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Europe is a continent of festivals.  Whether they are celebrating film, wine, food, ancient traditions, or even pigs, festivals provide a great opportunity to experience a different aspect of the local culture.  Most Americans know about the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Carnival, and Holy Week celebrations in Spain, but there are many smaller festivals with a lot to offer.

Many local festivals February through April are centered around Lent and Easter. New Orleans is not the only city that celebrates Mardi Gras, although it is more often called “carnaval” or “carnivale”.  One of our favorites is the Carnevale d’Ivrea, in the Piedmont region of Italy.  This event symbolizes the townspeople’s revolt against their ruler.  The fight for freedom is done with oranges, rather than the traditional rocks.  Carriages roll around with “townspeople” throwing oranges at the aristocracy (parade watchers) who are not wearing red.  It’s a wild, fun time and one not to be missed!

If drums are your thing, then La Tamborrada is for you.  San Sebastian, in northern Spain, hosts this very loud festival of high-decibel drumming.  From midnight to midnight, a parade of marchers winds through the town.  These drum and barrel corps represent the many gastronomic societies in San Sebastian, playing in honor of their patron saint, Donostia of San Sebastian.

For those who love their pigs, La Pourcailhade, Festival of the Pig, offers piglet races, music and dancing, as well as the national pig imitation competition.  This festival takes place in Trie Sur Baise, France, one of the largest pig-producing areas of the country. 

We’ve listed a few options for you to explore during your time abroad.  There are more festivals and events than we can list, so make sure to ask about local festivals when you are in your host city.  Go and enjoy the festivities!