread stole the show.

The origins of the Sapporo Snow Festival date back to 1950, when a half-dozen local high school students got together and built a half-dozen snow statues in Odori Park. However, in 1972, Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics, which introduced Sapporo’s Snow Festival to the rest of the world. The festival now averages about 2 million visitors per year.

At night, stick it out for the psychedelic light shows that are projected onto the snow. Fuel yourself with Japanese beer, hot sake, and delicious street food. It's worth it, because come springtime, it will all be just a frigid memory.

Art Basel, Miami, Florida

Lest you think you can't be one of the collectors who comes away with stunning art during Art Basel, think again. Art Basel Miami, since first launching in 2002 long after the original fair was christened in Switzerland in 1970, has created such an art ecosystem full of diversity that there’s something for just about everyone at this four-day spectacle that takes over Miami. While the epicenter is the Miami Beach Convention Center , there are dozens of off-shoots – off-beat and off-center art fairs strewn throughout the city. And, not all of the art is ungodly expensive. Chip Conley bought a piece here for $1,000. You can, too, at what's become the world's most talked about art fair. Don't forget to pair your new investment with some partying. Click here for a quick glimpse into some of the soirees that dot the town during this hedonistic time of year.

Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans, Louisiana

At a festival where the "art" is masterfully made cocktails, you better bet it'll disappear – down your gullet. Tales of the Cocktail is like graduate school compared to the elementary imbibers of Jell-O shots roaming around New Orleans’ (where it's held) French Quarter. But the academic event itself is far from snooty, country-club swillers. It’s a serious industry party with folks who really know spirits and how to enjoy them.

A five-day opportunity to belly up to countless bars, Tales is an opportunity to see the latest in cocktail trends, learn how to mix the best, and see what new spirits are being introduced into the marketplace. Basically it's a ton of drinking, partying, and hanging with the experts. Considering that New Orleans has been long considered the birthplace of the first true cocktail (the Sazerac), as well as other well-loved libations (the Absinthe Frappe, Ramos Gin Fizz, Obituary Cocktail, Hurricane and Hand Grenade) this is the ideal city for a festival all about cocktails.

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, New Taiwan City, Taiwan

While Chinese New Year tends to get all the attention, one of the more subtle and beguiling celebratory days in the Chinese calendar is the annual Sky Lantern Festival. In a blaze of luminous glory, 100,000 to 200,000 hot air balloons emblazon a full moonlit sky. Although the holiday is celebrated all across Asia, nowhere in the world is it more recognized than Pingxi, a remote mountain town an hour-long drive from Taipei, Taiwan.

According to the elders of Pingxi, the Sky Lantern Festival originated in the Xing Dynasty, more than two thousand years ago. At that time, bands of outlaws frequently raided the lowland villages, forcing residents to seek refuge in the lush, verdant mountains. Village watchmen used “fire balloons” as signals to inform the refugees that their houses were safe once again. When those hiding in the hills saw the celestial flares, they knew it was time to go home.

The main activity is to buy a lantern, scribble your desires and ambitions on it, then send it into the heavens. The lanterns are made out of oiled rice paper, sheepskin, bamboo filaments, silk, or satin outfitted with a large candle at the bottom. As the lamps heat up, they take flight and linger in the air for as long as the flame still flickers.

Not only did lanterns act as signaling devices in ancient Pingxi, but they also commemorate the official end of Chinese New Year. Their release symbolizes the shedding of outdated ways and the embracing of an optimistic and fortuitous future. When the luminous sensations touch down, it’s with great hope that one’s lofty aspirations can be brought to fruition in the upcoming year.

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festivals), Chiang Mai, Thailand

The indisputable highlight of Yi Peng and Loy Krathong is the spellbinding show that happens when thousands of people converge to release khom loi (lit lanterns) into the night sky. During the other key ritual of this beautiful Thai festival of lights, participants let go of krathong—small floating vessels made from banana stalks and decorated with incense, offerings, flowers and candles—into rivers and other bodies of water, creating an ethereal sight that’s rarely duplicated elsewhere in the world.

The Yi Peng and Loy Krathong light festival has its earliest roots in Brahmanic tradition but Buddhists later adopted it as a way to honor Prince Siddhartha Gautama—the Buddha. For Buddhists, participating in these acts serves as a time to reflect and let go of personal demons and negativity. All the flickering flames and lights symbolize their veneration of Buddha.

Since what goes up must come down, the fuel cells in the lanterns burn out after about 10 minutes, at which point the lanterns gracefully fall back to earth, triggering what amounts to an extensive cleanup effort. Fortunately, most of the lanterns are made from biodegradable rice paper, which grazing animals eat or, if that doesn’t happen, break down after a few rains.