Top Summer Festivals in the European Continent

Summer months may remind you of the sea and the sand but many other adventures await you during this season especially if you love crowds and merry making. One of the highlights of summer that almost everyone is looking forward to is the festivals. If you happen to be in Europe for the summer, you are in luck because you can travel Europe by rail and jump from one country to another to experience different kinds of festivities.

Festival junkies would love the variety in European events but before setting out to map your holiday, be sure that you are fit to travel, all your documents are ready and you have an international travel insurance. Once everything’s ready, you can start planning that outing.

Here are out top recommendations for European festivals.

1. Festa della Madonna Bruna in Matera, Italy. If you love 4^th of July celebrations but you missed it, then you should grab the chance to witness this festival. This ancient festival is done on the 2^nd week of July in honour to the brown Madonna. A parade of costumed horsemen known as the Knights of Santa Maria della Bruna, a paper mache float crafted by local artisans and the festival concludes in an unrelenting fireworks display that makes the skies glimmer in every changing light.
2. The Garden Festival, Tisno, Croatia. Set on a 70’s inspired complex, the peninsula covered by pine trees is the perfect location for a boutique festival. Live bands and DJs set the mood and people dance to the tune of the music. Other revellers can take a dip in the waters of the Adriatic, dance under a blanket of stars and simply relax under the cover of pines. This cool festival in a Mediterranean village takes place from July 3 to 10 and offers not only music and socializing but also lovely sights, the Argonaughty Boat Party and a trip to the 900 year old village Petrcane.
3. Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh, Scotland. Set on the medieval capital of Scotland, this festival that takes place from August 2 to 26 is truly one of the most important and biggest art festivals in the globe. Exhibitions, performances and an overwhelming number of stages enliven the old city while the Edinburgh Castle looms over the festive atmosphere. This festival can be traced back to 1959 and it is a wonderful meeting of talents with great music from well-known music makers, cabarets, comedy, theatre, dance and musicals, operas and so much more.
4. Larmer Tree Festival, Dorset, England. Voted as the Best Family festival in the United Kingdom, this festival that takes place from July 17 to 21, is deemed as the land’s quirkiest, happiest and friendliest.  Set in the natural ambience of the Larmer Tree Gardens in Salisbury, this sponsor-free and independent is the venue for a combination of workshops for kids and adults alike, dance, street theatre, eclectic music and comedy. At the end of the event, you will witness a creative carnival procession.
5. Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland. From July 5 to 20, you can look forward to a fleeting sound of wonderful jazz on the alpines of Montreux. The makeshift venue in Lake Geneva’s shores hosts over a thousand events. Starting from 1967, it is deemed to be one of the most renowned events in the continent. Every bar, café, park, plaza and theatre is filled with music be it reggae, blues, rock, jazz and even more jazz.
6. The Oya Festival, Oslo, Norway. Held from August 6 to 10 on Norway’s capital, this festival brings together various artists from all disciplines of music. High profile international performers in this boutique festival held in Medieval Park make this festivity truly outstanding. Nevertheless, it is said that the festival will be transferred to the historic site where Oslo was founded a thousand years ago.