Arguably, excluding Ireland, some of the best St Patrick’s Day Parties take place in the US; whether it’s Chicago’s green river, Savannah’s green fountains, or NYC‘s green everything. Nonetheless, we wish to remind our friends in the US that Dublin isn’t the only European city that can match their party-prowess, and here’s the list to prove it:

5. Copenhagen, Denmark

Have you heard the one about the Irishman in Copenhagen? No? Me neither. This is a strange one, as Denmark doesn’t typically have strong ties to Ireland. Nonetheless, Copenhagen’s celebrations indulge in the same activities that take place all over the world; parades, drinking green beer, and dancing to traditional Irish music.

Of course, Copenhagen’s most unique St Paddy’s Day tradition consists of a charitable three-legged race through the city’s Irish pubs, drinking in each one as you pass through. So, Copenhagen may not be the most obvious destination for St Patrick’s Day, but we sure like their style!

4. Munich, Germany

If Munich has any ties to St Patrick’s Day, then it’s a secret to us! What certainly isn’t a secret is the Bavarian love of beer and good times, making St Paddy’s Day a cause for celebration throughout the city. Since 1996, Munich has enjoyed an annual St Patrick’s Day parade, with the attendance growing stronger each year, as they take you on a ‘Journey to Ireland’ with traditional music and dance.

Whilst you’re getting caught up in the celebrations, don’t forget to join our Munich Beer Tour for a taste of the city’s own traditional brews!

3. Glasgow, Scotland

With a cultural identity that proudly reflects Irish heritage, Glasgow has often been referred to as a second home for the Irish, and the city’s annual St Patrick’s Day festival seeks to celebrate the relationship between Scotland and the Emerald Isle. You can expect the usual festivities; the traditional music, the unique dancing, the typical drinks… if it sounds like it belongs at a St Paddy’s Parade – it’ll be there!

So, what makes Glasgow’s celebrations different? Well, quite simply – their authenticity and exuberant atmosphere. The pubs and bars organise and encourage live music performances and poetry readings, and with such a wild audience watching, you just know that ‘encourage’ is the right word!

SANDEMANs won’t be celebrating St Paddy’s Day in Glasgow this year, but take a short trip east to join us in Edinburgh for our St Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl, as we bring the Glaswegian atmosphere to Auld Reekie!

2. London, England

St Patrick’s Day may not be a public holiday in England, but with so many celebrations taking place throughout the world… do you really expect London to miss out on the fun?

Whether that fun involves indulging in the extravagance of the annual parade (1.5 miles long), experiencing top-notch music and comedy in Trafalgar Square, or simply throwing back a few pints of Guinness at one of the many Irish pubs, it’s safe to say that no one can be blue when surrounded by so much green.

1. Dublin, Ireland

Our surprise entry! The dark horse! The underdog… okay yeah, you all guessed this one… but you guessed it for a reason! Despite all the fantastic beer-swilling, shamrock-picking, rainbow-chasing, Leprechaun-hunting St Paddy’s Day celebrations, no one does it better than the Irish capital.

Whilst parties certainly are universal, what cannot be imitated is the country’s authentic display of national pride, as they honour their heritage. Let’s face it, the pure unadulterated joy experienced at having the day off work is pretty inimitable too…

Moreover, this city knows how to have fun: large-scale parades; treasure hunts; university boat races; foot races; traditional Irish pubs with local beers; music festivals; traditional dancing; and many more activities will have you spoilt for choice.

Last but not least, if you want to experience St Paddy’s at night, and get a glimpse of Dublin dressed in green light as you roam from bar to bar… don’t forget to join our exclusive St Patrick’s Day Party.

The post The 5 Best Places to Celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Europe first appeared on SANDEMANs NEW Europe.

The fact of the matter is that Halloween is a fun night and a fascinating phenomenon. Here at SANDEMANs we believe we’ve found the secret to a perfect Halloween night, all the while showing you how it can be celebrated in different cities, with just one thing in common: partying! Okay, it’s a pretty important thing when it comes to Halloween, but we believe in doing it right! So, what do our Halloween Pub Crawls have to offer?

Free face painting and prizes for best dressed

Join your Pub Crawl leaders at the meeting point (each one can be found using the links below), and kick off the night with goodies and treats as you arrive. With prizes to be won for the best dressed guests in Dublin, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Lisbon and London, we hope you don your creepiest costume! Not got one handy? No problem! We’ll be providing face paints or masks at the meeting point and helping guests look their scariest.

Spirited drinks specials

Now that you’ve got your costume sorted, let’s get to the ‘Pub Crawl’ part of the evening. Free drinks are an integral part of the SANDEMANs Pub Crawl experience, and at Halloween, you can get a whole different array! Whether they’re ‘blood’ shots in Berlin, 1€ beers in Brussels, or ‘power hour’ drinking contests in Lisbon, there’ll be plenty of drinks to go around. So you can just worry about staying in costume and remembering which witch you started the night with.

A unique experience

SANDEMANs knows better than anyone else that no two cities are the same, so why celebrate Halloween the same way in every one of them? Barcelona takes the prize for quirkiest party plan with their Halloween Tapas Experience! Enjoy traditional Spanish tapas before attending a traditional Halloween party, all the while dressed in your creepy costumes. If you haven’t seen a ghost enjoying some chorizo criollo, then you simply haven’t lived life to the fullest. Though you can rest assured; there are also vegetarian options for all of you herbivorous zombies out there.

Fantastic parties, free entry and VIP access

Whilst we firmly believe in celebrating the cities’ differences, there is one concept so universal that it simply must be celebrated worldwide: parties! That’s right, every Halloween Pub Crawl experience must include a fantastic party, and with VIP access to parties in Berlin and Lisbon, you will feel like the beast of the ball!

The best Pub Crawl leaders!

Our Pub Crawl Leaders will be with you every step of the way, to join in the fun and help you with whatever you need. If you wish to vanish into the night early on, or stay up to watch the vampires melt, just let them know and they will make sure you get home safely.

As history has taught us, many mistakes have been made on Halloween; terrible, haunting mistakes… But the worst one you could possibly make this year would be to miss the SANDEMANs Halloween Pub Crawl, where your night is guaranteed to be a treat!

For more information on the Halloween Pub Crawl for your chosen city, simply click on the following links: Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Lisbon, London & Paris.

For those of you interested in the spooky history of Edinburgh or Paris, join our special Halloween Dark Side Tours!

Disclaimer: SANDEMANs NEW Europe Tours supports the responsible enjoyment of alcoholic beverages. When it is misused, alcohol can be dangerous. We want everyone to have an unforgettable night, but for your safety the bars visited on Pub Crawls will cut you off if you’ve reached your limit. The mission is to show you nightlife, not to get you drunk.

The post The Best Way to Celebrate Halloween all over Europe first appeared on SANDEMANs NEW Europe.

1. Spain: The 12 Lucky Grapes

At the stroke of midnight, you pop a grape in your mouth and keep popping them in until the final bell. These 12 grapes will ensure you the all the luck you need for a prosperous year. This grape-shaped luck-creator is celebrated across the Spanish-speaking world, so you can expect to find it from Catalonia to Colombia.

2. Germany: Fortune Telling Tin

A small ladle is held over a flame to melt little horse-shoe-shaped pieces of Tin, as soon as it’s molten, it’s thrown in to a pan of cold water. The resulting piece of hard metal is held in candlelight and the shadows cast upon the wall are representative of the year ahead. So, if it’s shaped like a ship, you can be waiting on big adventures. This method of fortune-telling originates from Ancient Greece but has been adopted by many of the German-speaking and Nordic countries including Finland, Switzerland and Austria.

3. Scotland: First-Footing

Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and includes a whole host of customs to see in the year right. Invite a tall, dark, handsome guy around on New Years (ideally someone you know otherwise it may be a bit awkward), if he is the first to come through the door as the clock turns 12, you’ll have a decidedly delightful year. He should bring gifts, such as a coin – to bring wealth, and whiskey – to bring good cheer, which may explain why the Scots have both the 1st and 2nd of January as a Public Holiday. Then we have the more well-known ‘Auld Lang Syne‘, a traditional Scottish folk song based on a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788. Revellers join hands in a circle whilst they sing, making the whole affair a pretty fun one. You’ll find this across the English-speaking Commonwealth countries.

4. Greece: Pomegranate Pips

At the stroke of midnight all the lights in the house are switched off and a pomegranate is thrown at the front door-step. The more seeds that spill across the floor the more prosperous the year will be, in fact if you get splashed with juice as it bursts, you will have an especially fruitful year (excuse the pun!).

5. The Netherlands: New Year’s Dive

Find a river/lake/sea, swim in it. Simple as that. This is a relatively new tradition which started in the sixties and has been growing ever since, the general vibe being ‘Start the year as you mean to go on’. Certainly, one way to deal with the New Year’s Hangover.

SANDEMANs New Year’s Eve Parties

If you are in one of our European cities at the turn of the year and want to be shown an AMAZING time, then get involved with our New Year’s Eve Pub Crawls!

Whichever way you decide to celebrate, we want to wish you the Happiest of New Years!

The post 5 Curious New Year’s Traditions Across Europe first appeared on SANDEMANs NEW Europe.

Do Something Cultural in the Day Time

How to avoid regret after your Dublin trip? Do something cultural in the day, before darkness falls and the drinks start flowing. This way when your mum asks you how it was, you can say something other than you lost your shoes on a frosty February night because you had a bet, with three guys from the Trinity Rugby Team, that you couldn’t throw them on to the pub’s roof. Facing the opposite way. Whilst drinking a double whiskey. We have three history tours on offer in Dublin – our Free Walking Tour, Howth Day Tour and the North Side Tour. Get one of those in you and your parents will be beaming!

Take out a Loan

Your bank account is going to take a serious beating. There is no real way around it. The sooner you come to terms with that the happier you will be. Some bars actually increase the price of pints by the hour. We advise saving up beforehand; sell your Faberge eggs, sell the deeds to your house/car/prized bull. Spending a fortune on beers in Dublin is not something you will be worried about on your death bed. So just roll with it and live like a pauper as soon as you get home.

Learn the Words to Bohemian Rhapsody

The Irish have many talents. Perhaps the most fun is their ability to turn any gathering into a musical treat. Expect to hear music in every bar. Every. Bar. If someone happens to start a rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which is highly likely, consider it your time to shine and get involved.

Chat to the Locals

If there was ever a country to just start yapping away with the locals, it’s Ireland. If you are stood in a bus stop, there will be chat. If you are waiting for the bathroom, there will be chat. Bring your A-Game, as the Irish are quick witted folk.

Doing Guinness Properly

There is a fine yet simple art to drinking Guinness. It takes a while to pour, so if you are ordering a round at the bar, make sure to order the Guinness first so the bartenders can make a start on them. Wait for it to settle and only then should you take your first sip of the ebony nectar. If you want to avoid tumbleweeds then stay away from requesting it with a dash of blackcurrant.

The Cure

The Irish make a mean breakfast. Which is lucky because you’re going to need it the following morning. We’re talking Sausages, Bacon, Black Pudding, Eggs, Beans, Mushrooms, Soda Bread and Potato Farl. All washed down with Barry’s Tea. Ideally plan the night before where you are going to go, save the route in your phone even. And then the final survival tactic? Make sure to have a bed that you can climb back in to.

Feel like exploring Dublin’s nightlife with a gang of like-minded travellers? Then join up to our SANDEMANs Pub Crawl. Expect the ‘Craic to be 90’.

The post How to Survive a Night Out in Dublin first appeared on SANDEMANs NEW Europe.

1. 8MM Bar

Schönhauser Allee 177b, Prenzlauer Berg

Despite being as cosy as your living room, 8MM has been a huge player in Berlin’s underground rock and roll scene since 2002. Curiously, the DJs here swear by vinyl, and when the turntables need a clean, there’s no shortage of live performances to sing along to. Plus, its intimate size and chilled-out atmosphere makes it the perfect venue to mingle with a pretty international clientele.

Fans of the genre who make the trip here have been rewarded pretty handsomely, with previous performances by legends such as Franz Ferdinand, Interpol and Bloc Party! So, if you wanted a chance to knock back a few brews with a rockstar, this would be the place to do it.

2. Cassiopeia

Revaler Strasse 99, Door 2, Friedrichshain

This sub-culture club is in the heart of the RAW Gelände in Friedrichshain – a graffiti-covered expanse of ex-train repair buildings that is now a cultural centre for creatives, a hub for climbers, and a great inner-city location for skaters.

Cassiopeia plays the full gamut of hip hop, R&B and club classics. Even better, you don’t have to wait until the weekend – Super Tuesdays will see you twerking away to Super 80s, hip hop and disco.

3. Süß war Gestern (aka Yesterday was sweet)

Wühlischstraße 43, Friedrichshain

This small, laid-back lounge bar/club plays a variety of musical styles – the small basement floor is where you will want to go for R&B and hip hop. Outside, the door people are generally very nice and there is often no door charge, and inside there is an eponymous cocktail that will rock your dancing socks off – all ginger and whiskey.

Prepare to dance it out and get sweaty. If you need to take a breather, you can always settle back on one of the couches and play Super Mario on the Nintendo. Why not?

4. Havanna Club

Hauptstraße 30 Schöneberg

Salsa and all things Latin seem to be much more popular in the western part of Berlin – so head to the western district of Schöneberg and get ready to shake it.
Over 4 dancefloors Latin beats (including salsa, bachata, merengue and reggaeton) are played alongside hip hop and dance classics.
Don’t know how to salsa? No problem, there are dance lessons every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

5. Matrix

Warschauerplatz 18, Friedrichshain

Last, but most certainly not least, Matrix club will always be there for you. Open 365 days a year, with 7 floors playing different music styles, it is the non-techno favourite in Berlin and is usually very busy.

The club is located in the basement vaults of the Warschauerstraße S bahn station and, compared to other large clubs, is usually relatively cheap to enter (€6 to €12).
It is definitely a place to end the night (or nights depending on your level of endurance).

Want to jump the cue at Matrix? The SANDEMANs Pub Crawl ends at the club and the ticket price (€12) gets you free VIP entry (so no lining up!) in addition to all the four excellent bars you visit before (oh, and all the free shots).

Last update: 8 January 2020. 

The post Where to Go Out in Berlin if You Don’t Like Techno first appeared on SANDEMANs NEW Europe.

1. Hetero/Homo/Trans/Whatever you like Karaoke

Monster Ronson’s Ichiban, located in the main night scene in Berlin, is a place where, according to them, “poor, rich, young, old, homo, hetero, trans and everything in between” people are welcome to show their singing skills – or not! Either you like to sing on stage, or you prefer a more intimate environment with your friends by renting a cabin, this is a perfect place for karaoke fans. On Mondays you can do the so called “boxhopping”, where you share the cabins with strangers all night long, and on Tuesdays you’re more than welcome to watch a Drag Queen show.

2. Korean Karaoke

Hidden in a non-touristic area of Berlin, Noka is a Korean karaoke bar. If you’re into K-Pop, this is definitely the place for you! As well as in Monster Ronson’s, you can choose between renting a cabin or singing on stage. No matter your choice, suddenly, you feel that you’re in Seoul. However, don’t worry if Korean language is not your strength, you’ll still be able to sing “I want it that way” or “Wonderwall”, or any of your favourite karaoke songs!

3. Porn Karaoke

Wait, what?! Porn Karaoke? Is that a thing? Definitely, it is! Once a month, in Toast Hawaii, ’70s skin-flicks are waiting for you to be their voice! Get ready to let yourself go, and maybe discover a new talent. In case moaning in public is not your call, just order a beer and enjoy the show – it will be an evening you won’t forget!

4. Powerpoint Karaoke

After Porn Karaoke, you thought it couldn’t get more bizarre, right? Wrong! In Rosi’s, also once a month, you’ll be on stage with a random PowerPoint presentation about a random topic that you’ll need to improvise. Once again, creativity is the key requirement! However, this is only for German speakers.

5. Karaoke in a park

In Berlin, you can either read a book in a park, walk your dog, or… sing karaoke! That’s right! In Mauerpark, every Sunday during summer, you can perform in front of thousands of locals and tourists. Choose a song that you know by heart and be ready to be applauded by a huge and cheerful crowd! Now that we uncovered the karaoke scene in Berlin for you, what else are you ready to explore in this eccentric city?

The post The 5 Most Unconventional & Wacky Karaokes in Berlin first appeared on SANDEMANs NEW Europe.