The Fiesta del Orujo in northern Spain features traditional music, stalls, cuisine – and copious quantities of the region’s beloved pomace brandy.MIKEL BILBAO GOROSTIAGA
When I stumbled unexpectedly on a bustling English village fête this summer, I had to be dragged away from the raffle stand, homemade cakes and award-winning vegetables displayed like precious artifacts on white-sheeted tables.
Glastonbury-sized festivals are ever-popular, of course, but I've always preferred the quirkier grassroots events where you get to rub shoulders with the residents – and snap photos of their magnificent turnips (not a euphemism).
Luckily, Europe is stuffed with options every fall, typically a time for locals to party hard after the summer hordes have left. From film fests to food fiestas and from art events to drinking jamborees, adding some quirky regional flavour to autumnal Euro visits is easy – so long as you know where to go.
Visitors to Portugal should keep Nov. 11 open. Marked as Armistice Day in many parts of Europe, it's also St. Martin's Day here and the traditional peak of harvest-themed magusto celebrations where communities large and small build bonfires, nibble chestnuts and down as much new-season wine as they can manage. Among the season's best events is hilltop town Marvao's Feira da Castanha .
Cultural side-dish required? Add the Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival . And remember that St. Martin's Day is similarly celebrated across Europe, so you're rarely far from a finger-licking local feast.
Alternatively, try Potes in northern Spain. Late fall's Fiesta del Orujo sees pop-up stills in the medieval Old Town producing copious quantities of the region's beloved pomace brandy. Traditional music, stalls and cuisine (blood pudding included) add to the tipsy shenanigans.
A stiff drink might also be required for San Sebastian's Horror and Fantasy Film Festival , which keeps Spain's spirit of Halloween alive (or undead) with street theatre, costumed events and indoor and outdoor screenings of apposite blood-soaked movies.
Fall is also ideal for Italy's rich menu of sagre, community food festivals focused on regional specialties from cheese to olive oil. In Tuscany, historic San Miniato's hugely popular White Truffle Fair is on the final three weekends of November. But, from Scarperia to Montespertoli, the region serves a heaping platter of additional smaller celebrations ripe for road-tripping.
France's food-forward fall celebrations include large regional events Bordeaux So Good and the Dijon International Gastronomy Fair (foirededijon.com) – plus the eclectic Herring Fair in the Normandy town of Lieurey, complete with its belt-straining fish-eating contests. If your belly needs a break, consider Pessac's International Historical Film Festival instead.
And, while you've missed Germany's burp-tastic 2015 Oktoberfest events – save time for them next year – Christmas markets gear up across the country from the third week of November. Consider those in Esslingen, Hamelin and Lubeck. If you're in Switzerland, add ClauWau – the Santa Claus World Championships – to your visit.
But if Christmas in November makes you queasier than a herring-guzzling champion, plan your Germany visit around the elaborate horse-drawn St. Leonard processions , staged in Bavarian towns every fall – Bad Tolz is recommended. Or, visit the Swiss village of Richterswil, where the highlight of the Rabechilibi turnip festival is a huge illuminated night parade.
Fall festivals aren't just about tradition, though. Austria-bound music fans should hit Vienna's eclectic November-long Wien Modern festival . Need more chances to meet cultured locals? Try Amsterdam's highly sociable Museum Night or Amsterdam Art Weekend .
But if Guinness is your idea of an autumnal harvest, Northern Ireland's William Kennedy Piping Festival is perfect for scratching your bagpipe itch. Head south and you can combine it with the Cork Film Festival for total cultural inebriation.
And while Britain's summer fête season is long gone, fall offers the eye-popping Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival , the best of hundreds of regional Bonfire Night celebrations. Alternatively, tell the locals about that time you grew the world's biggest-ever pumpkin at Cumbria's annual World's Biggest Liar Competition . It's long been on my autumn bucket list.
OUR READERS WRITE
- Combine the Rhineland region of Germany and the Alsace-Lorraine region of France at that time of year – especially if you’re travelling from mid-November to December when the Christmas markets take place. See the beautiful city of Strasbourg (with its famous Christmas markets) and the nearby “Route des Vin” along the scenic wine-growing valleys of Alsace where you can try the new season’s white wines. Ann Jessey
- Zwiebelmarkt (Onion Festival) in Weimar, Germany. It has a really cosy atmosphere where you’ll get to eat Zwiebelkuchen [a traditional onion pie] and complement it with some Federweißer [a local liquor]. @kherying
- Opatija in Croatia has a fun chestnut festival with chestnut-themed menus and dishes at restaurants and cafes. It’s called the Marunada and is technically in a town that’s near Opatija but I had chestnut meals in Opatija as well. @kattancock
- The photo festival in Arles was great. The historical environment for viewing a modern art form was an interesting and successful mix. @jeffweddell
- There is Rise Festival in France and also Spitalfields Music Festival here in London, for instance @Concledoc
- The Merano Wine Festival [meranowinefestival.com] in early November is delightful in Italy. It’s noted for its exceptional variety and quality of fine food and wines. @PeggyCoonley
- Nit de Sant Joan in Barcelona. @Lady_Astor
- Vienna and Salzburg Christmas markets. And also Dublin’s Bram Stoker Festival and New Year’s festival. The Bram Stoker event is four days of events celebrating all things Stoker and Dracula @marsofstars
- There are Christmas markets in Austria and Germany @YvonneChiang
- Does Oktoberfest count? @TravelYourself
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