We’re always told that it’s a small world, but it can seem pretty overwhelming when we’re trying to settle upon a venue for a summer vacation. With so many major cities in the world offering a variety of activities, how can you be expected to settle on just one destination? Allow us to help.
This guide will talk you through the events taking place in major cities throughout the world in June 2017, ensuring that you’ll be able to get a clearer indication of which locale best suits your interests and needs. Travel safely, and enjoy!
London
While there is no such thing as predictable weather in Merry Olde England, June is a month in which you are most likely to get away packing sandals and sun cream as opposed to umbrellas and winter coats.
Best of all, as the start of the summer season in Blighty’s capital, there are bags of outdoor events taking place throughout the course of the month.
Wimbledon
Image Credit: Georgio
Perhaps the most popular and prominent is the world’s oldest lawn tennis championship Wimbledon. While the tournament officially opens on July 3rd, qualifying rounds take place in the last week of June and, for the first time, this year tickets are available to the public.
Why not enjoy some strawberries and cream whilst watching some top-class tennis, and see if you can spot the next Roger Federer or Serena Williams amidst the aspiring athletes?
Royal Ascot
Image Credit David Jones
If you want even more sporting activities, a chance to dress up and potentially rub shoulders with the rich and famous, Royal Ascot is the place to be for some of the greatest horse racing in the world.
Thursday is ‘Ladies Day’ where women have the chance to show off their finery (particularly hats) and men are elegantly dressed in morning suits and top hats.
London Zoo
Image Credit: Adam W
Elsewhere, the city’s famous zoo opens its doors for adults-only Zoo Nights every Friday evening of the month. Mooch around observing the animals, listen to fascinating talks from experts and enjoy fantastic food and drinks at these special events.
Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever!
Alternatively, if you’re looking for something a little more highbrow, the popular artist Grayson Perry is hosting the humbly-monikered Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! in Kensington’s Serpentine Gallery between the 8th and the 30th.
Trooping the Colour: Queen’s Birthday Parade
June 17th is the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, meaning pomp, ceremony and a celebration of all things British at the Trooping of the Colour; expect a parade throughout the streets on this date, with the monarch herself addressing the crowds.
Taste of London Festival
Image Credit: Kent Wang
Elsewhere, the sunny climate brings out the foodies; the Taste of London festival will unfold in Regent’s Park from the 14th to the 18th, where countless famous restaurants of the city offer their tasty wares to sample.
Copenhagen
Are you ready to rock? Then get yourself to the historic Danish capital of Copenhagen between June 25th-27th.
Roskilde Festival
The island of Roskilde is less than thirty minutes away, and in addition to being packed with Viking history this ancient city hosts the world-famous 9-stage Roskilde music festival.
Image Credit: Stig Nygaard
2017’s line-up will see marquee names including the Foo Fighters, Ice Cube, The XX, Arcade Fire, The Weekend, Blink-182 and many, many more entertaining thousands of delighted attendees.
Copenhagen Photo Festival
If you’re around for a while, however, there’s plenty more to occupy your time in the big city. The Copenhagen Photo Festival is a guerilla event that will unfold all over the city from the 1st to the 11th, with every square acre of the capital covered with exhibits from professional and amateur photographers.
Copenhagen Street Carnival
Image Credit: Søren Bie
The Copenhagen Street Carnival will be taking place on the 2nd and 3rd, with dancers from all over the world shaking their stuff in a variety of colorful outfits – and if that inspires you, you can enjoy sets from superstar DJs at the Copenhagen Dance Festival between the 16th and 18th.
June also kicks off the summer season in Copenhagen, which means that not only will the streets by filled with revelers but the city’s many outside areas will be open for business.
Image Credit: René Eriksen
Alternatively, just relax in one of the many rooftop bars or restaurants dotted around the city and enjoy feel of the sun on your face.
New York
New York, New York, it’s a helluva town – and that goes double for June, when the city that never sleeps takes insomnia to a whole new level. While the sun streams down on the streets of The Big Apple, countless activities will in unfold throughout this amazing city.
Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Image Credit: Shinya Suzuki
If quirky is your thing, you owe to yourself to be in Coney Island on the 17th for the fabled Mermaid Parade, in which glitter-clad revelers will march the streets – and you can recover from all that stimulation on the island’s fabled beach. LGBTQ travelers can also tie the Mermaid Parade in with the city’s huge Pride Party, which will be unfolding all over Manhattan throughout the month, culminating in with the annual march on the 25th.
Donutfest
June in New York is also not the time to worry about counting calories, especially with Donutfest unfolding in Chelsea on the 17th – a celebration of all things sweet and sugary.
Shakespeare In The Park
Image Credit: Randen Pederson
Culture vultures may prefer to feed their minds instead, and Shakespeare in the Park is performed in Central Park most evenings at 8pm throughout the month. If you’re lucky enough to secure a ticket, you may well get to witness a Hollywood A-lister strutting across the outdoor stage.
Jazz Age Lawn Party
Image Credit: Paul Stein
If music is more your thing, then be sure to head to Governors Island for the weekend of the 11th and 12th for the Jazz Age Lawn Party, which will see countless guests dancing the night away in their finery to celebrate the roaring ’20s.
Governors Ball
Image Credit: Scott Meis
Alternatively, those looking for more contemporary beats should check out Randalls Island Park for the Governors Ball on June 2nd through 4th, which brings together some of the hottest DJs, pop singers and hip-hop acts on the planet for a weekend of decadent dancing – as well as all the food and drink that you can bear.
St. Petersburg
When you think of Russia, are you picturing sub-zero temperatures, woolen headwear and vast, desolate landscapes? Think again, because the city of St. Peterburg is a fantastic summer destination, with June 2017 looking like no exception.
White Nights Festival
St. Petersburg spends the majority of June marking the White Nights Festival, a celebration of ballet, opera and orchestral music named for the fact that the sun rarely sets throughout the month.
The city is famed for its contributions to the Russian arts movement, and you’ll find no shortage of performances and carnivals both public in outdoor areas and ticketed in the city’s many opera houses – all of which culminate in the Scarlet Sails Celebration (Alye Parusa to the locals).
Scarlet Sails Celebration (Alye Parusa)
This event on June 23rd takes over Dvortsovaya Square, and will see international music stars, a huge firework display and a water show that re-enacts famous battles of the country’s past in Dvortsovaya Square. This event celebrates the end of the school year for the children of St. Petersburg and is a symbol of faith and optimism for the future for the adults – it’s not to be missed.
The Changing of the Guard
Image Credit: thisisbossi
Throughout the month you’ll also be able to enjoy the changing of the guard at the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Palaces of St. Petersburg festival, and of course Russia Day falls on June 12th, which will be celebrated throughout the city.
Saint Petersburg New Stadium
Don’t worry if you’re of a more sporting persuasion, however; soccer fans champing at the bit for 2018’s World Cup will also be able take in games at the brand new 68,000 capacity St. Petersburg Stadium, which will host matches featuring the home nation, New Zealand, Australia, Cameroon and the European champions Portugal.
Le Mans (not forgetting Paris, the city of lovers)
There is one event that stands out more than any other for motor racing aficionado – the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance driving competition.
Racing
Image Credit: Evo Flash
2017 sees the 85th annual race starts at 3pm on June 17th, concluding at the same time on the 18th, and spectators will be enthralled as sixty drivers from all over the world hurtle their supercars around a citywide track at the highest of velocities for a full day and night.
Just some of the manufacturers entering elite automobiles into the competition include Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari.
St Julian’s Cathedral
Of course you may need a break from all that racing, and fortunately Le Mans is one of the most fascinating cities in all of France, with countless sites that lend themselves to a mooch around in the summer sun. The Roman Wall is one of the largest in the world, and St Julian’s Cathedral is steeped in history.
Best of all, Paris is also less than an hour’s travel to the East, meaning that you can take in everything the most romantic city in the world has to offer in June.
Carnival Tropical de Paris
Image Credit: ErasmusOfParis
This includes the Carnival Tropical de Paris street parade on the 4th, the Fete du Velo celebration which will see thousands of Parisians cycling to the city centre and sharing a picnic, the Champs Elysees film festival between the 15th and 22nd, or the Paris Jazz Festival from the 17th right through until July.
June also marks the start of the summer sales in Paris’ shopping districts, so you will be able to indulge in some serious cut-price retail therapy!
Rome
Image Credit: Bud Ellison
June is the perfect time to visit Rome, with the weather landing on that ideal sweet spot between the end of spring and start of summer – the sun will be shining so you can avoid the rain, but you won’t be driven inside by excessive temperatures.
What’s more, there’s plenty going on in the Italian capital throughout the month – June is one of the busiest periods of tourism in the city.
Festa della Repubblica
Image Credit: Gianni Alemanno
June 2nd will see the 70th annual Festa della Repubblica, which celebrates the abolition of the monarchy and Italy’s independence as a Republic. Expect all kinds of street parades, air shows and lots of other festivities throughout the city on this day. The month is also bookended on the 29th by San Pietro e Paolo, the Day of Peter and Paul – the patron saints of Rome.
If you’re interested in visiting the Vatican or any of Rome’s fabled religious constructs, this is the day to do so – few days have more relevance to the city’s sizable Catholic contingent.
Roma Estate Lungotevere
Let’s also not forget the Roma Estate Lungotevere, an outdoor festival that runs along the Tiber River through June and offers free entry to countless stalls selling food and drink, as well as musical performances and cinema screenings.
Festival Trastevere Rione del Cinema
Cinephiles will be particularly catered for in June in Rome, as the city also hosts the Festival Trastevere Rione del Cinema – loosely translated, free movie screenings under the stars. Head to Trastevere’s Piazza San Cosimato and you’ll be able to enjoy outdoor projections of countless classic and contemporary flicks.
Museums and other attractions often open at night in Rome throughout June, meaning that you’ll never be short of entertainment no matter what time is on your watch.
Tokyo
If you are fascinated by Japanese culture and want to know more, you couldn’t go far wrong with a visit in June (commencing 6th June) for the Sanno Matsuri Festival, a week long extravaganza of parades, tea ceremonies, glorious costumes, horseback riders, portable shrines and goblins!
Sanno Matsuri Festival
Image Credit: ZiJing
The parade encompasses 20kms throughout the centre of Tokyo and you can catch it at many points in the city as it starts at 8am! Enjoy Shinto music and traditional Japanese drummers as they weave their way through the city.
Japanese Beer Festival
If you are a beer lover, the huge Japanese Beer Festival takes place during the first week on June and you can sample over 100 craft beers. Buy a ticket in advance as these event is very popular. Once you have bought the ticket, you can taste as many beers as you want, and dip into a bit of sushi at the same time – its all free once you have pre-purchased.
