FANCY SOME FLAMBOYANCE BUT CAN'T JUSTIFY JETTING OFF TO RIO? 
AS CARNIVAL SEASON APPROACHES FLIGHTGIFTCARD CURATES A GUIDE TO THE BEST CARNIVALS CLOSER TO HOME

Grab your sequins and feathers and get ready to party, because February is the beginning of carnival season, with colourful celebrations to rival Rio held across Europe.

With one-way flights to Brazil costing upwards of £500, and flights to European carnival hotspots available for less than £50 in some cases, it's easy to grab a piece of the carnival action. 

After a cultural masquerade in Venice, extravagance in Cádiz, drag queen flamboyance in Tenerife, or family friendly carnival fun in Basel? Check out this round-up of the top European carnivals, courtesy of Flightgiftcard.

1. Tenerife, Spain (27 Feb – 10 Mar)

Dances, concerts, fireworks and crazy costumes… Every year more than half a million people descend upon the island of Tenerife for the biggest Carnival in Europe. The closing ceremony famously includes a 24-hour party! Visitors can also enjoy the crowning ceremony for the (drag) Queen of the Carnival contest and costume parades.

Flights to Tenerife start from £42 return.

2. Venice, Italy (23 Feb – 5 Mar)

Get your masks at the ready for the most extravagant and elegant Carnival event. Carnival in Venice traverses both past and present, starting with the two-day Festa Veneziana regatta along the main canal. Visitors can expect parades with traditional fancy dress and spectacular masks against the backdrop of city squares and canals.

Venice Carnival is a civilised affair despite the OTT outfits, with tickets to the Gran Ballo delle Maschere (mega masked party) selling out in minutes. Spectators can expect a plethora of parades to watch, including the Best Masked Costume Contest and the Festa delle Marie. Get your camera ready!

Flights to Venice start from £41 return.

3. Basel, Switzerland (11-13 Mar)

Basel Carnival in Switzerland attracts 500,000 visitors a year. The festivities kick off early (4am) with the Morgenstreich, when all the lights are switched off and 200 people walk through the city centre, accompanied by hand-painted lanterns. For the next three days, scores of marching bands and costumed paraders throw sweets and confetti at the crowds.

Flights to Basel start from £68 return.

4. Cádiz, Spain (28 Feb – 10 Mar)

Cádiz's annual Carnaval is epic, with tens of thousands filling the streets while groups entertain the crowd. Expect satirical songs, performers, costumed parades and children's entertainers. The highlight is the closing ceremony, with spectacular performances culminating in the somewhat bizarre cermony of the 'Burial of the Sardine' on Ash Wednesday, when “mourners” carry a mock sardine through the streets and burn it at the end of the procession.

Flights to Jerez (Cádiz) start from £84 return.

5. Acireale, Sicily (17 Feb – 5 Mar)

North of Catania, the coastal city of Acireale sees crowds follow masked and costumed dancers and attend a multitude of concerts. Look for elaborate papier-mâché floats, decorated with flowers and confetti. Such is the carnival's popularity, they do it all again in the first week of August!

Flights to Catania start from £94 return.

6. Rumšiškės, Lithuania (26 Feb)

Celebrated throughout Lithuania, carnival is one of the most important dates in the calendar. Masked parades, staged fights, and the burning of a giant witch-like character (More), which symbolises the end of winter, are just some of the highlights. The National Folk Museum in Rumšiškės welcomes 20 folk groups for a craft food fair and mask contest. Make sure to sample a traditional Lithuanian pancake.

Flights to Kaunas start from £55 return.

7. Binche, Belgium (3-6 Mar)

With origins in the 14th century, the Carnival of Binche has been recognised by UNESCO as having exceptional heritage and the folklore event is a real rite of passage for locals. Wake up early (4am) on Shrove Tuesday to prepare for the day's events – 1,000 men dressed in spooky wax masks parade through the town, while children dress as harlequins – warding off evil spirits with wooden sticks.

Flights to Brussels start from £43 return.

-Ends- 

*Fares referenced are valid for travel between 1-28 February via Skyscanner. All flights depart from London airports. Prices correct as of 17 January 2019. Flights are calculated to nearest airport; additional driving/transport may be required.

Notes to Editors:

Flightgiftcard & Hotelgift co-founders, Loes Daniels & Jorik Schroder, are available for interview or comment upon request.

For further press information contact:

Jo Kendall | | Elsa Findlay | Julie Aguilera
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E: flightgift@rooster.co.uk | Hotelgift@rooster.co.uk
W: www.rooster.co.uk

About Flightgiftcard & Hotelgift:

Flightgiftcard is the world's only flight gift card brand. Hotelgift is the number one hotel gift card brand.

With no catch and no limitations, Flightgiftcard and Hotelgift's monetary value provides giftees complete freedom to book wherever and whenever they want.

Both gift card options can be redeemed, via the Flightgiftcard and Hotelgift website, for flights with over 300 airlines, and over 110,000 hotels worldwide.

With short and long-haul flights to 980 destinations across the globe, recipients of a Flightgiftcard will find flights to suit all budgets and requirements.

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Set up in the Netherlands in 2014 and operating in the UK from July 2016, Hotelgift launched officially in the UK on 21 November 2017.