• First, a crucial point: when traveling abroad to attend an event—be it a football championship or a music festival—every tourist seeks to stand out from the crowd. Modern T-shirt printing can help with this, as it allows images and text to be applied to fabric. Moreover, using the official colors or logo of your favorite team will help you achieve this goal to the fullest.
AUSTRIA
Season opening “New Winter”, December 8-11, Kitzbühel. The opening of the new winter season in the “paradise of skiing” – the Tyrolean Alps – is celebrated for several days in a grand manner. The season will open with fireworks, as the organizers joyfully promise, “above the mountain and around the mountain,” followed by humorous ski races, sledding, and the lifts will operate until late evening. During the day, serious ski competitions are expected, and in the evening – romantic candlelight parties and live music concerts. Ski schools for beginners will operate throughout this time. //www.kitzbuehel.at
Christmas Parade, December 23, Igls. Every year in the small ski town of Igls, a costumed children's parade takes place. Shepherds, little angels, Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus leading the procession walk through the town streets, and at the end of the procession, living biblical scenes are performed. No one remembers how many centuries this tradition in Igls has existed, but every year the parade is invariably successful – only the participants, tinsel, and glitter change. //www.austria-tourism.at
Imperial Ball (Kaiserball), December 31, Vienna. The Imperial Ball at the Hofburg Palace, the former imperial winter residence, opens the season of famous Viennese balls. The New Year's ball takes place observing the ancient court ceremony and etiquette. It begins with a solemn changing of the guard and a greeting from the imperial couple. In the ballrooms of the palace, decorated with fresh flowers, the sounds of waltzes are heard everywhere, a welcome cocktail is served, and liveried footmen present small souvenirs to the ladies. At midnight, the traditional ringing of the main Viennese bell on the tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral announces the beginning of the New Year. After the New Year's banquet, dancing begins in the grand ballroom, and elegant couples dance not only waltzes and polkas but even tango and rock and roll. During breaks between dances at the Imperial Ball, artists from the Vienna Opera and Ballet perform. The ball's participants will welcome the new year 2006 with Mozart's music, as the coming year is the Mozart anniversary year. //www.hofburg.com/
BELGIUM
Christmas Ice Rink, December 3 – January 2, Brussels. A symbol of real winter and Christmas festivities in Brussels is a huge open-air ice rink on one of the old Brussels squares, Marche aux Poissons, the former fish market. Professional ice shows attract city residents, even those who cannot skate, and for those who love skating, it is a true paradise, for the rink is huge, the Christmas tree in the center of the rink is decorated with toys and lanterns, and music and mulled wine lift the spirits. Skates can be rented.
Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival, November 25 – January 8, Bruges. In Bruges, the snow and ice sculpture festival will continue throughout December. The festival's theme is “Ice Palace” (read about it in our previous “European poster”). //www.ijssculptuur.com
Christmas Horse Show, December 26-30, Mechelen. These Christmas equestrian competitions have been held in Mechelen since 1980 and gather about 100,000 spectators year after year. Riders of all levels take part, and the program consists of traditional types of competition (show jumping, dressage, eventing) and original show programs, including those with young riders. For 25 years now, Christmas in Mechelen has been associated with a magnificent show – equestrian competitions. //www.jumping-mechelen.com
GREAT BRITAIN
Meetings with Santa and Christmas carols at the zoo, December 3-23, Bristol. The big and small residents of Bristol have long known that the most interesting adventures before Christmas happen at the city zoo. From the beginning of December (from the 3rd to the 18th on weekends and from the 19th to the 23rd daily), you can safely take children to the “Santa's Grotto,” where a meeting with miracles and magical surprises is guaranteed. And from December 20 to 22, traditionally, the zoo hosts a competition for the most beautifully decorated Christmas tree, and in the zoo's garden illuminated for Christmas, evenings of Christmas carols will take place with the participation of professional and amateur family choirs. Well, you can also enjoy the animals plenty until late evening. //www.bristolzoo.org.uk
Cool Yule Festival, December 13-21, London. The festival's organizers call this annual event an alternative to standard Christmas shows and even the strongest “antidote” to mass culture. The festival program includes concerts of alternative live music (rock, folk), classical music and jazz concerts, and the very youngest spectators, children under five, will be able to see dramatizations of folk tales. On December 13 and 14, Kiki & Herb will perform at the festival with a Christmas program; on the 16th, the trio Pluck; on the 18th, Nigerian singer Shola Idowu; and on December 21, a quintet led by the famous saxophonist Tommaso Starace will “voice” the black-and-white photographs of Elliott Erwitt. The festival will take place in the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room. //www.rfh.org.uk
Beer Christmas festivals, December 1-3, Dovercourt; December 8-11, Melton. You can also welcome the approaching Christmas with a mug of ale in Essex, where the famous Harwich & Dovercourt Bay Winter Ale Festival will take place. Moreover, this festival is a real adventure, because special trains from Ipswich and Colchester will run to Dovercourt station. At the festival, in addition to tasting 30 varieties of ale, you can listen to live rock music. And in the town of Melton (Yorkshire) in mid-December you will be able to taste specially prepared beer from a local brewery and attend pre-Christmas concerts accompanying the event. //www.harwich.net, www.suddabys.co.uk
GERMANY
Tollwood Cabaret and Theater Festival, until January 1, Munich. The Tollwood festival of cabaret, dance, theater and circus is almost as popular in Munich as Oktoberfest, with more than a million people visiting it annually. It's funny to think that in 1988 it was still a modest local cabaret festival. Now it is an international festival of theater, variety, circus, cabaret and dance, featuring world celebrities and local talents. The festival ends on New Year's Eve - that's when you can see the best festival performances and taste international cuisine dishes prepared by Thai, French, Italian and German chefs. Simultaneously with the festival, a Christmas market takes place in the city. This year's festival program includes the musical "Poe", the absurd comedy "Yellow Hands" and the mask comedy "Winter's Tale". //www.tollwood.de
Tattoo Festival, December 9-11, Berlin. The Berlin Tattoo Festival is a kind of "congress" of masters of their craft. About 100 tattoo artists from 26 countries will gather in the German capital to exchange work experience and demonstrate their art to everyone in the Arena hall (Treptow Park). Masters will compete in the categories "largest tattoo", "craziest", "most realistic", "best ornament" - and so on in the same vein. The audience will be entertained by clowns, acrobats and fire eaters. //www.tattoo-convention-berlin.de
SPAIN
Fiesta Mayor de Verdiales, December 28, Malaga. On December 28, the whole of Spain celebrates the Day of the Holy Innocents, which is considered a children's holiday, and adults allow children to be capricious and mischievous on this day. But in Andalusia there is an ancient pagan tradition of celebrating the harvest of green olives on this very day. Thus Catholic and folk traditions merge into a single celebration, and the fiesta turns out lively and colorful. All day long, Spanish folk music (verdiales) sounds in the streets, with ancient cymbals and tambourines becoming the symbol of this holiday. The most memorable event of the fiesta is the dance competition between the rural communities of Andalusia engaged in picking green olives. /www.webmalaga.com
Fiesta de l'Estendard, December 31, Palma de Mallorca. On December 31, on the eve of the New Year, Palma de Mallorca hosts a Christian holiday dedicated to an important historical event of 1229. It was then that King James I of Aragon the Conqueror recaptured Mallorca from the Moors. In honor of this event, a procession and a solemn mass will be held in the city's Cathedral, and then the Christian holiday will gradually turn into a completely secular New Year celebration. //www.la-palma-tur.org
ITALY
Festival "Nativity Scene", December 3 - January 22, Verona. The nativity scene - a symbol of Christmas - is the main theme of the annual festival held in the Arena di Verona, a preserved Roman amphitheater. Every year, Christmas exhibits are brought here from France, Spain, Sweden, America, Portugal, Germany and even Africa. The main sculpture - a giant Christmas comet, a symbol of Christmas holidays in Verona - appears in the Arena on Christmas day itself. The main Christmas festive events in the city are somehow connected with this festival. //www.presepiarenaverona.it
Feast of St. Ambrose, December 7-9, Milan. Many interesting events will take place in Milan in December - from football to opera. But the most fun and revered is considered the holiday in honor of the city's patron saint, which will take place on the square in front of the beautiful Milanese Basilica of St. Ambrose. From early morning until late evening, a Christmas market will operate on the square, where you can taste local delicacies and buy souvenirs, watch fun concert programs and shout along with little Milanese "che belli! che belli!" The feast of St. Ambrose coincides, according to a long tradition, with the opening of the new season at Milan's La Scala theater, so interesting opera concerts are to be expected in December. By the way, on December 18 a concert by Goran Bregovic will take place in Milan. //www.milanoinfotourist.com, ww.inmilano.it
Feast of St. Nicholas and the "market of wonders", December 10-11, Venice. Venice is generally a special city, so the pre-Christmas events and Christmas there are also special. The second Sunday of December is the feast of St. Nicholas, who, among other things, is also considered the patron saint of glassblowers. It is no wonder that the main events of the fiesta will unfold on the island of Murano, famous for its glass products. The most spectacular and memorable will, of course, be the great regatta, but no less interesting will be the boccia competitions and live music concerts. And on weekends in Venice on Piazza Santa Maria Nova there will be a "market of wonders" where you can buy witty and "wonderful" gifts for Christmas. //www.turismovenezia.it
CYPRUS
Cultural Winter, December 4 - January 6, Ayia Napa. The tourist season in Cyprus does not end with the arrival of winter. On the contrary, December in the Cypriot city of Ayia Napa is a month of festive entertainment for every taste. Of course, these are traditional Christmas trees and Christmas trains, as well as a cheap Christmas market - as happens all over Europe. But within the framework of the Cypriot program "Cultural Winter", concerts of classical music will also be held, as well as shows of modern and folk dances. //www.visitcyprus.org.cy
NETHERLANDS
Winterland, November 26 - January 8, Maastricht. Of course, in December all residents of Maastricht will come to the fairytale Winterland to indulge in ancient winter fun and support the Christmas mood. In this winter country you can skate to your heart's content, play snowballs in snow fortresses, ride the Ferris wheel, listen to musicians and watch circus performances on the market square, as well as drink mulled wine and hot chocolate and buy local sweets. //www.winterland.nl
FRANCE
Festival "38e Rugissants", December 1-10, Grenoble. This festival has been held in Grenoble since 1989 and is based on the principles of interpenetration of musical cultures. New "alternative" music in original arrangements by European, African, and Asian performers is presented at this festival, creating a unique multicultural space. Special themes of the festival "38e Rugissants" are sound installations and minstrel music. //www.38rugissants.com
Festival of Lights, December 7-10, Lyon. It is on this day, December 8, that Lyon is illuminated by many lights: in 1852, 150 years ago, literally the entire population of Lyon came to the unveiling of the statue of the Virgin Mary with torches and lanterns. The city is transformed, turning into a magical space - the Jacobins Square, the Celestin Theater, the main square of the city Tero either sink into the blue waters of the reflected Rhone, or blaze with fire under the crackling of invisible firewood. The residents of Lyon remember the religious roots of the holiday to this day; it is according to this tradition that every year many small multi-colored candles light up on the windowsills. The four-day festival of light, color and lights has been the main event in the city for many years. By the way, until mid-December Lyon will host a festival of ancient music. //www.lachapelle-lyon.org
Christmas Scenes, December 22-27; International Rowing Regatta, December 27-30, Nice. Live biblical scenes - Christmas Scenes - can be seen in the very heart of the old town in Nice. Real animals will take part, adults will play biblical characters, and children - little angels. But the festive mood will not disappear by December 27, and will then be supported by a rowing regatta in which doubles, fours and eights will compete. //www.nicetourisme.biz
SWEDEN
Saint Lucia's Day, December 13, various cities. It is believed that Christmas magic in Sweden begins a little earlier - on December 13, since one of the darkest days of the year marks the day of Saint Lucia, a Christian martyr accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake on December 13, 304. The "light-bearing" Lucia is generally a symbol of light and hope. Saint Lucia's Day is one of the most beloved among the Scandinavian peoples. In the old days, people lit "Saint Lucia's fires" with incense and sang hymns. On the night of December 13, children put their shoes out the door, believing that during the night gifts will appear in them. And in the morning, in each family, the eldest daughter dresses in the traditional Santa Lucia costume: a white dress with a red belt and a green wreath with seven candles on her head. She goes around all the household and treats them to coffee with sweet buns. Each city also has its own Lucia: she visits all the hospitals and homes of respected citizens. In Stockholm, after the solemn coronation of Lucia, which ends with a ceremonial procession and fireworks, a concert will be held at the Globe Arena, in which more than a thousand children will take part. //www.globearenas.se, www.skansen.se
SWITZERLAND
Christmas Tree Festival, December 2 - January 8, Geneva. Every year in December, Geneva turns into a big exhibition where exhibits are located right on the street. The Christmas tree festival is not just a competition "Who will decorate the tree better", but a serious competition of Christmas installations. A special jury will select only 23 original exhibits for demonstration on the streets of the city from the numerous submitted projects. As Gazeta.Ru notes, the festival has international status, so the Christmas trees promise to be fashionably "multicultural". //www.festivalarbresetlumieres.ch