For those holidaymakers who have yet to decide how to spend their summer vacation this year, consider spending it in Europe, and avoid the crowds that are expected to descend on the UK for the 2012 London Olympics Games.
In the summer Europe offers numerous events and activities for both local and international visitors, and here are just a few suggestions. The Paris Street Music Festival is held annually in Paris, France, on June 21, 2012. Also known as the ‘Fete de la Musique’, it is open to any amateur or professional musician who wishes to perform in it. The concerts are held on roadsides and public open spaces, as well as in cafes and bars. Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for culture, the Fete de la Musique is currently held, not only in Paris, but in around a hundred other countries in Europe and across the world, celebrating the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.
Italy is hosting its historic festival, the Sagra de San Giovanni, on the banks of Lake Como, during the last weekend of June. The festival includes the casting of hundreds of floating lamps on to the lake, a series of firework displays, performances of art and dancing, and an early morning parade of decorated boats.
For visitors to Spain, August is the month when the Valencia Tomato Fight Festival, La Tomatina, is held in the town of Bunol, where participants throw tomatoes at each other. Held on the last Wednesday of August, the festival sees hordes of tourists descend on Bunol to participate in the event. Around 40 metric tons of tomatoes are thrown during the festival every year.
