This fall, don’t miss these 12 European Harvest Festivals

Harvest celebrations in Europe are legendary, but most have been canceled in recent years because to the COVID-19 outbreak. They’ll be back in 2022, providing possibilities to organize a trip around these annual celebrations. They usually take place around the time of a region’s main harvest, and they usually include a wide range of food, drink, entertainment, and activities based on historical customs. These are a few of the greatest to see this year if you want to go to one or more.

Boppard Wine Festival – Boppard, Germany

Boppard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a wine-making center, is located along the Rhine’s banks. Pinot Noir, Riesling, and unusual ice wines, among other things, are made here. The Fall Wine Festival celebrates it all throughout the last week of September and the first week of October. While there will be no parades, this is an excellent time to experience all of the excellent Rhine wines as well as other regional delights such as cheese and sausage. There are many other reasons to visit Boppard, including the many lovely towns with half-timbered cottages lining small streets and towering castles above, giving fairy-tale settings with lush, sloping vineyards.

Fiestas De San Mateo – Logroño, Spain

The area of La Rioja in northern Spain is known for producing some of the world’s best wines, with grapes farmed in vineyards hidden into the undulating hills and valleys along the Ebro river. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, especially with the Cantabrian Mountains in the background. The Fiestas De San Mateo, or Wine Harvest Festival, begins on September 21st, St. Matthew’s Day, and lasts for a week in Logroo, the capital city. It has been hosted in the main square for over 900 years and features processions, grape stomping, wine tastings, live bands, bullfights, and fireworks displays.

Ban des Vendanges – Saint-Émilion, France

The Ban des Vendanges, which translates to “lifting the ban of the grape harvest,” is an event that begins off Saint-annual Émilion’s harvest. The Jurade, a group of winegrowers clad in red caps and robes, performs in front of the majestic college chapel of Saint Emilion. It was established 800 years ago with the goal of regulating the production of good wines. Their role today is largely symbolic, sustaining the wine region’s old customs. They parade across town dressed in traditional garb as part of the parade. Wine tastings will be available, as well as a variety of local arts, crafts, and produce.

Grape Festival – Impruneta, Italy

Impruneta, a Tuscan village famous for its excellent white truffles and great wines, is located in the Chianti Classico zone, which encompasses a stretch of wineries and vineyards between Siena and Florence. Every year on the last day of September, it hosts a vivid, colorful grape festival that draws both locals and visitors. Enjoy a grand procession including floats created by each of the village’s four districts. Following that, there will be food and wine tastings, as well as street acts and dancing.

The old Church of Santa Maria and the Museum of the Treasure of Impruneta are must-sees while you’re in town, with the church’s roots tied to the tale of the miraculous finding of a painting of the Virgin Mary, which is depicted in a 15th-century marble bas-relief in the museum.

Oktoberfest – Munich, Germany

Oktoberfest, Germany’s most famous traditional harvest festival, takes place between the third weekend in September and the first Sunday in October. It’s been the world’s largest beer festival for more than 200 years, but there’s a lot more to enjoy here than great brews. Traditional fare such as soft pretzels with sausage and sweet mustard, bratwurst and currywurst on bread rolls, and a variety of sweets such as waffles with chocolate sauce and warm crepes with applesauce are all part of this. It also includes live music, parades, and carnival rides, giving you the perfect occasion to dress up in Bavarian garb and even jump up on the table and dance.

International White Truffle Festival – Alba, Italy

Alba has an annual International White Truffle Festival that lasts roughly two months, from early October to early December. It’s a fantastic way to try one of the world’s most coveted delicacies without having to get your hands filthy. Cooking demos, food and wine pairings, sensory analysis workshops, and lots of samples are all planned. The donkey race that starts it all is one of the highlights.

Black Food Festival – Tallinn, Estonia

This one-of-a-kind Estonian food festival, held in early November, honors dark-colored foods such as chocolate and coffee-dyed dishes, as well as traditional balsamic vinegar and plump blackberries, with the goal of inspiring and educating visitors about some of the world’s most popular and lesser-known black foods. It’s all about culinary exploration and inventiveness, with black squid ink pasta as the must-try dish, on some of the “blackest evenings of the year.” Tallinn, with its picturesque cobblestone alleys and majestic medieval defenses in the shape of city walls, is a budget-friendly resort with a vibrant cultural scene in a historical setting.

Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival – Paris, France

While the majority of France’s vineyards are located in the countryside, a massive five-day festival celebrating the wine harvest has been held in the Montmartre neighborhood of France for nearly 90 years in early October. Parades, food and wine stalls, picnics, and the great finale: an open-air performance at the base of Sacré-Coeur, a church that rises over the city at over 426 feet, transform the area into a massive street celebration.

Subotina Festival – Buzet, Croatia

Buzet, known as the “City of Truffles,” is a hilltop village in northern Istria near the Slovenian border. Its historic core dates from the Middle Ages, and the Subotina Festival, held every October, honors the city’s most famous delicacy. The massive street carnival features arts and crafts, as well as truffle tastings and exhibitions, as well as stalls selling truffle-inspired food and drink. Pop-up restaurants serve truffle meals such as gnocchi, with a huge truffle omelet as the grand finale. There are numerous wineries to visit and taste superb Croatian wines while you’re here.

Lugano Autumn Festival – Lugano, Switzerland

Lugano is located on the beaches of Lake Lugano, under the shadow of the majestic Alps to the south. A lovely city at any time of year, but especially so in the fall, when it is bathed in glorious autumn hues. The Lugano Autumn Festival, which celebrates grapes and exquisite wines while also showcasing traditional music, takes place throughout the first weekend in October. The grottini, which are local vendors’ dining stations where you can sample traditional Ticinese dishes like polenta with stew, roast pork, minestrone, and gnocchi, as well as Ticino wines and other local treats, are one of the highlights.

Erntedankfest, Vienna Food Festival – Vienna, Austria

Every September, Vienna organizes Erntedankfest, a massive harvest festival that heralds the arrival of autumn and the return of some of the most delectable dishes. Hundreds of stalls will sell everything from sausages and mountain cheeses to pumpkin pancakes, as well as sturm, a fermented grape juice, and mostis, a cider-like beverage. There will also be live music, traditional Austrian performances, and other forms of entertainment. Visit the Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and at least one of the many famous museums, like as the Kunsthistorisches, Beethoven Museum, and Sigmund Freud Museum, while you’re in town.

Olivagando – Magione, Italy

Every November, Magione hosts Olivagando, a two-day celebration honoring the local olive crop and St. Clement’s feast day. At a special mass, everyone involved in olive oil manufacturing gathers here, and a priest blesses the fresh olive oil. While the main attraction is undoubtedly this highly sought-after olive oil made from la dolce agogia, attendees may also expect to sample handcrafted cheeses, fresh chestnuts and walnuts, cured meats, truffles, and plenty of wine. There are also art competitions, workshops, antique fairs, and a medieval feast held in the town’s 12th-century castle.

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