European Festivals
2009 Calendar

Other Festivals: Arts Festivals | English Speaking

World Festivals | UK Music | Europe Map

Explore, winner of three major travel awards in 2008 can take you to hundreds of colourful destinations and festivals. See Family Adventures | Low Budget Tours or check their new Festival Holidays list.

29 Dec - 1 January

SCOTLAND Edinburgh Hogmanay - a truly wild and wooly underwear occasion, with a torchlight procession, a Fire Festival, fireworks, concerts and much insobriety, in a city dark yet strangely light... Edinburgh Travel | Pictures

FRANCE Paris Grand Parade - massive and colourful. Paris Travel | Paris Photos 

SWEDEN Kiruna Snow Festival - It's all white in the snowy north as reindeers race, dog sleds drift and artists sculpt ice into fantasy forms. Sweden Pictures 

ITALY Viareggio Carnival - Italy's maddest event with parades sporting huge puppets among the kaleidoscope folk, revelry of all sorts and fireworks...BUT mainly on successive Sundays. Italy Travel | Italy Pictures

13 Feb - 1 March '09
[not every day]

FRANCE Nice Carnival, the Cote d'Azur - a brilliant event on the lovely promenade of a terrific city, but not every day and parades are basically the same so one is probably enough. Carnival Pictures and Information

14 - 24 February

ITALY Venice Carnival - colourful, fascinating, funny and a superbly costumed environment. For the full flavour, rent a costume and go to a ball [the poshest is the Doge's Ball]. Venice Carnival Photos | Venice Guide

SPAIN Sitges Carnival near Barcelona - the wildest, gayest party of the year in Spain. Barcelona Travel | Spain Pictures

19-25 February

GERMANY Cologne Carnival - Germany's answer to Mardi Gras, a huge event marking the beginning of Lent, local festivities and a monster Rose Monday [parade]. Germany Guide

GERMANY Dusseldorf Carnival - another massive and outrageously kaleidoscopic occasion, Sunday is probably the best [wacky dress] parade.

ITALY Ivrea Carnival, Piedmont district of Turin - another colourful carnival, but with a different ending as the whole town partakes in a monstrous orange fight. Wear a tall, red hat if you don't wish to participate.

22-24 Feb

BELGIUM Binche Carnival - one of the country's wildest parties, a UNESCO Heritage event, half an hour south of Brussels. Sunday and Tuesday are best. Belgium Guide

IRELAND, Dublin St Patrick's Day Parade - a wild, green five days, including a huge parade. p.s. What's the difference between an Irish wedding and a funeral? There's one less drunk person at the funeral. Ireland Travel

SPAIN Las Fallas [de San José] in Valencia [image top left] - a wild and explosive [literally] carnival/fiesta combination that will blow your socks off. Locals spend 5 days partying - parades, pageants and moderate fireworks then on the last night, they turn off all the city lights and set fire to hundreds of massive papier-maché statues stuffed with fireworks around the city. Kaboom. Spain Guide

HUNGARY Budapest Spring Music Festival - all sorts of arts, music, drama, dance, exhibitions, poetry and kid's stuff, local and international, in a pleasant city. Budapest Travel Guide | Budapest Pictures

ITALY, Florence Scoppio del Carro - festively exploding a cart in Piazza del Duomo on Easter Sunday, set off by a mechanical dove driven from the Altar during High Mass. What madness is this? Florence Travel Guide

SPAIN, Seville and Granada, Holy Week [Semana Santa] - hundreds of parades, torchlit processions and singing over the Easter weekend.

GREECE, Chios Island, Vrontados, Church Rocket Fight - two churches will fire around 60,000 rockets at each other between 8pm on the 18th to midday 19th. Greece Travel Guide | Greece Pictures

SPAIN La Feria de Abril [April Fair] in Seville - Seville's best party with traditional dress, parades, dancing and wild parties in a gorgeous environment. Seville Travel Guide | Seville Pictures

NETHERLANDS, Amsterdam Orange Festival [Queens Day], for lovers of the colour orange, beer and dope, this is a massive street and canal-boat dance party, starting the night before. Amsterdam Travel | Amsterdam Photos

FINLAND, Helsinki Vappu - a lively May Day celebration, particularly for students of alcoholic excess. Helsinki Travel | Finland Pictures

ENGLAND, Gloucestershire, Cheltenham International Jazz Festival - the UK's top jazz fest in a lovely location. England Travel Guide

AUSTRIA Vienna Festival - this 5 week event offers a wide range of arts, especially music, naturally, but also dance and theatre, sometimes challenging pieces, all set in magnificent buildings. Vienna Guide | Photos

BELGIUM, Mons, Battle of Lumecon and the Procession of the Golden Chariot - Saint George fights the dragon and everybody pushes a vast and holy chariot around town.
Belgium Travel Guide

RUSSIA, St Petersburg, the White Nights arts festival in gorgeous, romantic and endlessly light St Pete. Primarily opera and ballet. St Petersburg Travel Guide | St Petersburg Pictures

CZECH REPUBLIC Prague Spring International Music Festival - one of Europe's best musical events, a must-see. Prague Travel Guide | Prague Pictures

13 - 24 May

FRANCE Cannes International Film Festival - the world's most glamorous film festival, every year. France Travel Guide

15 May - 19 Oct
[same dates every year]

FRANCE Chaumont Garden Festival - 30 wonderful and sometimes wacky show gardens around a perfect chateau [castle], every year.

NORWAY, Oslo Constitution Day - celebrates independence from Denmark, with folk music, parades, entertainment and people in traditional costumes. Oslo Travel Guide | Norway Pictures

ENGLAND, London Chelsea Flower Show - 11 acres of the UK's [and arguably Europe's] best flowers and gardens event, with plenty of original, even wacky ideas. London Pictures

ENGLAND, Somerset Bath International Music Festival - classical and other musical styles in this, the most classical of all UK cities. England Travel Guide

31 May
[same date every year]

ENGLAND Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling in Brockworth, near Gloucester - dozens of borderline bonkers men fling themselves down a precipitous hill attempting to catch huge rounds of cheese. It's illegal and bones get broken, so a remarkable sight in this nanny state of England.

6 -26 June

FRANCE, Festival de Musique de Strasbourg, an international contemporary music festival.

RUSSIA, St Petersburg, Stars of the White Nights arts festival's best month in gorgeous, romantic and endlessly light [at this time] St Pete. Primarily opera and ballet. St Petersburg Pictures

June - July TBC

GREECE Athens Festival - drama, dance and music in the 2,000 year old outdoor Odeion theatre at the base of Acropolis Hill. Location, location. Athens Guide | Athens Pictures

ENGLAND, Ascot, Berkshire Royal Ascot Horse Racing - The poshest of posh UK events, with mad hats de rigeur for ladies and tails for gents. UK Sports

SWITZERLAND, Zurich Festival - international artists perform drama, music, opera. Switzerland Guide | Switzerland Pictures

ENGLAND, Wiltshire Stonehenge Summer Solstice - midsummer night ritual with all sorts of druids, hippies and new age wackos. Fascinating, especially if the weather is OK! Stonehenge Pictures And Information

FRANCE, Paris Fete de la Musique - free! A monster musical celebration all over this lovely city. Professionals mix with amateurs playing different sounds in different locations. Paris Photos

GERMANY Lesbian and Gay Street Festival and Christopher Street Day in Berlin - the monster Gay Pride parade and street party.
Berlin Travel Guide

ENGLAND, London Wimbledon Tennis Championships - the most prestigious tennis event in the world. UK Sports

ITALY, Florence Festival of Saint John - parades, dances and more. Florence Guide

ENGLAND Glastonbury Festival, Somerset - a massive, multiple music event, with different stages featuring different music, but heavy on soft/hard rock variations. The closest to Woodstock most of us will ever get. Tickets are VERY difficult to acquire. Information

SPAIN, Granada International Festival of Dance and Music - a superb event in varied, amazing locations such as the Alhambra. Spain Travel Guide

24 - 27 June

ITALY, Florence Calcio Storico - crazed and brutal but traditional 15thC costumed football matches with 4 teams, 27 players each side and no effective referee. Florence Guide.

SPAIN, Barcelona The Grec Summer Festival [del Grec] - theatre, dance and music. Barcelona Guide | Photos

30 June - 7 July
TBC

TURKEY Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival in Edirne - 1,000 oily fat boys get a good slapping. More info: Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Turkey Guide | Turkey Photos

3 July - 1 August

FINLAND Savonlinna Opera Festival - a grand classical celebration in the Finnish lake district, set in magnificent 15thC St Olaf's Castle. Finland Pictures

4 - 26 July

FRANCE, Avignon, Festival d'Avignon, a dynamic and diverse Arts festival, boasting over 50 official productions and many more fringes in a stunning historic city. Avignon Pictures

3 July -1 August

FRANCE, Aix-en-Provence, International Festival of Lyric Art [Le Festival d’Aix-en-Provence], a popular summer arts festival, especially for classical music. Aix-en-Provence Pictures

GERMANY, Love Parade - no longer in Berlin, but in the city of Bochum for 2009, Duisberg for 2010 and Gelsenkirchen for 2011. The wackiest of local festivals, a weekend of ecstatic body-baring by 1.5 million techno- ravers. Google translation from German: The Love parade lives. Diagonally, schrill and color-gladly...Sounds about right to me. Berlin Travel

SPAIN, Barcelona Summer Festival [del Grec] - theatre, dance and music. Barcelona Travel | Photos

ITALY, Siena Il Palio - a costumed pageant begins a brief but totally insane bareback horse race around the city's main square. Also August 16. Calgary Stampede vs Il Palio! | Italy Travel Guide | Siena Pictures

GERMANY Rhine in Flames down the Rhine river from Linz to Bonn on summer nights - a massive and amazing co-ordinated fireworks display from boats, stately buildings and the surrounding countryside. Germany Travel

6 - 14 July
[same date every year]

SPAIN, Pamplona, Los Sanfermines [Bull Running] - don't be bored, be gored! Six bulls are released into the streets every morning of this seven day Basque rite-of-manhood party. You too can battle the big horns. See the excellent Sanfermin site. Spain Guide

SWITZERLAND Montreux International Jazz Festival - all sorts of non-classical music featured, in spite of the name, in an appealing location on the shore of Lake Geneva. Switzerland Travel | Switzerland Photos

DENMARK, Copenhagen Copenhagen Jazz Festival Copenhagen Travel

AUSTRIA, Vienna ImPulsTanz - a dynamic and diverse dance festival across the whole of lovely Vienna. Vienna Travel Guide | Vienna Pictures

NETHERLANDS [HOLLAND], Rotterdam North Sea Jazz Festival - perhaps the biggest jazz gathering in the world with over 20,000 visitors a day. Lots of big name acts. Netherlands Pictures | Netherlands Map

IRELAND, Galway Galway Arts Festival - Ireland's biggest arts jamboree, with all kinds of entertainment, street, theatre, music, kid's, exhibitions, concerts... Ireland Travel Guide

4 - 26 July

FRANCE, Tour de France - a three-week cycling race for 3,500km [2000 miles] over the country [the route changes annually]. The world's most famous French sporting event.

13 - 14 July
[same date every year]

FRANCE, Paris Bastille Day - parties, parades, fireworks, picnics. Paris Travel Guide

17 - 19 July
[the third Fri/Sat/Su every year] Saturday is the big day.

ITALY, Venice Festa del Redentore - the Festival of the Redeemer celebrating the end of the plague involves hundreds of beautifully decorated and illuminated boats full of beautifully decorated Venetians that gather around sunset, have dinner on board or beside the Giudecca canal, then watch one of Europe's best fireworks displays at 11.30pm on Saturday night. Venice Travel Guide | Venice Pictures

GERMANY Wagner Festival at Bayreuth - very expensive and elitist, held in the unusual theatre that Wagner built.

ENGLAND, Charlton Park, Wiltshire WOMAD - [World of Music Arts and Dance] impressive world music festival, with 70 artists from 30 countries on 7 stages. Family friendly.

AUSTRIA Salzburg Festival - opera and concerts. 'Europe's most prestigious summer musical event.' Very large, very expensive. Every year in Mozart's pretty home town. Austria Travel Guide | Salzburg Pictures

ROMANIA Sighisoara Medieval Festival - a large and colourful event full of drama in a beautiful ancient town in Transylvania. Romania Travel Guide | Romania Map

SPAIN Fiesta of Near Death Experience in As Neves, Galicia - lucky survivors get carried in their coffins in a procession.

ENGLAND, Cambridge Cambridge Folk Festival - the real deal for the folks who like the music. 'A festival with a prestigious reputation for quality music in intimate surroundings.'

IRELAND, Waterford Spraoi Street Festival - 3 days of free music, street theatre, parade and fireworks in the biggest street party. Ireland Travel

GERMANY Rhine in Flames down the Rhine river from Linz to Bonn on summer nights - a massive and amazing co-ordinated fireworks display from boats, stately buildings and the surrounding countryside. Germany Travel

IRELAND, Kilkenny Arts Festival- music, theatre, dance, exhibitions set in superb surroundings.

IRELAND Puck Fair in Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland. A large and loony street fair with plenty of singing, dancing and horse shows, and all overseen by King Puck - a goat.

14 August -6 Sept [International]
7 - 31 August [Fringe]

SCOTLAND Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival in Scotland - over a thousand shows of all kinds, ranging from opera to stand-up comedy, from near porn to mere corn. A monster art attack in the spectacular city of Edinburgh. Not to be missed.

ITALY, Siena Il Palio - a costumed pageant begins a brief but totally insane bareback horse race around the city's main square. Also July 2nd.Calgary Stampede vs Il Palio! | Italy Travel Guide | Siena Pictures

SPAIN, Malaga Feria de Malaga - the biggest party in town with fancy dress, exotic food and dance, and fireworks. Spain Travel | Spain Pictures

IRELAND, Tralee Rose of Tralee International Festival - a massive party celebrating romance!

FINLAND, Helsinki Helsinki Festival - an arts festival including concerts, performance arts, parties and children's events. Helsinki Guide | Finland Pictures

SPAIN, Bilbao Aste Nagusia [Big Week in Basque language] - a big basque celebration including free concerts, fireworks nightly and strong man contests. Spain Guide | Spain Photos

IRELAND Fleadh Cheoil - a huge celebration of Irish music, dance and arts, with over 10,000 musicians roaming and playing all over the place. Hosted by a different town every year; 2009 in Tullamore in County Offaly, Ireland.

ENGLAND, Bognor Birdman in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, though 2008 and 2009 in town of Worthing - wildly costumed nutters jump-fly off Bognor pier attempting to win a big distance prize, or just 15 seconds of celebrity. Audiences chill on the beach. England Travel Guide

ENGLAND, London Notting Hill Carnival - fiesta with music, dance, and parade by London's Caribbean community; sponsored by London Pickpocket Support Group. UK Travel

SPAIN La Tomatina at Buñol town in Valencia - a huge and incredibly messy public fight with 25 tons of tomatoes, one day. Big kids should get down to Bunol and let rip.

SCOTLAND, the Braemar Gathering [Highland Games] - traditionally odd Scottish sporting events and massed pipers in a scenic setting. Scotland Travel

GERMANY, Munich Oktoberfest mainly about downing vast quantities of beer and bratwurst, then behaving badly with your neighbours. Key requirements: 1] Love beer 2] Love sausages 3] Love drunk Germans.

IRELAND, Galway International Oyster Festival - with fun events of all sorts. Ireland Travel

mid October TBC

HUNGARY Budapest Autumn Music Festival - all sorts of arts, music, drama, dance, exhibitions, poetry and kid's stuff. Budapest Travel | Budapest Photos

15 October - 1 Nov

IRELAND, Wexford Wexford Opera Festival - a small but perfectly formed and positively regarded event in a brand new Opera House on a new date. Wexford Opera | Ireland Travel

FRANCE, Paris, Salon du Chocolat - every aspect of the brown wonder-drug is explored at this lengthy celebration in Paris' Port de Versailles.

ENGLAND, Brighton Veteran Car Run - Ancient car lovers will need to find a comfortable viewing location for this London [Hyde Park] to Brighton [Madeira Drive] event for hundreds of pre-1905 vehicles; it starts at dawn and motors will begin to fart across the finish line from about 10 am. Veteran Car Run

ENGLAND, Devon Ottery St. Mary Tar Barrels - huge flaming barrels are carried around this little rural town. Devon Travel

21 November
[same date every year]

ITALY, Venice La Salute - a religious festival at the beautiful Basilica Santa Maria della Salute. Venice Pictures | Venice Guide

GERMANY, nationwide, Christmas Markets. This chilly winter country has a history of wonderfully warm, colourful and fattening Christmas markets set in spectacular locations. Some of the best are: Esslingen [medieval costumes and carols]; Wurzburg [snow probable]; Berncastel-Kues [arguably the prettiest]; Hamelin [Pied Piper's home so kid friendly!]; Heidelberg [lots of kid's stuff]; Lubeck [UNESCO World Heritage Site]; Regensburg [superbly lit and romantic]; Rothenburg [medieval Disneyland].... Germany Travel

DENMARK, Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens - special events for Christmas celebrations. Copenhagen Travel

FINLAND, Helsinki St Thomas Christmas Market - including the Lucia parade on the 13th, crafts, special foods etc...mainly at Esplanade Park. Helsinki Guide

SCOTLAND Edinburgh Hogmanay - a truly wild and wooly underwear occasion, with a torchlight procession, a Fire Festival, fireworks, concerts and much insobriety, in a city dark yet strangely light... Edinburgh Travel

AUSTRIA, Vienna Kaiserball - waltzing into Vienna's glamorous ball season is this, the ultimate in posh dances, set in the Hofburg Palace. No expense spared. Vienna Guide | Vienna Photos

ENGLAND, London New Year's Eve Fireworks and general carousing.