Europe is known for its unique and magnificent events all year long. Every country has its own traditions and festivals that attract millions of people from all over the world. Some festivals are related to music, some are related to arts, and others are related to the culture of the country. If you’re lucky enough, you might stumble in an event or two during your trip, but will they be worth the visit? If you want to appreciate a city’s nature, culture, and enjoy the best festivals around Europe, you should plan your trip accordingly. Know the type of festivals each country hosts before traveling and start planning your trip accordingly. Here are the top exciting events and festivals in Europe that you shouldn’t miss.
Las Fallas
Las Fallas de Valencia is held in Spain from the 1st of March till the 19th. It’s Valencia’s annual celebration of the coming of spring. This festival combines tradition, satire, art, and the culture of the city. It was started by the city’s carpenters who celebrated spring by burning the pieces of wood the day before st. Joseph. The pieces that were burnt were usually old wood and instruments that were used in winter. Throughout the years the tradition has evolved to what we now know as the Las Fallas de Valencia, the 19 days festival. These 19 days are full of music, fireworks, religious acts, and the famous paellas. You’ll be dancing, eating, and enjoying incredible shows throughout the festival.
Spring and Flower Festival
If you’re looking for a colorful and vibrant festival for your eyes and soul, then the Spring and flower festival in Lisse, Amsterdam is the right one for you. Lisse is known as the flower village because of the Keukenhof garden. The festival was made for visitors to enjoy the variety of spring flowers right after they bloom. This garden has a variety of tulip flowers that are planted in a unique design all over the garden. During the same time, you will find the flower parade that can be seen from the Keukenhof boulevard, which is 5 minutes away from the garden. The parade includes unique statues made from flowers that you’ll not see anywhere else in the world.
Tomorrowland
Every summer, Belgium holds the best EDM festival in the world. Tomorrowland is a music festival that started in 2005 and has a different theme each year. When looking for the top music festivals in Europe, Tomorrowland is a perfect choice. Every year, the festival brings famous DJs, like David Guetta, Armin Van Buuren, Steve Angelo, and many popular DJs from all over the world. People who went to Tomorrowland in the previous years have described it as an out-of-this-world experience. Once you enter dreamville, the place of the festival, you forget about the outer world. They even have their own currency called Pearls, which people must use instead of money.
Running of The Bulls
During the 14th century, the local butchers of Spain used to move their inventory to the market through the streets of Pamplona. Now, this tradition has become a festival where the participants run ahead of the bulls to create a unique and traditional event that all of Pamplona, Spain enjoy. This event is held from the 7th of July till the 14th. The first and last days are the opening and closing ceremony, where music, fireworks, and shows take place. You can see the bull run and bullfights between the 8th and 13th of July. This event usually gets around one million visitors, but since it’s been two years since it was held, this year is expected to have massive demand and visitors may exceed one million.
Oktoberfest
When in Germany, you will find many festivals, some related to arts, others related to culture, but nothing compared to the Oktoberfest. It starts from the 9th of September till the 4th of October. The festival has amusement park rides, carnival games, all kinds of vendors, and 7 million liters of beer to be served throughout the festival. Beer lovers who attend the festival call it the happiest place on earth. This festival allows you to meet locals, experience their culture, try traditional German food, and meet others from all over the world.
La Tomatina
We all enjoyed food fights at schools’ cafeterias and birthday parties. If you miss those days and want to relive them again, then you should go to the Tomatina event. Held in Bunol, Spain, in August 2022, the Tomatina festival has tens of thousands of visitors each year who enjoy playing around with one-hundred tons of ripe tomatoes. Participants enjoy a set of games before the tomato fight, and when it’s over, they rinse off and get ready for the afterparty.
King’s Day
When in the Netherlands, you can’t miss the king’s day. At the beginning of each year, on the 6th of January, all cities and regions of the Netherlands celebrate the king’s day. What’s so special about this festival is that it’s not related to a certain area or city, the festivals are all over the country. Wherever you go, you will find people dressed in orange and celebrating in the streets and canals of the Netherlands. For real parties and music festivals, you should head to Amsterdam to enjoy this day to its fullest.
Festivals are everywhere. Whether you’re looking for EDM, arts, religion-related, or traditional festivals you’ll be able to find it all year long. However, if you really want to attend the best festivals that are being held in Europe, you should start planning your trip accordingly. Start by setting a date or a month, and be flexible to change it. Check the festivals that are available during this time and book your trip and festival tickets. Booking your festival tickets as early as possible is recommended because many events have a limited number of tickets and you might not be able to find tickets before the festival. Many of the cool events happen in summer. So if you’re traveling around this time make sure that you check them all and see how you can travel from one country to another to attend more than one festival and get the best out of this experience.