Europe is full of festivals that many consider to be ‘must do’s’ when they are working and travelling in the UK. Most of them happen annually, but some happen as rarely as once every ten years.

For many South African guys, life would not be complete without a visit to the beer fest in Munich, also known as Oktoberfest, although it actually starts in September!  The atmosphere in Munich is amazing and a great place to be.  Most of the German beer companies have huge tents that line the festival ground Р within each tent is seating for hundreds of people, as well as the ‘oompah’ band that will have you raising your steins and singing along before you know it.  Having been there myself, I can highly recommend going to see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Also in Germany, and something that occurs only once every ten years, is the Oberammergau Passion Play. It tells the story of the last days of Christ and contains dialogue as well as choral music. The play was first performed by the villagers in 1634, and in 2010 is expected to attract 500,000 people between May and October.  Bookings have already opened for next year, and can be booked through GMW Travel.  You could also combine this trip with a visit to Austria or Switzerland, or take in the Italian Lake of Venice Verona or for a truly spiritual holiday, you could venture to Rome and Assisi as well.

In Spain, the running of the bulls in Pamplona is also extremely popular on the party route and takes place at the start of July. This is where the bulls run through the streets and end up in the stadium for a traditional bull fight.

The end of August sees the world’s biggest arts festival taking place in Edinburgh and is very similar to our own Grahamstown Festival.  You can see a mix of comedy, drama and music where the town buzzes twenty four hours a day. This is also extremely popular with artists from home and you are sure to find a few South African performers flying our flag high. The great thing about the Edinburgh Festival is that you can get there very cheaply either by driving, taking the bus or the train. There are also many organised tours so you could just sit back and let a tour company do all the work for you! 
And as it takes place over the bank holiday weekend, you can really maximise your time there and make the most of it.

Another extremely popular annual event is one for the ladies -  Ladies Day at Royal Ascot. This horse racing event, just outside London, is an ideal opportunity for the girls to dress up, put on a fancy hat and drink champagne all day. It is always a great day out and trips can be organised through GMW.

Although we are still in June, it is also wise to book ahead for the Christmas markets around Europe to secure your places at cheap prices so you have more to spend on the Christmas market goodies. These markets are usually held in the town square and have all the traditional Christmas food, wine and decorations to buy. The best deal at the moment is to the Christmas market in Lille for Ј85, but there are many more around Europe like Cologne, Budapest, Bruges, Aachen and Valkenburg.