The first chord of a headliner at Glastonbury, the clatter of wooden beer steins at Oktoberfest, the hush that falls over a Seville street as a Semana Santa procession passes, the single second of silence before twenty thousand people start throwing tomatoes at La Tomatina. Europe’s festivals are not events you attend. They are experiences that swallow you whole. The continent’s calendar is packed with celebrations that range from the sacred to the absurd, and planning a trip around one of them transforms a holiday into something you will talk about for the rest of your life.
In This Article
The Summer Giants: Glastonbury and Edinburgh
Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, is the most famous music festival in the world. It takes place on a dairy farm in late June and hosts over two hundred thousand people. The pyramid stage, the dance tents, the theatre, the circus, the sheer scale of the thing is overwhelming in the best possible way. Tickets sell out within minutes of going on sale in October. The resale in April is your only realistic second chance. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, running throughout August, is the largest arts festival on the planet with over fifty thousand performances of more than three thousand shows across three weeks. The city’s population triples during August. Every pub, church hall, and basement in the city becomes a stage. Booking accommodation six months in advance is not excessive. It is essential. The magic of the Fringe is that you can see world class theatre, comedy, and dance in venues that hold fifty people, and discover the next big thing before anyone else has heard of them.
Autumn: Beer, Art, and Tomatoes
Oktoberfest in Munich draws six million visitors who consume seven million litres of beer across sixteen days. The festival runs from late September to early October. The beer tents are enormous, the atmosphere is carnivalesque, and the prices triple for accommodation during the period. Book months ahead. The Venice Biennale, alternating years of art and architecture from May to November, is the most important contemporary art event in the world. Pavilions from ninety countries fill the Giardini and the Arsenale with the most cutting edge work being made today. La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain, on the last Wednesday of August, is the world’s largest food fight. Twenty thousand people, one hundred and fifty tonnes of tomatoes, and one hour of glorious chaos. Tickets are required and must be booked through the official site. It is messy, silly, and unforgettable.
Winter Magic: Christmas Markets and Hogmanay
The Christmas markets of Germany, Austria, and Central Europe transform town squares into winter wonderlands from late November through December. Nuremberg, Dresden, Vienna, and Strasbourg have the most famous markets, but the smaller ones in towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Cesky Krumlov offer a more atmospheric experience. Mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, hand carved wooden toys, and the faint sound of carols drifting through the cold air create a sensory experience that defines the European winter. Hogmanay in Edinburgh on December thirty first is the world’s greatest New Year’s Eve party. A torchlight procession through the Old Town, a street party for one hundred and fifty thousand people, and fireworks over Edinburgh Castle. Book accommodation six months in advance. Carnival in Venice, with its masks and elegance, is the most beautiful and most expensive. The Rhineland carnivals in Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Mainz are wilder, funnier, and more participatory, with street parties that last for days.
Spring: Processions and Orange Parades
Semana Santa, Holy Week, in Seville and throughout Spain during March or April features the most dramatic religious processions in Europe. Hooded penitents, elaborate floats bearing statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary, the scent of incense and orange blossom filling the narrow streets. The Seville processions are the most famous, but the smaller towns of Andalusia offer a more intimate and moving experience. King’s Day in the Netherlands on April twenty seventh turns the entire country orange for a day of street parties, flea markets, and boat parades on the Amsterdam canals. The Dutch celebrate their monarchy with a fervour that is infectious. The whole country is one giant street party, and everybody is welcome. If you are planning a European trip, aligning your visit with one of these festivals will elevate your experience from ordinary to extraordinary.
What is the European festival that has marked your life. The one you return to every year or the one you discovered by accident?
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