Top 5 alternative festivals

1. Rocamadour Balloon Festival
Dordogne, France

During the final weekend of September, the skies above the gravity-defying pilgrims’ town of Rocamadour – itself one of the most famous sights in France – are filled with colour, as well as the rasping breath of helium burners, as hot-air balloons from all over Europe drift skywards in front of this UNESCO-protected site. Named after the French engineers who, way back in 1793, made the world’s first successful flight, the Montgolfiades de Rocamadour is a two-day celebration that enchants all who come to see it, and spreads among them an infectious spirit of adventure. This really is the most glorious of settings in which to watch these delightful dirigibles take flight.

Watch them fly: visit this spectacular corner of the Dordogne on a week-long walking holiday, Paths to Rocamadour (or the longer version, Long Trail to Rocamadour); or on a cycling holiday through The Dordogne Valley.

2. Cous Cous Fest - San Vito Lo Capo
Sicily, Italy

Who knew there was an entire 10-day festival dedicated to steamed balls of durum wheat? Now in its third decade, Sicily’s Cous Cous Fest is not just grains and granules, though; it doubles as the International Cultural Integration Festival, and the streets of this beautifully located seaside town sway to a decidedly multi-ethnic beat during late-September each year. The appeal of couscous lies in its diverse uses, and among this year’s participants will be chefs from Italy, Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, France, Israel, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, the United States and Tunisia; while the accompanying music and dancing is bound to make the place pulse. (Sorry – a terrible pun that we just couldn’t resist!)

Get a flavour: San Vito Lo Capo can be visited on a touring holiday by car, Western Sicily's Temples & Coast.

3. 66th Cows' Ball
Bohinj, Slovenia

If we were impressed at the longevity of the Cous Cous Fest, we can only marvel at the Cows’ Ball in Bohinj, which celebrated its 66th birthday this September. What better way to spend a Sunday than to take a walk to the 60-metre-high Slap Savica waterfall, then join in with time-honoured festivities welcoming cows back to the valley floor? Having spent the spring and summer grazing Slovenia’s Julian Alps, these venerable beasts return to be garlanded with flowers, their herdsmen bearing basenga on their shoulders – everything they need to sustain themselves back in the lowlands. Expect much music and merriment, plus a plentiful supply of local cheese.

Honour the beasts: Lake Bohinj is a highlight of the walking holiday amid The Lakes & Julian Alps of Slovenia.

4. Begur 'Indians Fair'
Catalonia, Spain

Fira d’Indians, held in early September by the unspoiled northern Costa Brava, celebrates the unbreakable bond that exists between Begur and Cuba. It remembers those townsfolk who set sail to the Caribbean during the 19th century in search of riches. Many of those who returned – the so-called Americanos – built flamboyant casas Indianos as a way of recreating their Cuban lifestyles; and these houses, several of which still grace the streets of Begur today, provide a rich cultural legacy. All of this comes memorably to life during the Indians’ Fair, with contagious Cuban rhythms, havanera songs, street shows and a wide variety of cultural activities. There are also traditional crafts and a market with a suitably exotic slant, the whole event providing a tantalising taste of the Americas.

Feel the rhythm: The striking town of Begur features on the Along the Catalan Coast walking holiday, plus the shorter version, A Taste of the Catalan Coast.

5. Alphornblasen
Bavaria, Germany

On four evenings during July and August, a gathering of alpine horn players takes place high above the town of Bischofswiesen in south-east Germany’s Berchtesgadener Land. Captivated by views of the surrounding massifs of Watzmann, Hoher Göll and Schlafende Hexe, locals and visitors alike are equally entranced by the deep notes emanating from these magnificent musical instruments, with melodies floating high across the surrounding landscape. This might look and feel like a bit of a Bavarian cliché, but when the experience is as memorable as this, who cares?

Have a blast: Where Eagles Soar is a hotel-to-hotel walking holiday that explores the very best of Berchtesgadener Land, while the 3-night short break provides a rewarding taster.

Wine festivals galore

How could we possibly compile a list of alternative festivals without paying homage to the noble grape? In truth, the wondrous wine celebrations, both large and small, that are held in various Inntravel holiday destinations across Europe – particularly during the grape harvest – could form a ‘top 50’ all of their own, but there are a couple worth mentioning here:
• Törggelen festivities in the northern Italian region of South Tyrol each year launch the area’s ’new wine’, which is accompanied by regional foodstuffs such as speck, dumplings and chestnuts.
• The impossibly pretty village of Bergheim in Alsace is the perfect venue for the summertime Fête du Gewurztraminer, celebrating the region’s most characteristic and complex varietal. Inntravel's chosen hotel, the welcoming Cour du Bailli, is owned by a pre-eminent producer and is a great place to stay.