A Summer of Festivals

A summer of unique Festivals Festivals don’t all have to be about muddy fields and smelly portaloos; this summer, why not join in with a local culture that you have never experienced before. We have done our research and come up with the best summer festivals happening around Europe this year.

Spain

Of course La Tomatina is one of the most popular festivals, and takes place every year in the small town of Bunol, Spain. The exciting festival has a great history and is enormous fun if you don’t mind being covered in tomatoes, but for something with a little more culture you should try Baile del Patatu, The Dance of Patatu.

In the small mountain village of Obejo, close to Cordoba, you can witness the famous Spanish sword dance. All of the villagers join in and dress as swordsmen and embark on a huge sword fight, with the end only coming when everyone is too tired to carry on and the head has been chopped off the master of ceremonies! Don’t worry, no one is hurt throughout this sword fight and it is all played out to the sound of live music with lots of drinking, eating and more partying throughout the evening.

Italy

We can thank the Italians for wonderful food delights such as pizza and Tiramisu, and this is why we picked Italy as our go to country for a food festival. The town of San Godenzo, near Florence, holds a cheese festival every summer. Here you can sample the locally produced sheep’s milk cheese in the towns square. Sissa is another tasty town where you can enjoy the National Watermelon easting championship each year!

The month of August sees the annual historic jousting event La Quintana. The charming town of Ascoli Piceno lends itself to this medieval event where the town’s community dress up in period clothing and parade the streets. Throughout the busy town centre, you can also browse stalls and watch live street entertainment.

Germany

A German tradition that has been adopted by many other countries is the celebration of the Oktoberfest, which for those of you who don’t know, actually starts in September! But for families visiting Germany in July and August, you can visit the DOM Festival in Hamburg. The festival was first created in the 14th century and is now one of the world’s largest open-air funfairs! You can enjoy the traditional fairground rides, such as the horse carousel or the Ferris wheel, plus there are the more modern thrill-seeking rides! Also throughout the month, there is a fantastic firework display shown every Friday evening!

Have we tempted you to try a different kind of festival this year?