Monegros Desert Festival in Madrid
Feb 21, 2013 —
There is an aura surrounding festivals that makes them tangibly different than galas and parties. A party is the musical equivalent to a one-hit wonder, whereas festivals play the part of a timeless album chock-full of hit songs.
The Old World throws celebrations like Rock in Roma, which attracts an all-encompassing group of music lovers, and the Carnival of Venice, where three million people throw on baroque garb and trounce through the gorgeous Italian city for twelve straight days.
No matter whether it’s spring, summer, winter, or fall, all you have to do is crawl – or take a high-speed train or a plane ride – to cities like London, Munich, Amsterdam, and Barcelona for an unrelenting, long-lasting, and memorable experience at food & drink bashes like Field Day and Tollwood: Winterfestival, or music fests like Grachtenfestival and San Miguel Primavera Sound Festival.
You no longer have an excuse for settling for mundane and fleeting parties that falsely promise you an unforgettable affair. It’s time to say f-it (festival it) and raise your standard for a good adventure at one of these phenomenal European festivals.
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Food & Drink Event / Music Festival
Every year in May
In 2006, Marcus Weedon invited a few friends in the event promotion and music business to help him put on a free music event in the parking lot behind The Griffin Pub (which Weedon owns). Weedon had so much fun doing it that the next year he secured a permit to host another concert series in London’s Victoria Park, invited a bunch of bands, and
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Music Festival
Every year in August
Classical and world music fans enjoy more than a week of performances at the annual Grachtenfestival. Held for nine days in July, the 2013 Grachtenfestival takes place at the Passanger Terminal Amsterdam in Amsterdam as well as on rooftops and in canals throughout the city.
From opera to percussion performances, the Grachtenfestival has
Amsterdam
Throughout the city
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Costume Party / Festival / Parade
Every year in February
Catholics and revelers around the world celebrate Mardi Gras in February with massive carnivals, traditional parades, and all-night parties. Over in Germany, Berlin’s take on Mardi Gras is Fasching. Fasching in Berlin stretches back hundreds of years and takes place from the beginning of January until Shrove Tuesday (the day before Lent begins)
Berlin
Throughout the city
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Arts Festival / Food & Drink Event / Holiday Event / Music Festival / Shopping Event
Every year in November/December
A large tented spectacle that offers an exciting mix of international musicians, theater troupes, circus-style performances, and more, the Tollwood: Winterfestival is a wonderful annual Munich event that’s also largely free-to-attend.
Taking place along the wide open space of Theresienwiese – which also serves as the official grounds for Munich’s
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Music Festival
Every year in May/June
Launched in 2001, the Primavera Sound Festival is an annual music festival in Barcelona that features a huge range of musical acts, and regularly draws huge crowds in excess of 100,000 people.
Normally scheduled in either late May or early June, the Primavera Sound Festival usually runs for five days, and is held on the grounds of Parc del
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Music Festival
Every year in July
Established in 1994, the Monegros Desert Festival is the biggest rave in Spain and attracts more than 40,000 electronic music lovers each year. The festival is set in the Monegros Desert, which is located between Madrid and Barcelona.
With 22 hours of non-stop music on five stages, the Monegros Desert Festival offers a full spectrum of
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Music Festival
Every year from June-August
Rome was home to the original reality entertainment – long before the likes of the Kardashians and Jersey Shore – where gladiators fought lions, convicted criminals, and other gladiators to the death in front of rowdy crowds at the historic Colosseum.
Rock in Roma might not offer the same mortal thrill that gladiator fights once did, but
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Arts Festival / Photography Exhibit
Every Year in September/October
Fotografia is Rome’s International Photography Festival, spanning over a month long and featuring a variety of photographic exhibitions throughout the city.
The annual festival, which first began in 2001, promotes emerging national and international contemporary artists.
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, otherwise known as MACRO, is one of
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Arts Festival / Food & Drink Event / Food Festival
Every year in March
Held every March in Florence, the Pitti Immagine Taste is a three-day food festival dedicated to celebrating excellence in taste and healthy lifestyles.
Begun as event for top international gastronomic figures, Pitti Immagine Taste has grown to include thousands of the world’s most passionate foodies -- in fact, 2012’s edition drew over
Florence
Stazione Leopolda
Viale Fratelli Rosselli, 5
50144 Florence, Italy 055 212622
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Arts Festival / Party
Every year in February/March
Twelve solid days of costumed chaos awaits during the Carnival of Venice, an annual event that combines the proper traditions of baroque dress with the inherent nuttiness of Brazil’s own Carnival celebrations.
As with other Carnival festivities that take place all over the world, the Carnival of Venice (Carnevale di Venezia) begins two Fridays
Venice
Throughout the city
