These are five of the best ones you can visit throughout Europe in any given summer.

International Beer Festival - Berlin, Germany:  Munich's Oktoberfest may be the world's most famous beer festival, but the Berlin International Beer Festival is no joke, and is more of a summer affair. It takes place each August, and has been going on for 21 years, now showcasing as many as 320 breweries on average, according to a blog post rating it as one of Europe's best beer festivals. It's a cheerful, delicious event.

Additionally, the chance to visit and explore Berlin during the summer is one you shouldn't pass up. It's really one of Europe's lovelier cities and one that's packed with history and landmarks. You can even burn off some of the beer festival calories exploring the city on foot and taking in attractions like Museum Island or Tiergarten.

Sounds Of The Dolomites - Italy: This is not the most traditional festival on the list, and in fact it's more of a drawn out orchestral concert than a full-fledged festival of the arts. But it's still one you should keep in mind, as well as one many people haven't heard of. Basically, it takes visitors to remote reaches of the Dolomites, a gorgeous region in Italy's Trentino province. By hike or by cable car you make your way to stunning outdoor areas that serve as venues for some of the best musicians in the world, all throughout July and August.

Dimensions - Pula, Croatia: Dimensions is a Croatian music festival. Held in late August and early September, it kicks off inside a 2000-year-old Roman amphitheater, which makes for a pretty incredible setting. The lineup primarily involves electronic music, but you never know quite what you might here there.

As with the Dragon Boat Festival, Dimensions also takes you to a really cool summer destination. Croatia is full of seaside towns, gorgeous parks, and little islands that are best explored in warm weather. You can also do the tourist thing and head to Dubrovnik to explore its ancient battlements. For those interested, the Istria region in Croatia was recently written up for having one of the best summer casinos to visit as well. Casino Hotel Mulino is a great place to relax on a summer evening on either end of the festival.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Edinburgh, Scotland:  This is a gigantic event that involves literally thousands of performing arts showcases in a few hundred locations out and about in the city. Naturally you don’t know what you might run into, but it’s hard to imagine a city getting much more into the spirit of pure pageantry, just for fun.

Granted the idea of wandering a whole city in search of different performances is a little bit exhausting, but it just so happens that Edinburgh is an easy place to take a break. Most notably the city has an improved culinary scene and plenty of interesting bars you can duck into - not to mention the vaunted Scotch Whisky Experience, a brilliant education in all things whisky that can be an excellent way to cap off a trip of festival-going.

Helsinki Festival - Helsinki, Finland: Held late in the summer, the Helsinki Festival is one of the more complete cultural events you'll find in Europe during the summer. Basically, anything goes. You might see concerts, cinematic showings, dance performances, comedians, and last year even a puppet show. It's not the biggest or most raucous occasion we're talking about here but it's unique, there's something for everybody, and Helsinki is a wonderful city to explore during the summer.