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!

January

La Tamborrada, San Sebastian SPAIN

February

Carnaval de Nice, Nice FRANCE
Venice Carnival, Venice ITALY
Ivrea Carnival, Ivrea ITALY

March

Las Fallas de San Jose, Valencia SPAIN

April

Feria de Abril (April Festival), Seville SPAIN

May

Cannes Film Festival, Cannes FRANCE
Corpus Christi, Granada SPAIN

June

Festival of Saint-Denis (classical music), Saint-Denis FRANCE
Calcio Storico (15th/16th century-style soccer), Florence ITALY
Palio di Siena, Siena ITALY
International Festival of Music and Dance, Granada SPAIN

July

International Festival of Music and Dance, Granada SPAIN
Palio di Siena, Siena ITALY
Nice Jazz Festival, Nice FRANCE
IN (Festival d’Avignon), Avignon FRANCE

August

Festival of the Pig, La Pourcailhade, Trie Sur Baise FRANCE
Palio di Siena, Siena ITALY

September

International Kite Festival, Dieppe FRANCE
Pizzafest, Naples ITALY
Fiestas de la vendimia riojana (Rioja Wine Harvest Festival), Logroño SPAIN
Jazz à la Villette, Paris FRANCE

October

Festa del Marrone (Chestnut Festival), Campiglio d’Orcia (Siena) ITALY
Toulouse les Orgues International Festival (Music), Toulouse FRANCE
Eurochocolate Festival, Perugia ITALY

November

Brest European Short Film Festival, Brest FRANCE