{"id":5083,"date":"2021-12-20T08:58:11","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T03:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=5083"},"modified":"2024-08-06T15:57:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T10:27:23","slug":"6-best-christmas-festivals-from-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/beyond-uni\/6-best-christmas-festivals-from-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Best Christmas Festivals from around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

The happiest time of the year is upon us with warm sweaters, hot chocolates, and lots of festivities! The world is soaking in a Christmas spirit right now. But if you\u2019re out there on your study abroad<\/strong><\/a> journey, this Christmas is going to be a whole new experience for you. Filled with presents, traditions, and colorful lit trees, Christmas is celebrated extensively around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s dive into some of the best Christmas festivals<\/strong> from around the globe. If you happen to be in any one of these cities, be sure to attend them with your uni friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

WINTER WONDERLAND \u2013 UK<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We cannot possibly talk about Christmas festivals without mentioning the UK. Winter Wonderland is Europe\u2019s biggest Christmas festival which is attended by over two million people every year. Filled with shopping stalls, festive banners, and delicious holiday treats, the Winter Wonderland takes place in Hyde Park every year. Let the child in you break free as you enjoy the 200-foot-high observation wheel, mind-boggling roller coasters, and circus shows.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dates: November \u2013 January\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Hyde Park, London, UK<\/span><\/p>\n

12 DAY CHRISTMAS MARKET \u2013 IRELAND<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ring in Christmas in Ireland the wild way! The Irish have their own way of welcoming Santa with a lavish 12 Day Christmas market. This extravagant market continues for two whole weeks where you can soak up the festive decorations, have lots of Irish whiskey, and shop till you drop from the many stalls that are set up every year. There is also an interesting tradition of taking a Christmas morning swim in the 40-foot sea water pool. If you are in Dublin this year, make sure you don\u2019t miss the market of the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dates: December \u2013 January<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Dublin, Ireland<\/span><\/p>\n

FANTASY IN LIGHTS \u2013 USA<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The USA has tons of Christmas festivals around this time. But none of them are as spectacular as the Fantasy in Lights, Georgia. For the last 25 years, Pine Mountain in Georgia organises breathtaking Christmas light displays which btw cause minimum pollution. You can enjoy the lights, take a ride on the Jolly Trolly with the narration of Christmas stories, and much more. Also, there is a Christmas Village shop from where you can source holiday trinkets for your friends or take a picture with Santa Claus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Date: November \u2013 January\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia, USA\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can always connect with fellow peeps on the University Living<\/strong> community<\/a> page to discuss and plan holiday outings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE \u2013 FINLAND<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Barge right into the home of Father Christmas at the Santa Claus Village in Finland. This annual festival gives you a real glimpse into the home of Santa Claus accompanied by food, drinks, and Christmas lights. Primary attractions include Santa Claus\u2019s post office from where all the presents are dispatched and of course the Northern Lights at Finland\u2019s Arctic Garden. If you manage to reach here, don\u2019t forget to dress appropriately for the extreme Arctic temperatures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Date: November \u2013 December<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL IN STRASBOURG \u2013 FRANCE<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Strasbourg Holiday Market may be Europe\u2019s oldest Christmas celebration dating back to 1570. Attracting millions of people every year, the Strasbourg Holiday Market is famous for its mulled wine and festive decorations. Enjoy the buzz of the holidays along with the numerous local stalls selling unique French trinkets. There\u2019s a big old Christmas tree that can give the Rockefeller Centre a run for its money. If you happen to be in France at this time of the year, you should definitely put the Strasbourg Holiday Market on your list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Date: November \u2013 December<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Grande Ile, Strasbourg, France<\/span><\/p>\n

BUDAPEST CHRISTMAS FAIR \u2013 HUNGARY<\/strong><\/h2>\n

East Europe has its own way of ringing the post-popular festival of the year. The Budapest Christmas Fair is one of a kind that you wouldn\u2019t want to miss. It is held in Vorosmarty Square in Budapest. The whole square transforms into a Christmas village with wooden cottages, shops selling holiday goodies, and the best of food and beverage. Grab a glass of mulled wine and some holiday cookies as you explore this block with your gang.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Date: November \u2013 December<\/span><\/p>\n

Location: Vorosmarty Square, Budapest, Hungary\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, these are some of the major Christmas festivals. More such holiday fairs and events are organized in every city all over the world. So no matter where you are, there will always be a joyous festival to get you into the Christmas spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The happiest time of the year is upon us with warm sweaters, hot chocolates, and lots of festivities! The world is soaking in a Christmas spirit right now. But if you\u2019re out there on your study abroad journey, this Christmas is going to be a whole new experience for you. Filled with presents, traditions, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[978],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-beyond-uni"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}