La Louvière, Belgium
March 31-April 2
Website

What is Laetare? In Latin, it means "rejoice." For three days and three nights, the city will expel winter spirits and encourage spring. The inhabitants of La Louvière have perpetuated this tradition for more than 150 years. The Laetare starts Sunday, early in the morning. The Gilles gather one after another in the different neighborhoods, before joining the center of La Louvière to form a mass gathering. This moment is always very emotional for all the participants, who share a glass of champagne.

Maastricht, The Netherlands
Feb. 28 to March 5
Website

The actual show of this Carnival begins on Sunday when the fans parade through the streets of Maastricht. The excitement occurs in all the streets and squares. At midnight, on Shrove Tuesday, a special ritual begins: the farewell to the Prince of Carnival. Symbols and mascots of the carnival are taken and burned, buried or drowned. The festivities reach their peak in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday, when the streets are filled with people dressed in brightly-colored costumes. The bars remain open all night long for the occasion.

Cologne, Germany
Feb. 28 – March 6
Website

The celebrations start with the nomination of the three fundamental figures of the carnival: the Prince, the Knave and the Virgin. It starts with the Weiberfastnacht (the “women’s night”) when women have absolute power over the city: women of all ages will wander the streets to revel and cut ties to the "unfortunate" men, asking for a kiss on the cheek. All taverns and pubs are open throughout the night of the Saturday of Carnival when the parade of red jackets takes place at Neumarkt. Another important moment of the carnival is the so-called Rosenmontag (“Monday of the Roses”), a procession where thousands of costumed participants cross the city to be greeted by spectators on every street corner.

Düsseldorf, Germany
Feb. 28 – March 6, Rosenmontag: March 4
Website

 This funny and provocative festival is better known as the Carnival of “Spinsters.” The party opens with women occupying the town hall and forcing the mayor to resign for one day. The mayor, who is “kidnapped,” can only regain his place by bartering his freedom with the good wine stored in the cellars of the old town hall and by joining the celebrations. Saturday is marked by a parade of huge floats. The entire Königsallee is bubbling with live entertainment, allegorical floats, masks, street performers, music and rivers of beer. The small town Niederkassel is literally a fun ride where people of all ages ride their wheelbarrows through the streets.

Venice, Italy
Now to March 5
Website 

 The Carnival of Venice has become a great and spectacular event, which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. The event is unique for its history, atmosphere and masks. The most important days of the carnival are Fat Thursday and Shrove Tuesday. The event starts with the traditional “Volo della Colombina.” Over a festive crowd, looking towards the bell tower of San Marco, a mechanical bird in the shape of a dove makes its descent on the rope towards Palazzo Ducale. Approximately halfway, a trapdoor opens and releases confetti or other small gifts.

The Carnival of Venice is known also for the beautiful masks. “Good morning dear Mask!” was the greeting along the streets through the canals and the planks. With the masks on, personal identity, gender and social class no longer exist, entering the Great Illusion of Carnival in a unique place where everything could happen.

Nice, France
Now to March 2
Website

 The Carnival of Nice has very ancient origins dating back to 1294. It is the most important winter holiday on the Côte d'Azur. Over 600,000 spectators take part in this event each year attending the famous battles of flowers, the Fat Tuesday parade and fireworks. The elegance of the battles of flowers enhances the floral heritage of the region: florists compete in order to make each float unique. The actors wear spectacular clothes created according to the theme of the year, throwing thousands of flowers to the public.

Dunkirk, France
March 3-5
Website

The most striking masks are the members of a “Giant family” of mannequins: mom, dad and two children accompanied by Soldiers. These huge wicker structures are several meters tall and parade through the streets of the city led by a puppeteer hidden inside. Streets and alleys echo with the music of the bands, composed of pipes, drums and brasses. The musicians wear bright yellow jackets and entertain the audience by driving the carnival parade with their traditional songs.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife,  Spain (Canary Islands)
Now to March 10
Website

The Carnival of Tenerife begins the Wednesday before Carnival weekend with a fun opening show, characterized by beautiful and expensive costumes, and with the election of the Queen of the Carnival. The Queen is called “Gala Reina,” and she is in charge of representing the event at tourism fairs. On Friday, a huge parade occurs. During this parade, the Queen’s elegant bridesmaids walk in the streets of Santa Cruz, reaching the port, accompanied by traditional murgas (other costumed participants). The program includes parades of allegorical floats, a show of folk dances, and concerts of local and South American music. Moreover, there is the prestigious competition of samba schools represented by their dancers who animate and color the streets of the city accompanied by masks and allegorical floats. On Ash Wednesday, there is the traditional Entierro de la Sardina: hordes of “weeping widows” follow a funeral procession that accompanies a giant papier-mâché sardine to the port where it is burned. This event is followed by another big party and fireworks.

Lisbon, Portugal
Now to March 5
Website

For five days, thousands of lights and colors brighten the streets and the neighborhoods of the city, which are the stage for parades and bizarre wagons. There are concerts, exhibitions and a lot of disguised people in the streets and squares ready to taste the typical specialties of the Carnival. The culmination of the festivities is on Fat Tuesday, with a party called Entrudo. The celebrations start in the afternoon at Parque Nações. Parades, carts, masks and other performances continue throughout the day.

Basel, Switzerland
March 11-13
Website

 Bands of “magical pipers” in the streets, music, masks and lots of fun: the shows of this Carnival are based on unique instruments, creativity, exuberance and artistic expressions of the highest level. The celebrations begin on the Monday that follows Ash Wednesday. The initial act consists in the Morgestraich, when musicians with drums and pipes and costumed people with small lanterns on their heads start walking through the historic center. The participating groups, called "clique," drag lanterns of wood and huge canvas, illuminated from the inside. During the two evenings of the party the participants, individually or in "clique," move from one tavern to another to comment on the year just passed with sung verses and caricatures (known as Schnitzelbänken). Tuesday evening is dedicated to Guggemuusige (“masked musicians”), who invade the city with their cacophonies.

Mohács, Hungary
March 2-5
Website

Carnival in Hungary is one of the most spectacular and important events of the country. Mohács, the city that hosts one of the most famous carnival festivals, is one of the main commercial ports on the Danube and is a city where Croatians, Serbians, Slovenians, and Slovaks live side-by-side. The historical background of this event called Busójárás is remarkable. It was an ancient popular festival of Serbian origin, with terrifying masks of propitiatory significance. Now it has become a tourist attraction. In the Kóló square the Busójárás gather masked men who reach the main square of Mohács at the blow of a cannon. The Busójárás groups are divided according to the respective "weapon" possessed: the cannon, the wheel of the devil, the cart, the horn, the trough, or the boat. They celebrate Carnival along the bank of the Danube and in the adjacent streets. At dusk, they return to the main square and, around a large bonfire, they improvise games and jokes for those present. On Fat Tuesday, on the town’s main square, a big bonfire is made and the coffin that symbolizes the winter season burns to welcome the spring.

Prague, Czech Republic
Feb. 28 to March 5
Website

The Carnival opens with dances in the Carnival Hall at the Clam - Gallas Palace, where the Crystal Ball, a magnificent masked ball, takes place. The following day the city opens its doors to festivities marked by masked events in the historic center. There is also a children's carnival, an event known as Amoretto characterized by games, a competition for the most beautiful and refined mask, and a culinary exhibition with dishes of Bohemian cuisine. During these celebrations, people can also sew their own carnival dress, with which they can make a great impression at all the events scheduled in the Czech capital.

Athens, Greece
Now to March 11
Website 

The Carnival of Athens is special and unique, because the costumes are inspired by the pagan world of ancient Greece. During ancient times, the Greeks worshiped Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. Ancient festivities were organized every year at the end of winter, a way to welcome the rebirth that spring brings to the world. Today, the tradition continues in another form, linked to the Orthodox religion. After the period of carnival parties, fasting begins until Easter.

Villach, Austria
March 2-5
Website

On the occasion of the Carnival, the joy and the colors of the festival invade the historic center of Villach, culminating in a great city parade. Over 3,000 people and 150 groups from both neighboring municipalities and neighboring nations - including Italy - wear costumes and masks, giving life to a joyful show of sounds and colors. The parade starts in the afternoon, when the elected Prince and Princess of Carnival start the celebrations, with laughter and dances, confetti and streamers. Jugglers, flag-wavers, waders, allegorical floats and triumphant bands accompany participants on a real journey into the magical and fairytale atmospheres of the Carnival. In addition, there is a contest in which the most beautiful masks are judged by a jury that awards the best disguises, according to different categories, such as the most beautiful mask, the most beautiful wagon and the best group.

Rijeka, Croatia
Now to March 6
Website

Established in 1982, it has become one of the largest and most visited carnivals in Croatia, broadcast live on national television. At the beginning of the celebrations, the mayor symbolically hands the key of the city to Meštar Toni, the "Master of the Carnival" who becomes "mayor" of the city during the event. On the same day, there is the election of the Queen of the Carnival. During the days that precede the great fashion show, local events are organized in all the cities around Rijeka, in which the Queen and Master Toni participate. The big city parade is organized on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday.

The Carnival of Aalborg – Denmark
May 17-25
Website

The carnival of Aalborg is the largest in northern Europe. The city of Aalborg has about 100,000 inhabitants and is located in northern Jutland. The carnival takes place in May. It is marked by three events: the Grand Parade, the Battle of Carnival Bands and Children’s Carnival. There are four groups of people who attend the Grand Parade and every group has its own departure point. The groups eventually meet up in the city center and go on celebrating together.

Notting Hill, United Kingdom
When: Aug. 24-26
Website

This spectacular carnival hosts one of the most important parades in Europe, the second in the world of the Caribbean genre, after those of Trinidad and Tobago. The carnival is celebrated in the summer, towards the end of August, in this famous district of the west part of London that is transformed every year into a destination similar to the Caribbean. The crowd reaches - or even exceeds – a million people. The participants, dressed in bright colors, dance to the rhythm of jazz, soul, hip-hop, funk or simply to the rhythm of percussion and drums.