Europe is bursting with local and seasonal delights, and nothing celebrates seasonality more than traditional festivals. The small corners of Europe celebrate local cuisine, wines, arts, traditions, myths and legends in a way unique for the continent and the world, and many of them have been celebrated for hundreds of years.
Europe's traditional festivals represent a delight that almost all the European Commission's European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) awarded destinations have in common. Since 2007, EDEN has been on a quest to re-discover and promote Europe's hidden treasures, from lush mountain meadows to small community fiestas. Every year, EDEN showcases a selection of the best
emerging sustainable destinations that Europe has to offer.
Every season offers its own highlights, whether it's harvest time, religious festivals, liberation celebrations or annual wildlife migrations. Below we have given some samples of EDEN destinations by the season to tickle your taste-buds for all that undiscovered Europe has to offer...
See our EDEN, European Destinations of ExcelleNce page here
Europe’s spring has a variety of highlights to offer, from food and wine festivals to breathtaking vistas of waterfalls and hillsides smothered in spring flowers... Hungary: Írottko Nature Park - Experience the Book of New Wines Festival on St. Georg's Day.
Turkey:
Kars - Kuyucuk Lake Wild Life Reserve - Join locals in picking wild mushrooms. Edirne - Famous for its Kirkpinar oil wrestling festivals, which date as far back as 1361.
Luxembourg:
"Haff Réimech" - Enjoy a lively wine festival along the "Wine Road" starting on the Luxembourg Moselle river. Echternach - Echternach has hosted an international music festival in May/June since 1975.
Croatia:
The Northern Velebit National Park - Spend Earth Day in a mountain paradise with fantastic spring flora. Đurdevac - “Podravina year on year”, a procession of specially decked horse-drawn carts and display of folklore.
Austria:
Biosphere Park Grosses Walsertal - The spring thaw gives way to wonderful waterfalls. Steirisches Vulkanland - Special festivals combine the three focus areas – cuisine, handicrafts and life force. Pielachtal - Host to the “Pielachtal Artists Days”, regular performances of folk music at inns.
Cyprus:
Agros - Participate in celebrations of cultural heritage and nature’s beauty, like the rose festival in May.
Malta:
Kercem - The “Feast of Pope St Gregory the Great” procession takes place on 12 March.
Latvia:
Kuldiga - Witness flying fish shows (jumping salmons over the Venta Waterfall) in spring time  |
Summer in Europe has more to offer than just sublime beaches and fantastic weather as the following seasonal events illustrate...
Malta:
Mellieha - Commemorate the repelling of the Ottoman Siege by celebrating the Our Ladies of Victories feast (30 August) Nadur - Attend the feast of Nadur, the "Mnarja", which is celebrated on the 29 June.
Latvia:
Tervete Nature park - The Zemgalians Festival and Craftsmen Fair takes place on the second Saturday in August. Rezekne - The annual pottery days are important fixtures in the social calendar of Latgale.
Romania:
Apuseni Nature Park - Western Romania - Spend a summer afternoon at a traditional mountain festival. Horezu Depression - Fairs and events with choirs, whistle-players and folk dancers emphasise the ethno-cultural richness.
Slovenia:
Solcavsko - Watch the valley floor blossom with wild flowers in summer in the Solcava district. The Soca Valley - The Soca river stories event tells stories of World War I (Apr/May).
Italy:
Corinaldo - The ancient Polenta well contest relates to Corinaldo's victory in the 16th century (July).
Croatia:
Sveti Martin na Muri - International Mura boat race - a marathon of traditional boats from four neighbouring countries (July).  |
Enjoy a myriad of delights this autumn from colourful foliage, fascinating local customs to gastronomic seasonal delights in various unexploited corners of Europe...
Italy:
Penisola del Sinis - Witness The Corsa degli Scalzi or ‘barefoot race’ in the Festival of San Salvatore. Specchia - Sample old recipes and products belonging to the rural gastronomic inheritance of the region.
Lithuania:
Nemunas Delta Regional Park - Watch visitors flocking to see the Bird Watching Rally.
Spain:
Ebro Delta - Watch flocks of migratory, aquatic birds descend on the delta in autumn. Sierra de las Nieves - Experience the Castillo del Cante flamenco festival in Ojén.
Netherlands:
Park Gravenrode - Celebrate St Nicholaas, on which Father Christmas was based, on 5-6 December.
France:
Northern Vosges Regional Natural Park - Food lovers will rave about the local cuisine in autumn. Route des vins du Jura - Attend the wine producers’ ancestral festival, le Biou, in September.
Czech Republic:
Bohemian Switzerland - Witness spectacular autumn foliage that lights up the hillside, and get lost in a Bohemian village.
Bulgaria:
Belitsa - The region is home to Muslims and Christians alike, whose religious rituals keep the area lively Belogradchik - The folklore festival “From Tymok to Iskar – along the steps of the Thracians” for three days in September
Belgium:
Viroinval - Enjoy the autumn fruit and wine festivals with a wonderful ambiance. Ath - host to the Ducasse, a charming medieval festival with a masquerade procession of giants. Durbuy - Visit ‘the smallest town in the world’, in this humble corner of the Belgian Ardennes.
Hungary:
Hortobágy - Festival of the cranes: The spectacular arrival of tens of thousands of cranes in Hortobágy in October. Örség - During your stay here you can participate in horseback archery shows and traditional archery parades.  |
Winter in Europe can be as romantic as it can be exhilarating. Food, winter outdoor activities, Christmas celebrations and wildlife migrations are just some of the seasonal highlights on offer...
Greece:
Island of Lesvos - Religious celebrations in ancient places of worship are one of the sights not to miss when visiting the island of Lesvos in winter. Grevena - The region organises a street festival called Anakatosaria with traditional dance and song. Florina - Well preserved local customs including local feasts are organised on a regular basis.
Ireland:
Sheep's Head peninsula - The Bantry Fair Day is a lively market on the first Friday of each month. Carlingford and the Cooley Peninsula - The Táin Walking Festival (March) concerns the legendary tale of the attempted theft of the brown bull of Cooley Clonakilty District - Why not witness the West Cork Rally, which starts in mid March.
Poland:
The Birds Republic in the Warta River Estuary National Park - Watch migrating and wintering birds taking shelter.
Finland:
Wild Taiga - Enjoy the atmosphere of Finnish Christmas with scents, candles, music and snow.
Estonia:
Soomaa National Park - In the winter there are snowshoe tours over the bogs and frozen rivers. Viljand - Head here for a unique puppet festival, or the Viljandi folk music festival.
Cyprus:
Vouni Panagias - Experience winter holiday festivals with unmatched local hospitality, or the Panagia Wine Festival in summer. Troodos - Local festivals commemorating the patron saint of a village are an integral part of life.
Lithuania:
Plateliai - Shrovetide, or Shrove Tuesday Carnival is the main festival of the year (Feb/March).
For more information visit www.edenineurope.eu
For a taster of 2009's winning destinations see our magic of EDEN article here 
