What better way to welcome warmer weather and longer days than at one of Europe’s top festivals? Spring might feel like a fresh start for many people, one that deserves to be celebrated. Check out the list of some of Europe’s top spring festivals below if you’re not aware of how this region of the world welcomes spring.
1. Seville Fair
- When: April 23–29
- Where: Seville, Spain
La Feria de Abril, or the Seville Fair, gets underway at midnight on the second Saturday after Easter. The alumbrao, or opening festivities, get things started when the portado, or main entrance, is lit up. This is followed by a spectacular week-long carnival that is a riot of color, sound, and smell, with festival attendees celebrating till the break of dawn in Seville’s Real.
The celebration got its start as a modest livestock fair in the middle of the 19th century. Currently, the fairgrounds cover a huge area across the Guadalquivir River and are crowded with casitas, and private tents sponsored by social clubs, companies, and other organizations.
Although the majority are private, there are others that even visitors can enjoy, such as those sponsored by political organizations or the six Fiesta Mayores, which are casitas that stand in for Seville’s six districts.
2. Noto Flower Festival
- When: May 19–23
- Location: Noto, Italy
The Infiorata di Noto, or Noto Flower Festival, is centered on a single, winding street in a small, southern Sicilian town studded with beautiful old structures. The winners of the floral design competition congregate along Via Nicolaci on Friday night to plan out their arrangements.
They then work through the night to cover this unremarkable roadway in flowers, with each floral designer being responsible for skillfully carrying out their particular design before daybreak.
The floral “paintings” are preserved for three days while festival-goers can participate in a variety of other activities. The Baroque Court, which features hundreds of residents dressed in historical attire and a marching band, is the most well-liked event of the weekend.
3. Chelsea Flower Show
- When: May 22–27
- Where: London, England
The Royal Hospital Chelsea’s gardens are turned into a springtime wonderland for five days every year during the Chelsea Flower Show. The Royal Horticultural Society hosts a yearly garden show, which showcases beautifully planned plots made by the best and brightest horticultural masters in the UK. The exhibits undoubtedly have an avant-garde bent and are designed to highlight the most inventive and artistically manicured gardens.
Although comparable garden exhibits in the same vein were conducted all throughout England as early as the mid-1800s, the fair dates back to 1912 in its current form. Currently, more than 150,000 people attend concerts annually. Because of this, it is essential to buy your tickets far in advance.
4. Festa della Sensa
- Date: May 21
- Where: Venice, Italy
Even though many cities hold an Ascension Festival, the Fèsta della Sènsa in Venice is a spectacular production that draws both locals and tourists in droves. It begins with a rowboat parade leaving Saint Mark Basin, followed by the most significant regatta in the area.
The Wedding Ceremony of the Sea, when historically the Doge (and in modern times, the Mayor) ceremonially marries the city to the sea itself by tossing a gold ring into the ocean, is the major event of Fèsta de a Sènsa.
5. King’s Day
- Date: April 27
- Where: The Netherlands, especially Amsterdam
King’s Day, or Koningsdag, is a nationwide holiday honoring Willem-Alexander’s birthday. It is celebrated by feasts, community activities, and the overabundance of the color orange.
The biggest King’s Day celebrations are held in Amsterdam, where festivities start the night before in the city’s nightclubs and last all day with enormous outdoor concerts, sporting events, and a nationwide flea market where many locals sell their unused treasures. King’s Day celebrations are held throughout the Kingdom, including the constituent countries in the Caribbean and Dutch Antilles.
To honor Princess Wilhelmina’s fifth birthday, the holiday was first known as Prinsessedag in 1885. When she came to the throne in 1890, it was later renamed Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day), and it has since been adjusted to suit the birthdate and gender of each succeeding monarch.
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6. Stuttgart Spring Festival
- When: from April 22 through May 14
- Where: Stuttgart, Germany
The Stuttgart Spring Festival, also known as the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest (often sometimes called the Cannstatter Wasen for the neighborhood the fairgrounds are located in), is an annual carnival including beer gardens, an amusement park, and flea markets. It is the largest spring celebration in Europe.
The celebration lasts for three weeks and concludes each evening with a fireworks display. It begins with the ceremonial opening of a beer barrel.
You might want to bring your own Lederhosen since many attendees wear them. Whatever you’re wearing, you’ll have access to a selection of beer gardens serving some of the best beers and bratwurst in the area.
7. Sónar
- When: June 15–17
- Where: Barcelona, Spain
Sónar is one of Europe’s biggest and most well-attended festivals, a multidisciplinary event that highlights the fusion of technology with music, design, and the arts. Sónar+D, which consists of a number of talks, panels, and presentations, is divided into two programming areas, while Sónar Music features a wide range of solo artists, bands, and DJs.
Since its founding as the Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art in the middle of the 1990s, Sónar has grown to include annual satellite festivals in Reykjavik, Istanbul, Bogata, and Buenos Aires, as well as one-off events in 60 other locations across the globe.
8. Sideways
- When: June 8–10
- Where: Helsinki, Finland
Sideways is a well-liked event that draws counterculturalists from all across Northern Europe and beyond. It features the best of both national and international independent musical performers. During the course of the weekend, about 80 bands are slated to perform, and they will be joined by a number of “sideshows” like drag shows, arcade games, and karaoke.
Sideways, which bills itself as a “boutique event,” promises to engage frequently experimental artists without the lengthy lines and voluminous crowds that characterize many commercial music festivals. In addition to providing a comfortable environment, they devote special attention to accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in order to establish a festival that is 100% equal.
9. Walpurgis Night
- Date: April 30
- Where: Northern Europe, especially Germany, and Sweden
An outdoor party with dancing and bonfires is held on Walpurgis Night to commemorate St. Walpurga’s canonization. According to legend, the evening-long celebration deters witches and evil spirits. It lasts throughout the following day.
It is observed over all of Europe, but particularly in the north. The main Scandinavian Valborgsmassoafton (Walpurgis Night in Swedish) festival is held at the Skansen Open Air Museum in Stockholm, which hosts one of the biggest events.
10. Snowbombing
- When: April 10–15
- Where: Mayrhofen, Austria
Snowbombing is an Alpine festival that combines electronic and indie music with skiing and snowboarding, even though it takes place in the spring. Since its debut in 2000, it has gotten bigger every year, and it now has hundreds of acts that perform practically nonstop on six distinct stages for almost a week. One of these is the renowned Forest Stage, which is situated figuratively in a clearing surrounded by tall pine trees.
It’s simple to book your festival ticket, lift passes, and lodging in one because it’s located in a ski resort town. They offer a variety of comprehensive options for all price ranges, with accommodations ranging from straightforward, rustic lodging to opulent suites and apartments.
