Brussels – Chocolate capital, Belgium by EverJean

Brusselicious

One of the most exciting culinary events of 2012 Brusselicious promises to be the food festival of the year. The city of Brussels is hosting a yearlong event to mark its exceptional food with the main events being held throughout the summer months. Brussels is famous for its Chocolate, pastries, Beer and food and the event promises to be truly spectacular. Before we dive into the details consider that Belgium is the most famous chocolatier country in the world and has an exceptional record for producing the world’s best and most unusual beers – from traditional wheat beer to fruit beer. This year though the capital is pulling out all the stops with food sculptures, live cooking demonstrations, a PiQniQ summer festival, a sumptuous banquet with hundreds of marquees in early September and a chocolate extravaganza as we approach the winter months. If you’re planning a trip you’ll definitely need a serious diet when you come back but this promises to be an incredible culinary experience.

Copenhagen Cooking

While Nordic cuisine isn’t to everyone’s taste the annual Copenhagen Cooking festival, held from t 24th of August to the 2nd of September, is always an incredible affair and brings the city alive with wonderful food. It focuses on Nordic cuisine and pays homage to both traditional and modern cooking practices. The gourmet restaurants put on incredible meals throughout the festival at heavily reduced rates while you can see a variety of show coking and live demonstrations throughout the city. There’s a lot of fish unsurprisingly but you’ll be amazed at what is on offer. Along the Nørrebrogade you can find the spectacular “Taste the World” street kitchen with hundreds of exotic and less exotic offerings. Alternatively you can visit the “Eat 10” food fair with its vast selection of produce and plenty fo displays and lessons on offer. Copenhagen is a beautiful city in its own right and well worth visiting; with the food being the icing on the cake!

Italy’s Slow Food Festival

The Slow Food movement has gained massive international traction in the last few decades and started in Italy when, in 1980, Carlos Petrini led a huge campaign against McDonald’s opening at the Spanish Steps in Rome. The crusade resulted in a worldwide campaign and birthed the slow food festival around the world. However, nowhere is this festival more entrenched than in its birthplace Italy and throughout the country you can find summer slow food events. One of the best destinations to experience the festival is undoubtedly Maglie in Puglia. Their 4 day slow food festival is the perfect chance to sample Italian cuisine at its finest with a whole square dedicated to wine and countless stalls serving the very best in local and not so local produce. The evening and day time meals on offer throughout the festival are simply incredible. Throughout the region you can find an incredible array of food festivals at this time of year and if you can take a longer break we’d heartily recommend a tour of all the best food festivals in the region; from the Mola di Bari’s octopus festival to the Sagra della Frisa e del Pesce Fritto see food festival in Gallipoli.

France’s Feria du Riz

The Feria du Riz festival (The festival of Rice) is a very strange French festival as it has a very Spanish feel. While the majority of traveller’s will head to France’s local food festivals and enjoy the wine festivals approaching towards the end of the summer months for something unique and different you should really consider Feria du Riz in Arles. The festival is held in mid-September but the weather is still warm making it a great time to enjoy this part of France. The rice festival celebrates the local harvest and offers an incredible mix of seafood, French food, Spanish food and, of course, plenty of the local red Carmague rice. It’s a food festival at heart but there’s a whole world of entertainment from parades, music and street theatre to bull runs and horses. The hundreds of stalls selling a strange mix of food is incredible and the tapas and seafood concoctions are out of this world. The festival is also incredibly lively and there are lots of late night events making this a raucous and fun event through and through.

David is a writer for Holiday Insurance Web, offering travel insurance products.

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The Great Outdoors

Chester Zoo

A great attraction all year around but with longer days and fairer weather, summer is the perfect time to take in some of the 8000 amazing animals. With the holidays also come some extra exhibitions. This summer the dinosaurs have returned and 19 life sized robot replicas of the terrible lizards will take visitors back 200 million years.

Jaguars at Chester Zoo, Manchester, UK by Mark Morleo

Canal Festival

Late August sees the Manchester Canal festival with plenty of outdoor activities near the water for all of the family to enjoy. With nature trails, arts workshops horse boat tours and the spectacle of a Float-In movie it’s a great excuse to take a trip down the Rochdale Canal.

The Manchester Picnic

While some food festivals are purely for the connoisseurs, this one invites all the family to enjoy the tasty treats on offer over a long August weekend. 16 gourmet street food traders from all around the world gather at Piccadilly Gardens to share their native cuisines that will inspire you to try some of the wonderful restaurants in Manchester. As well as the fantastic food there are also activities for children and live music on offer.

Rainy day outings

Manchester Museum

With an amazing array of exhibits from around the world over its four floors and 15 galleries, there is so much to explore. The special Unearthed: Ancient Egypt exhibition is perfect for children and they can gain and archaeology certificate by helping Professor Digby catalogue all of his finds in the Egyptologist’s storeroom.

National Football Museum

Football looms large in Manchester with the great rival between United and City. This museum explores the relationship football has with people through past and present. The museum features a series of exhibitions with displays on the world’s greatest players, the laws of the game, managers and stadiums there will be something to entertain any football fan.

Museum of Science and Industry

Located on the site of the world’s oldest remaining passenger railway station this museum tells the incredible story of Manchester’s industrial past. There is so much to learn about this city and its innovations in the past, present and future from the age of steam with locomotives to the space age in the planetarium.

Catherine Halsey writes for a digital marketing agency on a range of subjects. This article was written on behalf of Malmaison.

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The good news for the visitor to Dublin is that much of this new produce is finding its way to one of an increasing number of food festivals that are popping up around the capital. What’s more, since the rise and fall of the Celtic Tiger, Dublin has transformed into a veritable melting pot of nationalities and that cultural shift has left its mark on the food scene too.

You can experience this culinary renaissance first hand by visiting one of the many food festivals now happening throughout the year in the nation’s capital.

Taste of Dublin, festival, Ireland by William Murphy

A Taste of Dublin

One food festival in Dublin has been responsible for attracting more attention and more big names than any other, and deservedly so. A Taste of Dublin has become a seriously popular and eagerly awaited event in the gastronomic calendar and is host to cheffy superstars such as Jamie Oliver and Jean Christophe Novelli.

Snuggled in the glorious setting of Iveagh Gardens in the centre of the city, Taste of Dublin usually occurs over four days in June and is attended by over 100 producers, including big brand names, as well as artisan producers, so there’s sure to be something to suit every taste.

Be warned, however, because it’s so popular tickets don’t come cheap. Once you’re there, the in-site currency is Florins, which can be used to buy food samples, drinks and products from exhibitors. You can buy a special ticket in advance that comes pre-loaded with Florins to get you started.

However, if it you do find that this celebration of all things foodie is up your epicurean street, you might consider returning in December for its sister event, A Taste Of Christmas.

Bloom

Phoenix Park, one of Europe’s most historic and magnificent parks, is the location for Bloom. This event is a little different in that the focus is on gardening, as well as food.

Taking place during the bank holiday weekend in June, Bloom is coming up to its seventh year in existence and has grown hugely over the last couple of years with over 90,000 visitors at the last event. As a result, space allocated to the event has increased proportionately.

The activities and entertainment up for grabs are distinctly biased towards families (children can attend for free), but with cookery, craft and gardening demonstrations galore, as well as live entertainment, there really is something for everyone.

Dublin Bay Prawns festival, Ireland by Simon Pielow

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival

While you’re browsing through the ‘Street Food Fair’ in the picturesque fishing village of Howth, it’s hard to imagine you’re just 20 minutes from the centre of Dublin. Here, as you might expect, the emphasis is on seafood, with the delectable Dublin Bay prawn acting as the centrepiece.

There’s every possible facility you could need for a short break in Howth and it’s not far from Dublin Airport, so you might even consider basing yourself in one of the many hotels and guesthouses in the area for your stay. That way, you’ll have more time to peruse the displays of freshly caught fish in the seafood shops, pop in for a lazy lunch and some traditional Irish entertainment at one of the many seafood bars and restaurants, or simply take in the party atmosphere and street performances. From wine tasting and cookery demonstrations to prawn shelling competitions, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Don’t miss the Mystery Dine Around for a real taste of what Howth’s eateries have to offer. All in all, the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is a real treat for seafood lovers everywhere.

Food And Bev Live

February mightn’t appear to be the best time of year to visit Ireland, but Food And Bev Live makes a great excuse for an action packed weekend of food and drink in Dublin. And the opulent Citywest Hotel is the ideal venue.

This is the event where the big guns in the food and drink industry get to go head-to-head in a number of high profile events such as The National Barista Championships, the Gastropub Chef Of The Year awards and the National Cocktail Championships. It’s these competitions that will select the talent to represent Ireland in the world championships.

Of course, there’ll be plenty of exhibitors and demonstrations going on too. And if you’re staying at the Citywest, well, you can forget about what the weather’s doing outside, because in the evening, you’ll probably be basking in the warmth of a peat fire in one of Citywest’s great little bars.

Festival Of World Foods

Marlay Park, usually reserved for big concerts, is the venue for the Festival of World Foods. Held in October, this is a truly epicurean exploration where you can sample the best speciality foods from around the world. Bratwurst from Germany, Baba Ganoush from Lebanon, sushi from Japan, curries from the Caribbean, the list of international eating opportunities is endless. In fact, the Festival of World Foods can be liked to taking your tastebuds on a round-the-world taste trip.

One of the big highlights from previous years has been the Hoe Down with a hog roast and live music provided by Bluegrass and Cajun bands. But the big focus here is on international food, so you can expect stalls from virtually every country in the world from Algeria to the US of A.

As with any event in Dublin, simply ask at the Nova Car Hire desk when you pick up your hire car at Dublin Airport and someone will be glad to help you with directions to any of the above events.

Happy eating!

The post Dublin’s Food Festivals – A Feast For All The Senses | Ireland appeared first on Europe Explored.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by rebekah.grmela

Attend the Taste of Dublin

The Taste of Dublin is an annual event that takes place at Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens in the early summer. The Taste of Dublin is Ireland’s premiere summer food festival and attracts up to 30,000 visitors each year. A score of Dublin’s restaurants take part in this gastronomic feast. There are live acts entertaining on a variety of stages, and more than 100 vendors. You can actually take part in the cooking, as some of the sites offer interactive cooking classes. There will be some of the most famous chefs in Ireland on hand as well as internationally known chefs answering cooking questions in an intimate setting.

Enjoy a Trip to a Coastal Town for Gourmet Greystones

This festival takes place at a variety of venues in the coastal town of Greystones. It is a gala celebration that takes place in cafés, restaurants, and gourmet food outlets. You can enjoy eating at cafés on the street or spend time attending workshops, cooking demonstrations, or any number of other food-related events. You will be able to feast on the gourmet offerings of numerous local and regional chefs as they prepare local, seasonal creations.

The Irish Craft Beer Festival Is the Place to Be

This Irish festival takes place over five days surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. You can enjoy the best of Irish cuisine as you listen to music and dine on the offerings of various food vendors. The festival takes place at St. George’s Dock at the International Financial Services Centre, in Dublin. Of course, you can wash down the delicious meal with some of Ireland’s finest beer.

The Waterford Harvest Festival for Fall Fun

For nine days in September, in the Kilkenny section of the Republic of Ireland, you can enjoy fine food and loads of fun at the Waterford Harvest Festival. As you might expect, the event revolves around food. You can see food-related movies, enjoy cooking demonstrations, and go on food tours. You will be able to taste a variety of succulent foods and follow a restaurant trail. Entertainment will be ongoing throughout the festival and you will be treated to a variety of musical performances, including street musicians.

Go to the Limerick Riverfest for BBQ

The Great Limerick Riverfest is a treat for barbeque lovers. Nearly 100 teams will compete to see who can offer visitors the best combination of flavor, texture, and presentation of barbeque. The festival is a showcase for Limerick City. It highlights the arts, culture, music, and sports of the area as well as the food. Riverfest takes place at venues throughout the city. In addition to the BBQ competition, there is also a Continental Food Market, fireworks, open air concerts, and a plethora of other events designed to stimulate your appetite and help you enjoy the experience.

See the Beautiful Dingle Food and Wine Festival

For three days in October, the Dingle Food and Wine Festival will take place in Dingle, in the Republic of Ireland. It gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the very best the Dingle Peninsula has to offer in respect to food and fun. One of the things you should consider taking part in is the Taste Trail, which has more than 55 vendors. The Dingle Food and Wine Festival is also home to the National Irish Food awards.

The Taste of Carlingford Is Fun

Near the end of May the historic Medieval Village of Carlingford, the Republic of Ireland, is engulfed in visitors and locals alike. The area is literally covered with food vendors in tents and stalls. In addition, the local restaurants, bars, and cafés offer a large assortment of food and drink. There will be music and other entertainment, as well.

Enjoy the Wexford Strawberry Festival

This festival takes place early in the summer and has been going on for more than 4 decades. It features street music, an outdoor marketplace, and a craft fair. The Wexford Strawberry Festival also offers an assortment of events to keep you busy, including amusements for the kids–and, of course, the Strawberry Queen. Strawberries are available everywhere, as you might expect.

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