Best festivals 2026: Eight Festivals Not to Miss This Winter
- The editorial team
- Dec 29, 2025
- 9 min read
The festive season is soon coming to an end, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun. From cutting-edge music showcases to carnivals shaped by centuries of ritual, these are the European festivals in January, February and March 2026 worth travelling for.
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Celtic Connections – Glasgow, Scotland
Celtic Connections is one of Europe’s most beloved winter music festivals, transforming Scotland’s largest city into a vibrant hub of folk, roots, world and contemporary music every January and early February. Since its founding in 1994, the festival has grown into a cultural institution, celebrated not only for its eclectic lineup but for the genuine connection it fosters between artists and audiences.
Over three weeks, Glasgow comes alive with hundreds of events showcasing established performers, rising stars and surprising collaborations that often happen only at Celtic Connections. You’ll find everything from full-band headline concerts in grand theatres to intimate late-night sessions in traditional pubs, ambient folk evenings in church venues and experimental cross-genre collaborations that reflect the global reach of Celtic music. Workshops, panel talks and community events complement the music, offering visitors a chance to dive deeper into instrument techniques, song traditions and storytelling practices that are part of the folk lineage.
Glasgow is regularly ranked among the world’s friendliest cities, and it boasts a celebrated cultural scene that extends well beyond the festival’s programme. The city’s compact centre is easy to navigate on foot or by tram, with historic Victorian architecture alongside contemporary developments such as the SSE Hydro and the modern galleries in the Merchant City district.
Beyond concerts, travellers can explore world-class museums, many of which are free, such as the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, or enjoy contemporary art at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). Glasgow’s café culture, lively pubs and international dining scene make it easy to balance festival schedules with relaxed city exploration.
Dates: 15 January - 1 February
Website: https://www.celticconnections.com
Nordlysfestivalen – Tromsø, Norway
Nordlysfestivalen — the Northern Lights Festival — brings world-class music to one of Europe's most dramatic winter landscapes. Held in Tromsø, deep above the Arctic Circle, this festival blends classical music, jazz, opera and contemporary performances in atmospheric settings that include historic churches, intimate cultural venues and modern concert halls. Rather than overwhelming scale, the emphasis is on quality programming, thoughtful curation and immersive experiences that complement the stark beauty of the polar night.
For international travellers, Nordlysfestivalen delivers two extraordinary experiences in one trip: exceptional music and the chance to witness the aurora borealis, one of nature's most breathtaking phenomena. Tromsø is one of Europe's most reliable places to see the northern lights during winter.
Tromsø's latitude offers long hours of darkness in January and February, peak aurora season. While the lights cannot be guaranteed, the best chances occur when skies are clear and solar activity is high. Many visitors book guided tours that take them away from city light pollution to coastal sites, mountain lookouts or open plains where the aurora appears most vivid. Popular local departure points include the Lyngen Alps and the islands of Kvaløya and Sommarøy, each reachable within 1–2 hours by coach or minibus from Tromsø. Read more about Tromsø: The coolest city break in Europe
Dates: 29 January - 7 February
Website: https://www.nordlysfestivalen.no/en
Eurosonic Noorderslag – Groningen, Netherlands
Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) is Europe's premier winter music platform, a four-day showcase festival and industry conference that transforms the Dutch city of Groningen into a hive of musical discovery every January. For artists, agents and talent scouts, ESNS is where careers are launched; for international travellers, it's a chance to dive deep into Europe's most exciting emerging music before it hits stadiums and summer stages across the continent. From January 14–17, 2026, more than 300 acts from some 39 countries will perform across nearly 40 venues in the city's compact centre, creating a non-stop rotation of pop, electronic, indie, folk, hip-hop and experimental sounds that reflect the diversity of the continent's music scene.
Beyond the music, ESNS Art adds an extra creative dimension to the festival experience. Running alongside the concerts, this visual arts programme spans public spaces, cultural institutions and gallery windows across Groningen, offering festival-goers free or discounted access to installations, exhibitions and collaborative works. For the 40th anniversary edition in 2026, ESNS has partnered with local institutions such as Noorderlicht, Academie Minerva and the Groninger Archives to present new and archival work that reflects four decades of European pop culture. Highlights include large-scale video installations on the Grote Markt, a photography exhibition tracing artists' early careers (from small ESNS stages to international success), and student-led reinterpretations of festival imagery installed throughout the city.
Between sets, visitors can explore the city's historic streets, canals and cafés, or visit the Groninger Museum, which often offers ESNS ticket holders discounts on winter exhibitions. Fly into Amsterdam Schiphol and reach Groningen by train in about 2½ hours. Venues are easily walkable, and Groningen's student energy adds warmth to long evenings of discovery. Booking for festival tickets and accommodation is strongly recommended, as the city fills quickly around this globally anticipated event.
Dates: 14th to 17th of January
Website: https://esns.nl
Surva Festival – Pernik, Bulgaria
Surva is one of Europe's most visceral and ancient winter festivals. Every year, the town of Pernik — about 30 kilometres southwest of Bulgaria's capital Sofia — hosts thousands of kukeri, costumed figures wearing ornate handcrafted masks, towering headdresses, fur-trimmed garments and heavy cowbells. The festival's central belief is that these figures, through sound, movement and presence, can drive away evil spirits and usher in health and prosperity for the coming year.
Surva offers a festival experience that feels elemental and authentic: loud, rhythmic, and infused with ancient symbolism. This is not a polished parade on a set schedule so much as a spontaneous procession of sound and colour, and part of its magic lies in the unpredictable moments and interactions with local participants who have grown up with these rituals.
Pernik itself is a small Bulgarian city with a strong industrial heritage and a warm, community-oriented atmosphere. While its fame largely rests on Surva, the city offers visitors a chance to explore local life beyond the festival grounds. Cobblestone streets, Soviet-era architecture and simple, welcoming cafés reflect a slower pace — a contrast to the bustle of Sofia. The Regional History Museum in Pernik provides context for the area's past, including exhibits on local culture, ethnography and the origins of Surva itself.
Dates: 16 January - 25 January
Website: https://surva.org
February 2026
Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is widely regarded as Europe's most vibrant carnival and the second-largest in the world, second only to Rio de Janeiro in scale and spectacle. Declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest in 1980, it transforms the streets of Santa Cruz — the lively capital of Tenerife in the Canary Islands — into an exuberant, open-air stage of music, colour and costume each winter.
Held in February 2026 with key events from 11–22 February, the carnival builds over many days with a carefully woven programme that blends official competitions, gala evenings, street parades and spontaneous celebrations. Highlights include the Gala for the Election of the Carnival Queen, where contestants parade in elaborate gowns often weighing tens of kilograms; the electrifying Ritmo y Armonía dance march, steeped in rhythm and choreography; and the climactic Grand Parade (Coso Apoteosis) along Avenida de Anaga, a procession of float-laden comparsas, murgas (comic musical troupes) and costumed dancers that can last several hours and draws tens of thousands of spectators.
Beyond these marquee events, streets across the city fill with music and dance from morning into the early hours. Daytime carnivals, known locally as Carnaval de Día, bring free performances and live bands in plazas such as Plaza de la Candelaria, Plaza del Príncipe and Plaza Weyler, while spontaneous dancing often continues through adjacent streets, bars and cafés.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife itself is an ideal setting for a carnival. With a population of around 210,000, the city blends its history as a strategic Atlantic port with a modern cultural life rich in museums, architecture and subtropical climes year-round. Strolling its waterfront reveals landmarks such as the wave-shaped Auditorio de Tenerife, designed by Santiago Calatrava, while historic plazas like Plaza de España and Mercado Nuestra Señora de África buzz with local life and markets. Visitors can also explore contemporary art at TEA (Tenerife Espacio de las Artes) or enjoy subtropical gardens that dot the urban landscape.
Flights from mainland Europe land at Tenerife North Airport, just a short taxi or bus ride from the city centre, and public transport expands during carnival weeks to accommodate crowds. Because the carnival draws huge numbers — hundreds of thousands have attended in recent years — booking accommodation and key event tickets well in advance is essential, especially for the marquee parades and gala nights.
Read more about Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Santa Cruz de Tenerife: 14 must-sees
Dates: Key events from 11–22 February
Website: https://carnavaldetenerife.com/en/
Basler Fasnacht – Basel, Switzerland
The Basler Fasnacht is another European carnival not to miss this February. Rather than a sunlit, samba-style street party, it begins in deep pre-dawn darkness. The festival formally starts at 4:00 a.m. on the Monday after Ash Wednesday, when the city lights go dark and Morgenstreich — the lantern-lit opening parade — begins. For three days, the streets and squares fill with Cliques (groups of costumed participants), each playing piccolos and drums in ever-shifting rhythms, moving through carefully choreographed routes that locals know by heart but first-time visitors find spellbinding.
There are no official stages or ticketed arenas; instead, performances unfold throughout the city’s Old Town and along the banks of the Rhine, inviting visitors to wander, discover and absorb the layered spectacle with local crowds. Because the festival follows a strict timetable — full of early starts and precise routes — it’s worth planning where to be and when to avoid missing key moments like the lantern procession or the central parades.
Basel itself is a city of striking contrasts. Sitting on the borders of Switzerland, France and Germany, it combines Swiss organisation with cosmopolitan energy. Its compact old town is a tapestry of narrow medieval streets, Gothic spires, and elegant squares like Marktplatz, home to the red-sandstone Town Hall with its painted facade and clock tower.
Read more about Basel: Basel: Eurovision's Encore and a Symphony of Swiss Delights
Dates: 23-25 February
March 2026
Tremor Festival – São Miguel, Azores
Tremor Festival is one of Europe’s most distinctive spring events, blurring the line between music festival, art project and destination journey. Rather than concentrating performances in a single venue, Tremor unfolds across São Miguel island, with concerts staged in theatres, industrial spaces, rural buildings and sometimes directly in the landscape. The programme leans towards adventurous and experimental music, mixing international artists with Portuguese talent and site-specific performances that make the island itself part of the experience.
Between concerts, audiences move through volcanic terrain, coastal villages and forested interiors, often discovering parts of the island they might otherwise miss. March is an ideal time to visit the Azores — mild, green and largely crowd-free — adding to the sense of intimacy and discovery.
Outside the festival programme, São Miguel rewards slow exploration. Highlights include the emerald-green crater lakes of Sete Cidades, the steaming fumaroles and geothermal cooking pots of Furnas, and the ocean-facing hot springs at Ponta da Ferraria, best visited at low tide. The island’s capital, Ponta Delgada, offers a compact historic centre, seafood restaurants and cafés, making it an easy base for festival days.
Dates: 24-28 March
Website: https://www.tremor-pdl.com
Country to Country Festival – London, Glasgow & Belfast
Country to Country (C2C) Festival has become Europe’s biggest country music celebration, bringing the heart and soul of Nashville to the UK each March. Spread across three major cities, C2C turns large arenas and neighbouring venues into stages for some of the biggest names in country music alongside rising stars and songwriter showcases. The festival is designed to appeal to both die-hard fans and newcomers, with a lineup that spans mainstream chart-toppers, Americana artists, roots performers and collaborative sets you won’t hear anywhere else.
Unlike single-site festivals, C2C operates as a multi-city, multi-venue event over the same weekend, usually with three headline shows in each city. You can choose a single city as your base and enjoy a weekend of standout concerts, or combine cities if you’re keen on broader exploration. While the headline shows sell out quickly, many of the smaller events — held in city-centre venues — often include both ticketed and free sessions that offer a more personal, up-close experience with artists.
All host cities are well connected by air and rail, and festival venues are centrally located with excellent transport links. Whether you’re a country fan or simply curious about a major music event outside the typical summer-festival calendar, C2C offers a vibrant blend of big names, local talent and authentic fan culture.
Read more about London: www.dagama.travel/london
Dates: 13-15 March
Website: https://c2c-countrytocountry.com
