Whoever said that all the fun stuff has
to be reserved for summer?
Welcome to MojoTravels and today we're
counting down our picks for the top
winter festivals in Europe are you a fan
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this list we're looking at some of the
most unique and exciting winter
festivals across the continent fight
Zeus atone malt own France the French
Riviera is a destination world renowned
for its beautiful Mediterranean
coastline incredible beaches Rath taking
architecture and inviting winter not to
mention the casinos markets food and
wine the town of Malta is just one of
the various coastal towns that make up
the French Riviera but it's got charm to
spare in the form of boutiques and
narrow cobblestone streets come February
however this little town undergoes an
awe-inspiring transformation for its
annual fight to stall which translates
to lemon festival the town only has a
population of approximately 28,000
people but the fights acetal sees that
numbers swell by over 200,000 visitors
during the festivities each year the
citrus harvest is celebrated with a
number of elaborate and massive
sculptures made up of the area's
world-renowned oranges and lemons
typically designed around a specific
annual theme it goes without saying but
this is one of the most unique art
displays you'll ever see and one of the
best smelling festivals anywhere in the
world so much for snow and ice up Helia
looook Scotland
do you like Vikings if your answer is
yes, or you're simply curious as to why
we'd ask you that you might want to
consider checking out the wonderfully
titled up Helia held every winter across
the Shetland Islands of northern
Scotland a paleo celebrates the Viking
heritage of the area and does so with a
community minded and epic display that
surely would have made their marauding
ancestors proud of the dozen or so up
Helia celebrations over the winter
months
Larrick is home to the biggest of the
bunch in January: up to a thousand men in
costume, divided into dozens of different
squads go on the March putting on
one heck of a parade performance leading
the festival is the honorary yarl and he
and his yarol squad dressed in full
Viking regalia the climax of the
festival is the ceremonial boat burning
each year of Viking longboat replicas is
built only to be burned down by the
torch bearing participants now that's a
party
Amsterdam light festival Amsterdam
Netherlands for those who like a
nighttime displays of color - all the
smoke and fire might we recommend the
Amsterdam light festival held annually
usually from November in February this
event brings together artists from
across the Netherlands and around the
globe in order to put together all
inspiring works of art made of light now
as anyone who's visited Amsterdam can
attest this is already one beautiful
City between the architecture and the
canals be a day or night Amsterdam has
got a real fairytale quality to it even
though excessive tourism is taking its
toll but when you add dozens of unique
and surreal luminescent art
installations into the mix central
Amsterdam takes on an entirely new
identity part of the light festival
experience is simply walking around the
city
discovering the works of art as you go
but for those really looking to get the
most out of the festival we recommend
taking one of the officially partnered
nighttime boat tours which lets you
appreciate the installations from one of
the city's favorite perspectives the
canals compás parade Salzburg Austria oh
did you think up heli ah was intense
trust us you ain't seen nothing yet
Krampus makes the winter festivities of
the Shetlands look tame by comparison
most times of the year a trip to famous
Salzburg is a peaceful and relaxing one
nestled in the foothills of the Alps
this Austrian city draws in travelers
with the Baroque architecture of its
historic centre and its ties to
classical music it was the birthplace of
Mozart himself but as Christmas
approaches in December salzburg
undergoes a transformation most sinister
as the streets become overrun with
monsters paying homage to pagan
tradition and folklore the people of
Salzburg dress up in the terrifying
costumes of mythical goat demon Krampus
and his evil elves the perched
in order to scare away malicious winter
spirits and scare kids there are a
number of Krampus related events that
occur throughout Austria in and around
Christmastime but the Salzburg Krampus
parade is among the most memorable and
large-scale Hyde Park winter wonderland
London England
not interested in Christmas with a
horrific Halloween twist then we
recommend making a trip to London during
the winter season where the holiday
festivities are a bit more conventional
though nonetheless memorable Hyde Park
winter wonderland is a relatively recent
addition to Europe celebratory calendar
having only had its inaugural edition in
2007 but it has quickly become a beloved
tradition that warms the hearts of
millions of holiday revellers both
London locals and from around the world
from mid-november until early January a
large portion of Hyde Park plays host to
this massive holiday themed fair here
you'll find the UK's largest temporary
outdoor rink an ice sculpture display
over 100 amusement park rides a
children's area called Santa land a
marketplace a performance space a
massive ferris wheel a Bavarian village
a bar on a carousel, and even more the
Hyde Park winter wonderland is the sort
of place where even the biggest Grinch
is sure to rediscover their holiday
cheer fete de Lumiere
France when you've seen one light
festival you haven't seen them all not
by a long shot and while the mountain
lemon festival already took us to France
you'll find very little in way of
overlap at Leon's fete denim yet held
annually in early December this festival
of lights is deeply rooted in tradition
yet it's also a massive showcase of
technological advances in lighting
historically the people of Lyon have
placed candles along their window sills
as a show of thanks to the Virgin Mary
to whom they prayed to save them from
the plague in the mid 17th century they
also celebrate with a procession to the
Basilica of Nikodim the fovea which
along with the statue of the Virgin Mary
erected outside the Basilica in 1852
serves as a focal point for the
festivities though the Fed didn't yahoo
only lasts for days it draws anywhere
between three and
four million visitors each year with its
spectacular light installations the
images projected onto the Basilica are
utterly surreal as are the various shows
and displays found throughout the city
Venice Carnival Venice Italy this unique
and iconic Italian city is a place of
magic and enchantment to walk its
picturesque streets or take a gondola
ride along its breathtaking canals is to
step into a fairy tale right out of a
storybook of course over tourism is
definitely a problem in Venice and on
any given day it can feel like the city
is almost exclusively populated by
outsiders but for those who find
themselves turned off by the literal
boat loads of tourists Carnival is the
answer this yearly festival is held
every February sometimes running into
March and is instantly recognizable for
the elaborate masks and costumes worn by
the revellers it's a festival rich in
history that dates back hundreds of
years and these days during carnival it
feels as if the city has travelled back
in time to a more decadent area
masquerade balls parades both on water
and through the streets feasts costume
contests performances carnival is Venice
at its most vibrant and enchanting do
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