Introduction
If you’re tired of doing the same old touristy things, why not try something different? Festivals are a great way to experience European culture. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some of my favorite festivals near me:
The Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition between countries. It’s held every year in May and is the longest running annual international TV song competition. The first contest was held in 1956, when seven European countries participated; nowadays thousands of acts from dozens of countries take part.
This year’s winner was Israel’s Netta Barzilai with her song “Toy”. She beat out 26 other contestants from across Europe during two semi-finals and a grand final at Tel Aviv’s Expo Tel Aviv Convention Center on May 18th 2018.
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair and its main venue is the Theresienwiese (Theresa’s meadow).
It runs from late September to the first weekend in October. Originally a horse race that took place on October 17, 1810 – the wedding day of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen – it has since become an annual public festival with over 6 million visitors every year.
The Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world. It was founded in 1932, and has been held every year since then, except for two years during World War II.
The Venice Film Festival is held every year in September and is a major international film festival held in Venice, Italy.
New Year’s Eve in Berlin, Prague, and Vienna
New Year’s Eve in Berlin, Prague and Vienna
New Year’s Eve is a big deal all over Europe. But if you want to experience this most epic night of the year in style, head to Berlin. The city’s Brandenburg Gate is the center of all things New Year’s Eve–it’s where Germany marks its time change at noon on December 31st (12:00pm), and it’s where hundreds of thousands of people gather for an incredible fireworks display at midnight. The best place to watch this spectacle? Right on top of or near any one of Berlin’s famous hills! If you don’t want to brave freezing temperatures, there are plenty of indoor venues where you can toast with friends while watching live music performances instead (or vice versa). But if neither option sounds appealing to you: just go outside! You’ll see why they call it “Silvester” in German; there isn’t anything else like it anywhere else on earth!
Carnival in Cologne, Munich and Mainz
Carnival is a time for celebration, and the Germans know how to celebrate. It’s a time for eating, drinking and dancing. It’s also a time for dressing up in costumes–you may see people wearing masks or other fancy dress as they parade through town on floats.
Carnival has its origins in ancient Rome where it was known as Carnevale (meaning “farewell to meat”). This tradition has been kept alive by Christians who wanted something similar but without pagan elements such as feasting on animals that had just been slaughtered for food on Good Friday — an important day in Catholic countries like Italy where many people are devout Catholics who follow all Catholic traditions closely.
La Tomatina Tomato Festival in Buol, Alicante Province, Spain.
The La Tomatina Tomato Festival takes place every year on the last Wednesday of August, in a town called Buol in Alicante Province, Spain. This is one of the most famous festivals in Europe and it’s definitely worth checking out!
The best way to get there is by car or bus (there are buses from several different cities). If you’re traveling by car, make sure that your windshield wipers are working well because there will be lots of tomatoes flying around during this event! You should also bring an umbrella with you as well–you never know when some may drop from above!
You’ll want to bring along sunscreen and sunglasses because even though it’s wintertime outside now (the end of January), it doesn’t mean that there won’t be sun shining down onto your face during this festival: there probably will be since most people like eating tomatoes outside instead than indoors where they could easily get messy by falling off their plate onto someone else’s lap while eating lunch together at school afterwards…or maybe just not wanting them splattered across walls inside homes due too much pressure being exerted upon them due
Carnival in Cologne, Germany.
Carnival is a festival that takes place before Lent. It’s a time for celebration and fun, so people wear costumes and masks, they have parades, they eat lots of food!
Carnival in Cologne is one of the biggest carnivals in Germany. It lasts for four days and has lots of events: there are parades with floats; you can see jugglers on stilts or acrobats who do tricks on roller skates; there are parties with dancing music; there are also many stands selling food such as sausages or pancakes with syrup (also called “crepes”).
It’s easy to celebrate European culture with festivals.
It’s easy to celebrate European culture with festivals. Festivals are a great way to experience local culture, make new friends and try the food and drink of different countries.
There are lots of festivals in Europe so you’ll always find something going on that interests you no matter what season it is or where in Europe you are staying.
Conclusion
There are so many ways to celebrate European culture. From Oktoberfest to La Tomatina Tomato Festival, there is something for everyone. If you want to experience a taste of Germany or Italy in your own backyard, try hosting a wine tasting party with friends or family members. You can even throw an Oktoberfest-themed birthday party at home!
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