These European winter festivals will make the most of the cold season. They include everything from ski and snowboarding to comedy and music and dazzling carnival parades.
Venice Carnival, Italy
Venice’s winter carnivals are full of extravagant parades and masked balls. While the city’s backstreets are narrow and mysterious, and Saint Mark’s Square is beautiful, they are overtaken by mysterious masked revellers. Elegant gondolas laden with fantasy characters glide along its canals.
Amsterdam Light Festival, The Netherlands
The Amsterdam Light Festival is an open-air, spectacular exhibition that brings Amsterdam to life during the winter months. This 53-day festival brings together the most talented light artists worldwide to display their work in the city’s centre and along its beautiful canals.
Snowbombing, Mayrhofen, Austria
Snowbombing is held in Mayrhofen in the Tyrolean Alpines. It consists of seven crazy days and nights packed with music and mountain fun. This is one of Europe’s most popular snow parties.
Netherlands Ice Sculpture Festival Zwolle, Netherlands
Zwolle, located in the northeastern Netherlands, is a lively historic city with a beautiful medieval core. Each year, the Netherlands Ice Sculpture Festival brings together artists from around the globe to transform the IJsselhallen into a winter wonderland. They create amazing ice and snow scenes that depict scenes from different stories.
The theme for this year’s event is “What a Wonderful World”, and visitors can expect magical winter displays, an ice bar, and a food court with traditional winter treats such as Dutch sausages, mulled wines, and apple strudel with warm vanilla glaze.
Cologne Carnival, Germany
Cologne Carnival, also known locally as the “Fifth Season”, is Germany’s largest, wildest, and most outrageous celebration.
Events can include concerts, traditional shows, balls, and extravagant processions. Rose Monday Parade, two days before Ash Wednesday, is the highlight. It features over 140 floats and thousands marching through Cologne.
Momentum Ski Festival, Courmayeur (Italie)
Momentum Ski Festival is one of the most popular Alpine events for business executives. It includes the City Ski Championships and the Alpine Business Forum. There are also a variety of entertainment options after the event. The event will feature a variety of entertainment, including live music and comedy.
Altitude Comedy Festival, Mayrhofen, Austria
Every winter, the Altitude Comedy Fest is held in Mayrhofen, a beautiful Tyrolean ski resort. This unique event combines the thrill of skiing with the comedy of some of the best comedians around. You can expect excellent skiing and snowboarding, great stand-up comedy and musical comedy, late-night parties, and a great atmosphere.
Ljubljana Dragon Carnival, Slovenia
Every year, Shrove Saturday brings Ljubljana’s old centre to life with dance, puppet shows, and a masked characters parade. Ljubljana Dragon Carnival, also known as Shrovetide Carnival or Shrovetide Carnival, is an exceptional cultural experience that offers an insight into the unique Shrovetide traditions of the country.
Tomorrowland Winter, Alpe d’Huez France
Tomorrowland Winter is a new addition to Europe’s snow music festivals. It brings the best DJs from around the globe to Alpe d’Huez, France, for a week of magic filled with skis, grooves and good vibes. Amazing partying is paired with stunning decors, postcard-perfect ski slopes and delicious food & drinks!
New Year’s Dive in The Netherlands
You can’t miss the annual New Years’ Dive if you’re in the Netherlands on January 1. The tradition of beginning the new year with a dip in the ocean dates to 1960. However, the best dive can be seen at Scheveningen beach, where more than 10.000 brave Dutch swimmers plunge into the cold waters of the North Sea. It was quite a spectacle!
Fete du Citron, Menton, France
Menton (a charming French Riviera coastal town) hosts the Fete du Citron each February. This delightful festival features a variety of parades and exhibitions that feature amazing citrus fruit creations.
