10 of the funniest, coolest and most popular European events for 2024

The number of popular festivals and cultural events held in regions, towns and cities across Europe can range from fun, quirky and even weird, to culturally rich and age-old traditions, offering opportunities for an unexpectedly cool travel experience in a wonderful destination .

In general, getting somewhere is the purpose of a trip in itself. Sometimes, however, traveling with a purpose makes the trip even more rewarding. Attending a race or concert, participating in a marathon, festival, cooking class, language course, or environmentally responsible activity offers the perfect excuse to visit unexpected, beautiful places and a way to add spice, inspiration, authenticity—and a lot of fun—to a trip.

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Would you like to chase a wheel of cheese down a hill, throw tomatoes at other people, or take part in a wine-fueled marathon through beautiful French castles? Europe offers events and activities for all tastes throughout the year.

Chosen from a variety of travel expert advice, consider this selection of special, eclectic and worthy holidays that will leave a lasting memory of your next European vacation.

Food-related festivals are highly rated in most rankings, with wine, tomatoes or cheese taking center stage in some of the most popular.

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Bulls and food fights

• The iconic and controversial running of the bulls in Pamplona, ​​in northeastern Spain, kicks off the celebrations of the San Fermín festival, one of the oldest and most traditional to be held from July 6 at noon to July 14 at midnight. “Think of fighting your way through a stampede of angry bulls averaging 1,300 pounds in a crowded and narrow alley?” asks the Pamplona Fiesta website. “Or do you prefer to watch from the sidelines? In any case, Pamplona Fiesta has you covered.” The first run takes place on July 7, the day of San Fermín, starting at 8am. More important is the procession of San Fermín through the streets of Pamplona, ​​starting at 10:00 am. From that day for a week every morning the bulls run at 8 am
• And if you don’t mind running in front of the bulls, every year in France there is Les Fêtes de Bayonne in the northern Basque country, inspired by Pamplona’s San Fermín festival and its Running of the Bulls. As in San Fermín, people dress all in white with red scarves to avoid the bulls in the bullring. For the less risk-averse (and the risk-averse too), it features wild street parties for the five-day duration of the festival, which this year will run from July 10 to July 14.

In the northern province of La Rioja, Spain, on June 29 — San Pedro Day — a wine battle will be unleashed at the Haro Wine Festival, where a 400-year-old neighborhood feud serves as an excuse for thousands of locals and tourists to re-enact the battle with more than 130,000 liters of wine as their only weapon.

First, enjoy a night of dancing with the locals in the town square. The next morning, assuming you’re conscious, walk seven kilometers up a hill to drink as much wine as you can—while wearing white, of course.

Year after year, La Tomatina takes its place as the jewel in the crown of the weirdest festivals where participants fight over food in epic food fights.

A long-standing small town tradition in Buñol, a village on the outskirts of Valencia, southern Spain, it has turned into one of the biggest, wildest and funniest food fight festivals in the world, with thousands of people, including visitors from all over the world, pitting literally 120 tons of tomatoes against each other.

This year Tomatina will be held every year on the last Wednesday of August August 26.

The wacky Cheese Rolling Race on Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, England will take place on May 27, 2024.

Since the 1800s and traditionally falling on every Spring Bank Holiday Monday at the end of May, it now attracts people from all over the world to watch or take part as the three-kilogram wheels of cheese are launched and chased by dozens of competitors who throw themselves in an uncontrolled fashion down the 200-yard long Copper’s Hill to beat the cheese, which can roll at more than 70 mph.

Competitors descend the slope – which has a 1:1 slope in parts – in a series of races, with the winner of each receiving…cheese. Broken arms and legs, among other injuries, are common.

This French ‘sport’ race has been held every September since 1985, a 26-mile route through the vineyards and châteaux of the Médoc region, in the Gironde, starting and finishing in Pauillac.

The chain crosses the vineyards and prestigious chateaux of the Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc and Haut-Médoc appellations, including some well-known names such as Chateau Lafitte Rothschild, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Latour, which open their grounds and cellars to offer tastings of their wines at 23 beverage stations along the route, which also boasts countless food stops.

Given the drunken state of many of the participants, the festive atmosphere that reigns there for many masked marathon runners, it is billed as “the longest marathon in the world”.

This year’s 38th edition of the marathon will be held on September 7.

Green day, orange day

Along with well-known early-year cultural events such as the Vienna Opera Ball, “one of the most exclusive balls in Europe” held in early February, and the Venice Carnival in Italy, which ran from January 27 to February 13, recently – The published list of “20 events not to be missed in Europe in 2024” by the organization European Best Destinations (EBD) includes:

Saint Patrick’s Day, a religious and cultural celebration that takes place March 17marks the date of the death of St. Patrick, Ireland’s greatest patron saint, which gives way to a day of celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking and lots of greenery.

A land of legends, Ireland is also a land of beliefs. “Saint Patrick is the founder of Christianity in Ireland,” explains EBD. “His incredible story (kidnapped by pirates, sold as a slave, turned into a shepherd, ended up studying theology) allowed him to understand the importance of explaining things simply. He had the idea of ​​explaining the Catholic trinity – the father, the son and the holy spirit – with the help of a three-leaf clover; hence the green.

King’s Day (King’s Day) of April 27 is an orange-filled event that takes place annually on the King’s birthday and is celebrated with street parties, concerts, flea markets and lots of orange costumes and clothes.

Known around the world as one of the most festive and colorful holidays in the Netherlands, especially in Amsterdam, it is widely regarded as the “biggest street party of the year”.

But King’s Day is not just for one city or region. Rather, it is celebrated in the Netherlands with orange outfits and a public escape into the streets (and canals) to party.

In Amsterdam, the daytime festivities continue with the “King’s Night” as live music and DJs play parties in the public squares.

To celebrate the arrival of spring, the beautiful city of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, literally shines with an array of magical light installations created by local and international artists and displayed in streets, parks and squares as part of the annual Festival of Lights.

Along with playful projections and original animations, the festival transforms the city into a playground of light, art, design and performance for five days from March 20-24 as it hands over the city and its structures to artists who turn them into the canvas for their innovative creations designed to “delight visitors of all generations”.

In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an international non-governmental organization working to protect nature and reduce human impact on the environment, this year’s festival pays special attention to the importance of protecting plant and animal life.

The fair of St. Dominik in the picturesque Polish port city of Gdansk comes from a long tradition dating back 750 years. It is an annual cultural and commercial event that lasts for three weeks and takes place every summer.

This year it will run from July 27 to August 18.

The fair began in 1260 by decree of Pope Alexander IV. Over the years, the event has gained international prominence, attracting people from all over and echoing in different languages ​​as a mixture of traditions and customs.

Along with the Weihnachtmarkt and Oktoberfest, it is considered one of the largest outdoor cultural and commercial events in Europe, attended by between five and eight million national and international visitors.

“People of all ages will find something to buy at 1,100 market stalls lining the streets of Gdańsk’s Old Town, where visitors are treated to entertainment including concerts, costume shows, parades, festivals, fireworks and numerous competitions,” reports EBD .

Foodies can take a global world trip by sampling food and drink from around the planet.

The world’s largest beer festival and Europe’s most famous autumn festival, Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, Germany for two weeks from September 21 to October 16.

Curiously, most of Oktoberfest takes place in September. Attracting millions of people every year, including many stars and celebrities, Oktoberfest has been called the happiest place on earth for beer lovers.

But a beer festival is about much more than drinking. This is an opportunity for Bavarians to continue their traditions by wearing traditional clothes, training for months to master the most complex Bavarian dances and preparing hearty Bavarian meals. The festival features parades, concerts, cavalcades, music, dancing and magnificently decorated floats from the six Oktoberfest breweries, among many other activities.

Here is the full list of the top 20 events in Europe.