Top 5: Carnivals this February

Venice Carnival © Creative Commons / Alaskan Dude

Italy: Venice Carnival

6-16 February

Reminiscent of the masked balls of the 18th century, the streets of Venice are filled with a sense of intrigue and decadence during this 10-day carnival. Head to St Mark's Square for music, theatre, acrobats and dance as festivities spill out along the canals, over the bridges and into the opulent palaces, which host a variety of masked balls.

Spain: Sitges Carnival

11-17 February

Known as the St Tropez of Spain, Sitges is a premiere beach destination just a short train ride from Barcelona and host to the week-long carnival antics. Some 250,000 revellers shake their stuff on the sands, gorge on local fare and marvel at the sequin-clad drag queens in the highly kitsch Debauchery Parade on Sunday evening, where around 2,500 participants parade around the cobbled streets and sea-front promenade.

Belgium: Carnaval de Binche

14-16 February

Definitely one of the most eccentric carnivals to be staged in Europe, the Carnaval de Binche centres around the March of the Gilles, when 800 moustached men parade around wearing wax masks and green glasses. The display is meant to be a depiction of Napoleon III, however, all the dancing and stick waving creates a bizzarre and amusing sight, especially when they start throwing blood oranges at the crowd. White linens are definitely not a good idea.

Germany: Cologne Carnival

15-21 February

Expect a lot of beer drinking, music, costumed balls, magnificent floats, eau de cologne and 40 tonnes of chocolate being thrown about. The Cologne Carnival is one of the biggest street parties in Europe and sees the old town transformed into a colourful feast as the city dons fancy dress and go stark raving mad, dancing in the streets and knocking back the kölsch, Cologne's favourite tipple.

Switzerland: Basel Carnival

22-24 February

In the early hours of the 22 February, Basel's electricity is turned off, torchbearers illuminate the streets and a Carnival Queen is crowned in the clandestine-like ritual. Things are slightly more cheery for the next 3 days as the city abandons itself to revelry with brass bands, floats, processions, singing and a kids carnival on the Tuesday with face painting, dressing up and hoardes of chocolate.

* Check out our South Africa World Cup City Guide: Part 1 (Part 2 out on 1 March).
* Stuck for inspiration? Read our guide to Cliché-free Valentine's breaks.
* Read our latest review on La Kitchen restaurant in Madrid.