European Festivals 2013 Calendar January, February, March http://www.bugbog.com/festivals/european_festivals.html Festivals | Europe Festivals Edinburgh Hogmanay, Scotland. December 30 - January 1. Music Festivals | Art Festivals | English Speaking Festivals | Exotic World Festivals Opera Festivals (Operabase) | Europe Map European Festivals are not as dull as they may sound! Italy's Venice Carnival, for example, is one of the most colourful events in Europe, set in an exquisite location and with little chance of robbery on your person. Or there's the mad Edinburgh Festival, one of many world-beating summer festivals that will knock your dull brown socks off. If you want to ensure easy communication and organised facilities then UK festivals are plentiful and increasingly interesting, though the weather is unreliable and getting concert tickets requires forward planning or a big wad. Calendar Dates are sometimes unconfirmed and occasionally unreliable, so check before booking. TBC/A = To Be Confirmed/Announced 30 Dec - 1 January SCOTLAND, Edinburgh's Hogmanay - one of world's best New year Celebrations, a truly wild and wooly underwear occasion, with a torchlight procession, a Fire Festival, fireworks, concerts and much insobriety, in a city dark yet strangely light... Edinburgh Guide, Pictures 31 Dec. 2012 until 12 February 2013 (dates varied) AUSTRIA, Kaiser Imperial Ball at the Hofburg Palace on 31st of December and Vienna's Ball season - dazzling dances in a blizzard of snow, elegance and music, especially Vienna's New Year's Day Concert. Vienna Pictures 1 January FRANCE, Paris Grand Parade - massive and colourful. Paris Photos  Weekend mid- January TBC SPAIN, San Anton Festival in the village of Canillas de Albaida - a typical rural Andalusian fiesta for their patron saint San Anton, with lots of horses, music, dance and a parade. 27 - 29 January SWEDEN, Kiruna Snow Festival - It's all white in the snowy north as reindeers race, dog sleds drift and artists sculpt ice into fantasy forms. Sweden Pictures  26 January - 12 February ITALY, Venice Carnival - colourful, fascinating, funny and a superbly costumed environment in spectacular St Mark's Square and the misty, magical streets around. For the full flavour, buy a mask, rent a costume and go to a palazzo ball (the best is the Doge's Ball). 29 January the last Tuesdayin January SCOTLAND, Up Helly Aa - 'Europe's largest fire festival', a spectacular community tradition celebrating their rich Viking heritage, annually held in Lerwick, Shetland. Costume marches, torchlight parades, burning a viking boat and the parties go on and on long after the last flames fade away. Scotland Guide, Islands Pictures Cologne Carnival, Germany. 7-13 February. Original photo by Raymond Spekking. February 2013 26 Jan. - 12 February ITALY, Venice Carnival - colourful, fascinating, funny and a superbly costumed environment in spectacular St Mark's Square and the misty, magical streets around. For the full flavour, buy a mask, rent a costume and go to a palazzo ball (the best is the Doge's Ball). 1 - 17 February DENMARK, Copenhagen Copenhagen Winter Jazz Festival - a two-week winter edition of a famous jazz summmer festival held in the capital, now renowned as northern Europe's largest festival city. 10 February England, China Town, London, Chinese New Year - the largest New Year celebration outside Asia, with traditional costumes, spectacles, fireworks and processions. 6 - 13 February tho' 10th is the big day and the 'Battle of the Oranges', starting at 2:00pm. ITALY, Ivrea Carnival, Storico Carnevale di Ivrea, Piedmont district of Turin - another colourful carnival, but with a different ending as the whole town partakes in a monstrous orange fight, Battaglia delle Arance. Wear a tall, red hat if you don't wish to participate (or was it don't wear a tall red hat...?). 7 - 13 February GERMANY, Cologne Carnival (Kolner Karneval) - Germany's answer to Mardi Gras, a huge event marking the beginning of Lent, local festivities and a monster Rose Monday parade. 6 - 13 February (Parades 10th & 12th) SPAIN, Sitges Carnival near Barcelona - the wildest, gayest party of the year in Spain. 10 - 12 February BELGIUM, Binche Carnival, Carnaval de Binche - one of Belgium's wildest parties, a UNESCO Heritage event, half an hour south of Brussels. Sunday and Tuesday are best. 15 February - 6 March (Wednesdays and week-ends) FRANCE, Nice Carnival, the Cote d'Azur - a brilliant event on the lovely promenade of a terrific city, but not every day and parades are basically the same so one is probably enough. And half an hour along the coast Menton is having a small but colourful Lemon Festival during approximately the same period. Le Carnaval de Nice 7 - 13 February (actually starts at 11:11 am 11th November 2012 til Ash Wednesday) GERMANY, Düsseldorf Karneval (Carnival) - another massive, outrageous and psychedelic occasion; Rose Monday Parade is probably the best for wacky dress. Semana Santa, Seville, Spain. 24 - 31 March. March 2013 Map of Europe 1 - 17 March (Usually around St. Joseph's day 19th March 2013) GERMANY, Munich, Starkbierzeit, Strong Beer Festival (also known as Strong Beer Season or Time), a 300-year traditional beer-swilling, belly-swinging, guttural-singing, mostly German celebration. It lasts 2 to 4 weeks depending on the venues. 15 - 19 March (Same date every year) SPAIN, Fallas de Valencia - a madly explosive carnival/fiesta combination that will blow your socks off. Locals spend 5 days partying - parades, pageants and moderate fireworks then on the last night, they turn off all the city lights and set fire to hundreds of massive high quality papier-maché caricatures stuffed with fireworks around the city. Kaboom. Spain Travel Guide 14 - 18 March (Parade the 17th) IRELAND, Dublin St Patrick's Festival and St Patrick's Day Parade - a wild, green five days, including a huge parade. p.s. What's the difference between an Irish wedding and a funeral? There's one less drunk person at the funeral. Ireland Travel 22 March - 7 April HUNGARY Budapest Spring Music Festival - all sorts of arts, music, drama, dance, exhibitions, poetry and kid's stuff, local and international, in a fine European city. Budapest Pictures 24 - 31 March SPAIN, Seville and Granada, Holy Week, Semana Santa - hundreds of shuffling pointy-hooded penitents, torch lit processions up to the Easter weekend in gorgeous cities. The premium time is during the night/early morning of Thursday-Good Friday. 30 - 31 March Easter weekend GREECE, Chios Island, Vrontados, Church Rocket War, Rouketopolemos - two rival churches fire around 60,000 firework rockets at each other between 8pm on Holy Saturday and 0:30am Easter Sunday. A heaven-sent art attack? Greece Guide 31 March ITALY, Florence, Scoppio del Carro - festively exploding a cart in Piazza del Duomo on Easter Sunday, set off by a mechanical dove driven from the Altar during High Mass. What madness is this? Florence Pictures