EUROPE
Close up of woman making heart shape with hands

Close up of woman making heart shape with hands ()

Valentine’s Day is approaching and this month we want to celebrate love. Whether you love wine, adventure, food, film or music, we’ve got a list of events that make for a great date night to celebrate your love all year long.

GERMANY

Hot-Air Balloon Festival | Lake Tegernsee | Jan. 28- Feb. 4

Fasching/Karneval/ Fastnacht | Throughout Germany | Feb.-Mar.

Take your partner to this annual event occurring all over Germany which seems like a combination of Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day and Halloween all in one. In preparation for Lent, it’s a religious holiday based on the tenets of fasting, repentance and introspection, Germans (and other Europeans) let loose in the season before Ash Wednesday. Four of the biggest Fasching celebrations take place in Munich, Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf.

Cologne Pride 2024 | Cologne | July 6-21

Celebrate all types of love at Cologne Pride 2024. Through July, take part in Pride rides, parades, stage shows, presentations and more. Can’t make it to Cologne in July? Pride events, sometimes referred to as “Christopher Street Day” events take place across Germany from April through September.

Dürkheim Sausage Market (World’s largest wine festival) | Bad Dürkheim | Sept. 6-10 and Sept. 13-16

Berlin Beer Week | Berlin | Sept. (tentatively)

AUSTRIA

Snowbombing | Mayrhofen | Apr. 8-13

Lovers across Europe will want to escape to this 18+ immersive “luxury ski holiday at the very heart of a music festival.” The music fest features over 100 artists across 15 venues. If skiing and snowboarding are not for you, this event also features comedy shows, Snolympic Games and more.

Genuss Festival (Austria’s single largest food festival) | Vienna | May 2024 (tentatively)

Long Night of the Stages | Linz | June 22

Salzburg Festival (Theater and Opera Festival) | Salzburg | July-Sept. 2024 (tentatively)

World Body Painting Festival | Klagenfurt | Sept. 2024 (tentatively)

FRANCE

“Fête du Citron®” (Lemon Festival) | Ville de Menton | Feb. 17- Mar. 3

Cerfs Volants (International Kite Festival) | Berck Sur Mer | Apr. 20-28

Make your way to the beach and celebrate spring with the kite festival. See kites of every color and shape from all over the world. Cheer on your favorite team, learn how to make and fly a kite from professionals, enjoy the kites lit up at night and a take in the fireworks show.

International Garden Festival | Chaumont-sur-Loire | Apr.-Nov. 2024 (tentatively)

Le Nouveau Printemps (The New Spring) | Toulouse | May 30-June 30

Chorégies d’Orange (Oldest Festival in France) | Orange | June 14-July 22

Festival Photo La Gacilly | Brittany | June- Oct. (tentatively)

Festival d’Avignon | Locations across Avignon | July (tentatively)

Habits de Lumière | Epernay | Dec. 2024 (tentatively)

Festival of Lights | Lyon | Dec. 2024 (tentatively)

La Grande Odyssée (Dog Sled Event) | 20 Location across Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Jan. 2025 (tentatively)

ITALY

Venice Carnival | Venice | Feb. 3-13

Ivrea Carnival: The Orange Fights | Ivrea | Feb. 10-13

At one of the oldest carnivals in Italy, you can witness the culminating event: pelting oranges at one another. The event dates back to the end of World War II. Today, nine teams donning tunics in their team colors throw oranges from their designated areas. Don’t worry, there are safe spaces where you can stay orange-free throughout the city.

Palio di Siena | Siena | July 2 and Aug. 16

BELGIUM

Binche Carnival | Binche | Feb. 11-13

Brussels International Animation Film Festival | Brussels | Feb. 27- Mar. 3

Carnival of Bears | Benelux | Mar. 10

46th Cat Parade | Ypres | May 12

Brussels Pride | Brussels | May 2024

Zinneke Parade ( “Europe’s craziest festival”) | Brussels | June 1

Brussels Carpet of Flowers | Brussels | Aug. 15-18 (tentatively)

CROATIA

Karneval | Rijeka | Jan. -March

Animafest Zagreb: World Animated Film Festival | Zagreb | June 3-8

Korkyra Baroque Festival | Venues across Korkyra | Sept. (tentatively)

CZECHIA

Masopust Prague – Prague Bohemian Carnival | Prague | Feb. 8-14

Prague Beer Festival | Prague | Mar./Apr. (tentatively)

Znojmo Historic Vintage | Znojmo | Sept. (tentatively)

DENMARK

Copenhagen Light Festival | Copenhagen | Feb. (tentatively)

FINLAND

Midnight Sun Film Festival |Sodankylä Lapland | June 12-16

Juhannus, the Midsummer Festival | Throughout Finland | June 22

Helsinki Pride | Helsinki | June/July 2024 (tentatively)

Seinäjoki Tango Market | Seinäjoki | July 10-14

Helsinki Festival | Helsinki | Aug. 15-19

Baltic Circle: International Theater Festival | Helsinki | Nov. 15-23

GREECE

Athens Epidaurus Festival (Theater, music and dance festival)| Athens | May-Oct. 2024 (tentatively)

Ifestia Festival | Santorini | Sept. 2024 (tentatively)

Athens Marathon | Athens | Nov. 2024 (tentatively)

IRELAND and the U.K.

Dark Skies Festival | North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales | Feb. 9-25

Jorvik Viking Festival (Europe’s Largest Viking Festival) | York | Feb. 2024

Glascow International Comedy Festival | Glascow | Mar. 13-31

St. Patrick’s Festival | Dublin | Mar. 17

Gemini Boat Race | London | Mar. 30

Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival | Speyside | May 1-6 |

Galway International Arts Festival | Galway | July 15-28

The Galway Races Summer Festival | Galway | July 29- Aug. 4

Puck Fair (Ireland’s Oldest Fair) | Killorglin | Aug. 10-12

Rose of Tralee International Festival | Tralee | Aug. 2024 (tentatively)

LUXEMBOURG

Wine Lights Enjoy | Bech-Kleinmacher | Feb. 2

Winter Lights | Luxembourg City | Nov. 2024- Jan. 2025 (tentatively)

THE NETHERLANDS

Chinese New Year | Amsterdam | Feb. 10

Keukenhof Flower Parade | Keukenhof | Apr. 24

“Koningsdag” (King’s Day) | Amsterdam | Apr. 27

Summer Carnival | Rotterdam | July 26-27

Pride Amsterdam | Amsterdam | July 27- Aug. 4

Redhead Days Festival | Spoorpark and city center Tilburg | Aug. 23-25

GLOW Festival (Light Art Fest) | Eindhoven | Nov. 2024 (tentatively)

Amsterdam Light Festival | Amsterdam | Nov. 2024- Jan. 2025 (tentatively)

POLAND

Juwenalia (University Student Games/Fest) | Cities throughout Poland | May 2024

Copernicus Festival | Krakow | May 2024 (tentatively)

Malta Festival Poznań | Poznań | Jul.-Aug. 2024 (tentatively)

International Chopin and His Europe Festival | Warsaw | Aug.-Sept. 2024 (tentatively)

Winobranie Wine Festival | Zielona Góra | Sept. 2024 (tentatively)

PORTUGAL

Carnival | Cities throughout Portugal | Feb. 2024

SPAIN

The Lights of Sant Pau Christmas Garden | Barcelona | Dec. 2024 (tentatively)

SWEDEN

Gothenburg Culture Festival | Gothenburg | Sept. 2024 (tentatively)

Gothenburg Book Fair | Gothenburg | Sept.-Oct. 2024 (tentatively)

Affordable Art Fair | Stockholm | Oct. 2024 (tentatively)

Kiruna Snow Festival | Kiruna | Jan. 2025 (tentatively)

SWITZERLAND

Carnival | Basel | Feb. 19-21

Sechseläuten: Spring Festival | Zurich | Apr. 12-15

Central Switzerland Yodeling Festival | Sempach | June 28-30

author picture
Tamala Malerk is a writer and editor with Stars and Stripes Europe. She has been with SSE since April 2022 writing articles all about travel, lifestyle, community news, military life and more. In May 2022, she earned her Ph.D. in History and promises it is much more relevant to this job than one might think.

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