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European Festivals Not To Miss
By Jessica Dawdy, Thu, Mar 6, 2014There’s nothing quite as exciting as visiting a place during a festival. Food and drink are overflowing, traditional culture is on display, and it’s a chance to see locals and tourists alike joyfully let their hair down. Here are a few of my favourite European festivals, which are more than worth planning your trip to catch.
St. Patrick’s Day
It’s true that St. Patrick’s Day celebrations take place all over the world on March 17th but, as you might expect, there’s nowhere that does it quite like Ireland itself, particularly Dublin. Dublin’s “St. Patrick’s Festival” is held over 4 days rather than just 1. The main focus is a big parade, which makes its way along O’Connell Street to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Aside from the parade, there are live bands, Irish dancing, and, of course, pubs packed with partiers drinking their weight in Guinness. Easily one of Europe’s friendliest capital cities, Dublin is instantly charming any day of the year, and there’s no better time to experience this city than the day when people gather to celebrate all things Irish.
King’s Day
Formerly known as Queen’s Day until Dutch Queen Beatrix’s abdication last year, King’s Day is the Netherlands’ huge, nationwide street party. The festival takes place on April 27th each year to honour the birthday of King Willem-Alexander, with millions of people donning bright orange and downing cans of Heineken in the streets. Many people head to Amsterdam, but the festival takes place in almost every Dutch city, with some of the smaller towns often being more enjoyable places to celebrate than overcrowded Amsterdam. In addition to the street parties and live music, anyone is free to set up a stall to sell second-hand goods, busk, or do just about anything else. It’s pretty much a flea market that spans the whole country.
La Tomantina
Held in the little town of Bunol in Spain, La Tomantina is a massive food fight, with people gathering to toss one hundred thousand metric tons of tomatoes at one another. The event is believed to have originated out of a civil disturbance during the 1940s, which eventually evolved into an official festival that takes place on the last Wednesday in August each year. The event starts with the crowd singing and dancing while one person tries to climb a greasy wooden pole to reach a ham at the top (because why not?) Water cannons are fired to signal the beginning of the hour-long fight, and then again at the end when it’s time to holster the tomatoes. To cap increasing numbers, Bunol recently introduced a 10€ entry fee and a limit of 20,000 participants.
Venice Carnival
One of the world’s oldest carnivals, Venice Carnival is the best time to see the elaborately beautiful costumes and masks associated with this famous Italian city. Venice Carnival takes place in the weeks leading up to Lent, usually starting around February or March each year. Parties and other indulgences are traditionally off-limits during Lent, so the Carnival is an opportunity for people to enjoy one last celebration before the 40 days of restraint. Many of the private parties and events require invitations or come with cringe-worthy ticket prices (think 500€), but there are also plenty of public events. Most of the activity centers around St. Mark’s Square, with mask parades and firework displays, as well as a tight rope walk that kicks off the festivities.
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is by far one of Europe’s most infamous festivals, attracting millions of tourists from across Germany and around the world every year. This 200-year-old beer festival is held from the end of September until the first weekend in October. The party takes place across 14 beer tents, each filled with wooden benches, and about 10,000 very happy people. Almost every tent is run by a different brewery and caters to a different crowd, but you can count on each tent serving 1L mugs of beer with about a 2% higher alcohol content compared to the rest of the year. Outside the tents, you’ll find a big fair complete with games, rides and food stalls. Don’t forget to wear a traditional Bavarian costume, because this is probably the only time in your life where if you’re wearing jeans next to a man in lederhosen, you’ll be the one who’s out of place.
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