Against this background, however, one should not forget the colorful medieval Heritage Days in Belgian cities, or the Japanese festival in Berlin, or oyster festivals in the UK. Also in September, many music festivals will take place in European cities - a series of traditional autumns begins - Warsaw, Prague. Festwochen in Berlin, modern Marsatac in Marseille, d'Ile de France in Paris. More details - in the next issue of the European events poster from Gazeta.Ru.
AUSTRIA
Festival “Wine and Art”, September 1-3, Linz. This festival has one feature that distinguishes it from many other wine festivals: it will feature not only the best Austrian wines from 60 producers, but also works of art created over the past year. These are paintings, jewelry, glass and ceramic items. //www.linz.at
Feast of Saint Rupert, September 21-29, Salzburg. Saint Rupert is the founder of modern Salzburg and its patron. In the 8th century, the city, known only for its salt mines, was literally transformed by Saint Rupert and until 1815 it was considered an autonomous major diocese. Rupert became the first archbishop of Salzburg; under him, the construction of St. Peter's Monastery began and the Cathedral was founded, around which the main action of the festival takes place. Brass bands will play in the small squares of the city, traveling theaters will perform, a fair will work all these days, and a huge carousel will be installed for children on the central square. //www.salzburg-altstadt.at
BELGIUM
“Heritage Days: Back to the Middle Ages”, September 10-11, Namur, Liège and other cities. The now popular medieval festivals, attracting masses of tourists to European cities, will take place in September in Belgian cities. As part of the “Cultural Heritage” program in Wallonia, medieval celebrations will be held, reviving the medieval architecture of cities and recreating the medieval atmosphere. Of course, this is facilitated by costumes of the era, music, authentic musical instruments, street theater performances, craft markets, demonstration feasts with medieval dishes - bulls roasted on a spit, suckling pigs, or porridge with pork. And if someone is not attracted by noisy costume programs, you can simply look at medieval architectural monuments, of which Wallonia has plenty. //www.journeesdupatrimoine.be
Beer Weekend, September 2-4, Brussels. On the first weekend of September, 30 Belgian breweries will present their best beers for tasting on the Grand-Place, the central square of Brussels. Entry to the “beer square” will be free, and prices will be quite affordable, unlike German beer festivals. //www.belgianbeerweekend.be
GREAT BRITAIN
Great River Race and Thames Festival, September 17-18, London. Londoners really love this festival, and tourists also try to come to the British capital on these very days, especially since in 2005 the dates of the river race and the Thames Festival coincide. The Great River Race will take place on September 17: from Richmond through central London to Greenwich Pier, 300 dragon boats, wherries, yawls, canoes, and Viking barges will sail, competing in speed. And on September 17-18, the Thames Festival will unfold in the city center (during the day) and on the embankment (in the evening and at night), with mini-carnivals and parades, live music from morning to night, fairs, dancing, children's entertainment concerts, and shows on a floating stage. The festival will end with a giant glowing procession along the riverbank and fireworks whose lights reflect in the Thames. By the way, Londoners usually prepare lanterns for the procession in advance. //www.greatriverrace.co.uk, www.thamesfestival.org
Oyster Festival, September 2-4, Hillsborough. September has come - time to catch oysters. In the city of Colchester (Essex), the first oyster catch on September 2 will be celebrated with a whole tasting festival. And in the small town of Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, the World Oyster Eating Championship is held every year in early September. Qualifying rounds begin on Tuesday evening, so that in the Saturday final, strict judges can determine who ate the most mollusks and drank the most Guinness beer. In addition to gluttony, the festival program includes entertainment for children, a Friday night ball, and lots of Irish music. //www.hillsboroughoysterfestival.com
GERMANY
Alster-Vergnugen Festival and Fireworks Festival, September 1-4; Carnival of Cultures, September 9-11, Hamburg. At the very beginning of September, the traditional festival of the Alster River (a tributary of the Elbe) will take place in Hamburg. This is the city's largest festival, where you can enjoy music, endless street theater performances, tastings, sports competitions, including a marathon run, and when it gets dark, watch the fireworks festival - a competition of international pyrotechnic teams.
And the following weekend, Hamburg will host the Carnival of Cultures, attracting a huge number of people, as on the streets, squares, in concert and exhibition halls you can immerse yourself in the diversity of national cultural traditions from around the world. Films, live music, national dances and cuisine, a large book fair and a craft exhibition-fair will not leave adults and children indifferent, for whom a special cultural program has also been developed this year. Many concerts within the framework of the festival will be free (Terra Musika), and the carnival itself starts on September 10 at noon. //www.istc.org, www.karneval-kulturen-hamburg.de
Oktoberfest beer festival, September 17 - October 3, Munich; September 24 - October 9, Stuttgart. Six million in the "beer paradise" - that is Munich's Oktoberfest, which enjoys worldwide fame. The occasion for the two-week beer revelry was once the wedding of Ludwig of Bavaria and Therese of Saxony. Since then, every year on the Theresienwiese ("Therese's meadow"), the main action of the beer festival takes place, and on the opening day a solemn procession arrives there, consisting of columns of marksmen, brass bands, beer carts, crowds of people in national costumes. The procession is led by a girl with a bell, the symbol of Munich. Competitions, games, dances, Bavarian songs are inevitable after consuming beer from liter mugs. You should eat Bavarian sausages, fish sticks, roasted pork knuckles with sauerkraut and pretzels with beer. In Stuttgart, in addition to the traditional consumption of beer with accompanying parades and dances, there are also rafting trips and hot air balloon competitions. //www.oktoberfest.de, www.cannstatter-volksfest.de
Japan, music and whisky - three festivals, September, Berlin. Festwochen - this is the name of a two-week classical music festival that will take place in Berlin from August 31 to September 13. This year, great orchestras of the world will perform at the festival. The London Philharmonic Orchestra will perform works by Beethoven and Gubaidulina, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Dvořák's Stabat Mater, and on September 13 the New York Philharmonic Orchestra will perform works by Gustav Mahler. //www.berlinerfestspiele.de
On the second September weekend (9-11), Berlin's Köpenick district will turn into the capital of whisky. This is precisely the goal pursued by the organizers of the Whisky-Herbst festival, which first took place in 2000. Seminars and tastings await whisky fans - however, the number of places is limited and tickets should be thought about in advance. And on September 9, a presentation of various types of whisky from all over the world will take place here. //www.whisky-herbst.de.
And on the last September weekend (23-25), the Spandau Citadel will host a festival dedicated to Japanese art and culture. This year's focus is on martial arts, ikebana, origami, ink drawings, Japanese calligraphy, and the art of the kimono. Japanese cuisine, dances and sword fights are indispensable attributes of the festival. By tradition, every day ends with karaoke and fireworks. //www.japanfestival.de
DENMARK
Parade in honor of H.C. Andersen, September 3; Ship races, September 9-12, Copenhagen. In early September 1819, Hans Christian Andersen first appeared in Copenhagen, and now in early September 2005, a grand parade and celebration will take place in honor of the world's beloved storyteller. The celebration will be family-friendly, with plenty of entertainment for children, and the parade of giant figures, characters from Andersen's fairy tales, promises to impress people of all ages.
A week later, an event that the organizers called "Fleet in the City" will take place in Copenhagen. About 40 ships will moor in the city port; during the day the public will watch ship races from the shore or from the sea, and in the evening and at night, they will admire the illuminated Danish fleet. //www.woco.dk
SPAIN
Autumn sherry festival, September 4-23, Jerez de la Frontera. The residents of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia have something to be proud of and boast about. First, it's horses: the Royal Academy of Equestrian Art is located there. Second, it's the birthplace of flamenco, and third, it's excellent sherry. All three symbols of the city will be presented at the traditional festival dedicated to the grape harvest. To this we can add puppet theater shows, Andalusian songs, and the festival's finale - a grand procession bidding farewell to the sherry festival. //www.turismojerez.com
Festival "Rome and Carthage", September 16-25, Cartagena. The sacred fire is lit - and for ten days Cartagena is immersed in the era of the Punic Wars. The history of the struggle is recreated anew: as contemporaries said, "Rome or Carthage will dictate laws to the world." The festival's events unfold as follows: a declaration of enmity with Rome, the wedding of Hannibal, a Roman circus, a chess tournament, the declaration of war on Rome, the landing of the Carthaginians in the port and the bribery of mercenaries, the march of troops to Puente del Estadio. Then the Roman army gathers under the leadership of Scipio, the "confidant of the gods," and the Romans rush into battle. After the victory, the Romans march triumphantly through the streets of the city. The festival ends with the extinguishing of the sacred fire and fireworks. //www.carthaginesesyromanos.org, www.ayto-cartagena.es
La Mercè Festival, September 22-25, Barcelona. This celebration in honor of the city's patroness, the Holy Virgin of La Mercè, takes place with true Catalan flair. In 1637, according to legend, she delivered the city from an invasion of locusts. The festival's vivid events include a giant parade, a nocturnal procession of fire-breathing dragons, devils and other evil spirits through the streets of the Gothic Quarter, a carnival where everyone dances the national Catalan dance, the "sardana," and human towers (the tallest are built from eight people). The celebration ends with a pyrotechnic festival at the singing fountains. //www.bcn.es
Italy
Sea procession Palio dell'Arca, September 3-9, Brindisi; Burano Regatta, September 18, Venice. The sea procession is dedicated to the miraculous rescue of Saint Theodore off the coast of Brindisi in 1210, restoring and reviving the events of bygone years. Palio dell'Arca ends with a solemn procession, a mass in honor of the city's patron saint, and public festivities. And in Venice on September 18, the last regatta of the season starts (from the island of Sant'Erasmo and finishes at the island of Burano). You can watch the regatta from the shores of Venice. //www.vogaveneta.com, www.brindisiweb.com
Wine Festival, September 29 - October 2, Bardolino. On the shores of Lake Garda, the largest and cleanest in Italy, the traditional wine festival Festa dell'Uva will be held in the town of Bardolino. It is believed that the best red wine is made there from four varieties of local grapes. Festa dell'Uva means countless wine tastings of wines and local dishes, evening classical music concerts and fireworks. And most importantly, few people know about this festival, so there will be no tourist crowds. //www.comune.bardolino.vr.it
Feast of Madonna di Piedigrotta, September 7-8; Pizzafest, September 8-18, Naples. The most mysterious holiday in Naples, Madonna di Piedigrotta, is associated with the expectation of the miracle of the appearance of the Mother of God. Every year a special mass is held, sacred hymns are sung, but only once every fifty years the Madonna silently comes out of her church, and her return must be truly spectacular: it is accompanied by a sea procession along the coastline to the Mergellina hill (where Virgil is buried). The last time the Madonna appeared was in 1967, but every year people hope to see her again. //www.ept.napoli.it.
For those who do not really believe in miracles, the smell of pizza will attract them to Naples, which will hover over the city center from September 8 to 18. Pizza is the favorite dish and pride of Neapolitans, so a whole holiday is dedicated to it - Pizzafest. This year the main formula of the festival is as follows: pizza + bibita + caffe + limoncello = 8 euro. //www.pizzafest.info
CYPRUS
Wine Festival, August 30 - September 11, Limassol. Wine has been made in Cyprus for more than 6,000 years and, of course, they know how to hold a real wine festival. The festival will begin with a demonstration of the traditional method of crushing grapes, and then - Cypriot music, dancing, tasting of national dishes and free draft wine in the city park. The Cypriot wines “Aphrodite” and “Othello” are good, white and red muscats, but the best of all is the ancient “Commandaria” (“wine of kings and queen of wines”), although village and monastery wines made according to their own recipes are in no way inferior to them. //www.visitcyprus.org.cy
Aphrodite Festival, September 2-4, Paphos. In the city of Aphrodite, Paphos, a music festival in honor of the goddess of love takes place annually. This year it is dedicated to opera, so audiences will be able to enjoy Verdi's opera “La Traviata” performed by the Polish National Opera for three whole evenings. Unfortunately, the traditional September jazz festival in Paphos will not be held this year, but the organizers promise its return next year. //www.visitcyprus.org.cy
NETHERLANDS
Flower Train, September 2-3, Aalsmeer-Amsterdam; Car-Free Day, September 18, Amsterdam. And this happens every year: on Friday (September 2) at about four o'clock in the evening, a flower train almost 3 km long will leave Aalsmeer for Amsterdam. The flower parade in Amsterdam will take place on Saturday morning. But watching how a real flower miracle is prepared is no less interesting: bouquets and garlands of chrysanthemums, roses and lilies are assembled in the streets, then loaded onto special vehicles. Anyone can take part in this process: there will be enough flowers for everyone. And on September 18, Amsterdam will be quiet and peaceful; people will only be allowed to move around the city on foot or by bicycle. Entertainment includes open-air concerts, excursions and roller skating competitions. //www.bloemencorsoaalsmeer.nl
Port Festival, September 2-4, Rotterdam. You can get acquainted with the living life of the largest port - from the shore, from the water and from the air - at the traditional festival in Rotterdam. It is on these days that “land” tours, boat cruises and helicopter rides are organized. A huge market will open at the festival, and there will be plenty of musical entertainment. //www.wereldhavenfestival.nl
POLAND
International Festival “Warsaw Autumn”, September 16-24, Warsaw. It is believed that it is at this festival that one can truly understand what is happening in contemporary classical music. It is here that you can see and hear a marathon of improvised music, a computer opera, electroacoustic music, and performance. Concerts will run from morning to evening, the program is very intensive. The festival will feature much Russian and Japanese contemporary classical music. //www.warszawska-jesien.art.pl
Festival “Biography of Gdańsk”, September 17-18; Dumpling Day, September 24, Gdańsk. The festival “Biography of Gdańsk” is dedicated primarily to the cultural traditions of the city’s numerous ethnic groups, that is, its living residents. The event will begin with a parade, and over the next two days visitors will be able to get acquainted with the music, dances, art and national cuisine of Gdańsk. By the way, the organizers promise that on September 24, literally on every corner, everyone will be treated to dumplings with meat, liver, fish, cottage cheese, and apples. //www.gdansk.pl
FRANCE
Folk and Wine Festivals, August 29 - September 4; Wine Press Festival, September 15-16, Burgundy. Wine festivals will be held throughout France in September, but it is Burgundy that has become famous for its original celebrations. A wonderful idea to combine a folklore and wine festival has been implemented in Dijon. 200 folk groups from around the world will compete at the Palace of Sports, and their skills will be judged by an international jury. And those who like to eat and drink well will be able to taste Burgundy wines all day on September 4 in unlimited quantities.
On September 15 and 16, the ancient town of Chenove will host a festival of wine press houses built back in 1238 by the Dukes of Burgundy. Wine was produced at these wine press houses for six whole centuries, and now they are declared historical monuments of state significance. At one of the wineries, which has been fully restored, visitors will follow step by step the ancient process of making wine. While tasting wine and Burgundy snails, you can listen to live jazz, or choose village entertainment: dance folk dances, bet on cart races, and try village smoked sausage and roast pork. //www.burgundy-tourism.com
International Festival d'Ile de France, September 4 - October 16, Paris. Paris marks the end of summer with music of various styles and trends, which will be heard at the Festival d'Ile de France. September concerts are devoted to the musical rhythms of Brazil (4th - Brazilian day, 17th - "Music of Copacabana") and Portugal (8-10 - days of Portuguese fado folk song). However, in September you can also listen to classical music, for example on the 18th there will be an evening of harpsichord music by Scarlatti "Lesson for the Infanta". Choreographic performances at the festival are scheduled for September 22-25. So everyone can choose to their taste and mood their own music of the passing summer. //www.festival-ile-de-france.com
Kite Festival, September 14-18; Marsatac contemporary music festival, September 17-24, Marseille. September's program in Marseille is quite rich in musical and maritime entertainment, but we will especially note two events. To hold the international kite festival in Marseille, a certain wind is needed - the mistral. With its arrival, European teams will launch kites into the sky. For those who want to learn how to make real kites capable of flying beautifully, master classes will be held, and special entertainment programs have been developed for children. The second event is the Marsatac contemporary music festival. At the festival, only "urban" contemporary music will be played, and mainly groups from France and Great Britain will perform: Deus, Monkey tribe, Dirty hospital, The film. //www.mairie-marseille.fr, www.marsatac.com www.marseille-tourisme.com.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Festival "Prague Autumn", September 12 - October 1, Prague. Throughout September, as part of the "Prague Autumn" festival, classical music concerts will be held every day in the Rudolfinum concert hall. As is known, this festival features world-class stars and the best symphony orchestras. Here are some of the performers from this year's program: David Owen Norris (September 13), Iris Vermillion (18th), Tzimon Barto (27th). September 24 is Mozart music day, and on the 28th and 29th there will be concerts by the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra. This year's "Prague Autumn" will feature a lot of Russian music. //www.pragueautumn.cz
SWITZERLAND
Swiss World Music Festival, September 7-11; Grape Harvest Festival, September 18-19, Geneva. A new international music festival in Geneva will bring together performers from around the world and present music of all kinds of directions and styles, which is actually reflected in its name. On September 7, the festival will feature music of Africa, on the 8th - Latin American and Brazilian, on the 9th - day of Eastern music, on the 10th - day of Caribbean music, on the 11th - day of Asian music. On the last day of the festival, a big carnival will take place in the city. //www.world-festival.ch
Not far from Geneva lies the typical Swiss village of Russin, and it is there that every year the wine festival dedicated to the grape harvest takes place. Many Swiss winemakers will gather at the festival to present more than 150 varieties of wine. Two days of fun with music, parades, and even a ball on the last festive day will be a worthy setting for tasting the local young wine. //www.russin.ch
Nyuta KUKUSHKINA.
Gazeta.Ru