Oktoberfest and 5 more! This year make your October memorable

The best time to go for a vacation is when the city and its people come alive. The festivals in October attract millions of people from around the world and has got something for everybody! Here’s our hand-picked list of not-to-be-missed celebrations for the year 2015.

Alba International White Truffle Fair

Oct 11 – Nov 15, 2016 | Alba, Italy

You want to come to Italy, see mushrooms that fetch thousand dollars a pound, and eat some of them? This is the festival from the list of festivals in October meant for you.

What Makes It So Great?

So, what’s the fuss? Historically, these musky, aromatic members of the mushroom family, irregular and knobby in shape, have been prized for their aphrodisiac and medicinal qualities, and as a delicacy. Truffles have been known to fetch upwards of several thousand dollars a pound and are best consumed raw within three days of harvesting. Truffles grow slowly about a foot underground and in symbiosis with host trees (either oak or hazelnut), so you can’t find them with the naked eye. They often require years to reach full maturity and their harvesting necessitates the assistance of pigs (historically) and dogs, more recently, who sniff out the best ones. (Pigs are more difficult to work with since they often will not only find, but also eat the truffle.) With the worldwide burgeoning interest in all things food, the fair has grown in stature; 2013 saw the inaugural year of the Truffle Fair live in New York—a simulcast of sorts. Italian restaurateur and cook Lidia Bastianich served as the ambassador for New York City, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony while in Alba itself, the mayors of 90 cities of the Langhe and Roero areas in Piedmont served as the ambassadors.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Another fav from festivals in October is Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Come see 750 gas and hot-air balloons floating gracefully in a Technicolor ballet above the serene New Mexico landscape.

What Makes It So Great?

The fiesta grew steadily in size every year until 2000 when over a thousand entrants forced officials to cap the official number of balloons participating in the race at 750. This limitation emphasized a quality over quantity aesthetic that has upped the ante for balloon design each year, yielding exclusively elaborate and colorful balloons for what has become the biggest balloon convention in the world with both European style balloons filled with precious helium gas and the more common fire-warmed hot-air balloons, whose glowing side effect is utilized in the night flights.

Amsterdam Dance Event

Oct 14 – 18, 2016 | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Worldwide club music happenings fuse with industry conferences in Amsterdam’s ultimate festival.

What Makes It So Great?

Amsterdam Dance event is a five-day industry and entertainment extravaganza scattered across 115 reputable venues throughout the iconic Netherlands’ capital city. The festival boasts some of the biggest names in the international electronic club scene as well as its fair share of up-and-comers and underground artists. ADE takes place in October, meaning it bookends the tourist travel season and shares September’s usually favourable weather, providing attendees with exciting sights and sounds to feast their senses upon. In its entirety, ADE involves an astronomical 450 conference and music events – including over 2,200 DJs. It’s all business during the day with presentations and networking opportunities at ADE Pro, ADE Tech, HDE, ADE University, ADE Next and ADE Green. Things really take off at night, when the who’s who of club music creators and aficionados take over the town.

Ibiza Closing Parties

Sep 16 – Oct 4, 2016 | Ibiza, Spain

 The Mediterranean islands off of Spain have long been a mecca for sun and beats worshippers.

What Makes It So Great?

You might be asking yourself the same question we did: Are parties on Ibiza really considered a festival? We believe Ibiza is a festival island of sorts — where food, fun, beach and endless festivities are never more than a short stroll away. Come summertime, pale northern Europeans, slinky Eastern Euros and the Western “it” crowd hop on a short flight to the balmy Balearic islands. The clear Mediterranean waters are as inviting as the infinite options of electronic dance music. For many, this is what they have been waiting all year for. Ibiza is a celebration of summer, from sunrise to sunset and back again. At the end of the season, you can experience the biggest parties of all: the closing parties. One last summer kiss goodbye, one last party to welcome winter.

The Village Halloween Parade

What Makes It So Great?

Remember the excitement and anticipation of Halloween when you were a kid? That magical time of year when the light seemed a little more golden, the air a little crisper, when pumpkins would start to appear on porches and you and your friends would plan your costumes, what your trick-or-treating route would be, and whom you would play pranks on. As you got older, maybe the magic started to fade a bit, maybe it was replaced with your own child’s excitement. There’s no need to live vicariously through the little ones though, nor is there a need for nostalgia to be your sole source of joy on Halloween. Just ask the two million-plus people who attend New York City’s Village Halloween Parade each year. Dressing up isn’t just for kids.

Oktoberfest

Strap on your lederhosen and tap your beer­-guzzling inner self: Munich’s Oktoberfest is a modern day bacchanal and the world’s biggest fair.

What Makes It So Great?

To some, Oktoberfest is German for “massive consumption of beer,” and while that’s part of the festival, it’s not the whole story. Beer, after all, is more than a drink for the residents of Munich, it’s a way of life, and integrated into the cultural fabric of the city. But prodigious beer drinking hasn’t always been the focus of the festival. To locals, it’s called “die Wiesn,” after the name of the Theresienwiese Fairgrounds. When founded in 1810, Oktoberfest celebrated the marriage of the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe­ Hildburghausenwith a horse race. The race featured prominently in the festivities until 1960, at which point the festival had become world famous and steeped in other traditions. It’s changed over the 200­-year history, most significantly with the addition of bratwurst, electricity and glass beer steins (in that order and importance).

Any or all of these festivals in October caught your eye? In conclusion, our international tour packages offer an exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in the festive spirit of the world-renowned Oktoberfest. Whether you’re a beer connoisseur or simply looking to join in the merriment, our International tour packages ensure a memorable and unforgettable Oktoberfest experience.