Can’t Miss Food Festivals in Europe

Europe is one of the great destinations of the world. It’s a great place to see awesome festivals, particularly if you love food and exploring culture through it, commonly known as a foodie.

• Merano Wine Festival, Italy

Like Italian food? Be sure to check out the Merano Wine Festival. The website, Cellar Tours reports that the festival ahs been around since 1992 and hosts a variety of wine producers from locations such as Italy, France, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and the U.S. In addition to wine, there is an endless array of delicious local cuisine to try such as real Blue cheese manufactured form Buffalo milk, capers, olives, Chocolate with Brunello wine, Lardo, and extra virgin olive oil. The festival partners with the Truffle Auction which is an affair where the best truffles all over the region are auctioned off to the highest bidders.

• La Pourcailhade in Trie-sur-Baise, France

If you love all things pig, a must-do festival to see is in Trie-sur-Baise, France called, “La Pourcailhade,” or “Festival of the Pig.”

The festival takes place yearly every second Sunday in August in honor of the pig and is held by a group called “The Brotherhood of the Pig“.

They have sausage eating contests, pig outfit competitions, piggy races, and pig-calling contests. You can stroll through the festival and see displays everywhere in shop windows. Be sure to check out The Piglet Race where many of the smallest pigs race each other to a heart-stopping finish. You can also watch The Black Pudding Eating contest where people wage in a contest of eating a delicacy in the foodie world; congealed pork blood and various other ingredients.

• Maifest, Germany

If you love Oktoberfest, but don’t want to wait till Oktoberfest to enjoy a good foodie festival in Germany, you’re in luck! According to the website, all across Germany in May come Maifest which is a festival devoted to the end of winter and the ushering ion of Spring. You can try many delicacies like Maiwein (may wine), beer, cheeses, authentic baked goods, and many other authentic treats. In various small towns across Germany, you can also see a Maibaum or maypole. It’s also a great festival to take the kids too as they can participate in the maypole or help plant seedlings to usher in spring. Be sure to buy them a chocolate Maikafur or may beetle for good luck.

• Nantwich Food Festival, UK

If you are going to be in Nantwich, in Cheshire, Wales, you don’t want to miss the Nantwich Food Festival. This three-day festival celebrates the best of what the area has to offer. You can attend cooking demonstrations, various tastings including wine, beer, and olive oil tastings, a workshop that is entirely devoted to the making of the perfect cocktail. In this particular festival, it is also focused on the best of local ingredients to showcase their commitment to the green movement as well. There is also a workshop features all kinds of baked goods and goodies and if you are bringing children, they have their own workshop.

This festival is always a favorite because it is in the foodie heaven town of Nantwich. There are all kinds of food markets and shops to visit while you are there, in addition to the festival as there is always something going on in Nantwich.

The town of Nantwich is located on the Manchester/Crewe/Shrewsberry/Cardiff railway lines. If you are going there by car, get off at the M6 and follow the Junction 16 to the A500 west district of Nantwich. There are many places to park for the festival. These include Barony Park CWS 5QY which is only open on Saturday. There is also Malbank High School, open on Sat. and Sundays.

• Ludlow Marches Food and Wine Festival, UK

The U.K. has a really cool festival every 12-14 of September in Ludlow which also happens to be one of its first. It’s the Ludlow Marches Food and Wine Festival and has been going on for 14 years.

If you are a fan of the Slow food movement, one that focuses on good food, one that focuses on rare and even endangered dishes, this festival is the one for you. They rely on the efforts of local markets and growers, while rejecting the mainstream food producers. The event will be held on Fri., Sat., and Sun., Sept. 11-13 in Ludlow, Shropshire, U.K. and features the best dishes the area has to offer. The festival also houses many independent food producers from all over the area where you can sample great offerings like regional wines, breads, sausages, and ales.

The castle is open Fri. Sept. 12 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. Sept. 13th from 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and Sun. from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The last admission for all days is 30 minutes before the doors close. It is 7.00 for adults and 1.50 for children. For a family of two adults and up to four children, it is 16.50. Concessions and groups are only allowed in on Friday and they are both 5.00.

You can get there by rail on the Manchester-Crewe-Cardiff line or from London Paddington to Newport or Hereford. You can also take one of their bus services from Birmingham, Shrewsberry, Kidderminister, or Hereford. If driving there, take the A49 road from Warrington M6 which is located near Shrewberry and Hereford to Ross-on-Wye. You can also take advantage of the Park & Ride option which are located in the north and south end of the center of town. It cost 1 to ride and includes both ways to and from. Children can ride for free.

Photo of Italian pasta by Frank BB

Topic:  Restaurants & Food | 0 Comments
Tags:  family, festivals, food, wine

About the author

Anna is a writer/researcher who specializes in travel writing. She earned her B.A. in Mass Communications from The University of Tulsa, making her the first person in her family to do so. She has been writing professionally since 2005 and is happily married to her best friend.