Photograph by Dragon Festival

Claimed by some to be Europe’s largest free festival, the Dragon Festival is an annual four-day fiesta in Orgiva, Spain that attracts over 10,000 ravers, granola types, the dreadlocked-and-pierced set, and anyone else out for an outdoor, dusty good time. Picture Burning Man, without the desert or art installations. Stay in your camper or pitch a tent, and enjoy the surrounding mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

We just checked out the 2007 festival. You’ll have to wait until March 2008 to catch the next festival.

Techno music tents abound, as well as tents featuring performances by flamenco dancers, belly dancers, and folk musicians. Row upon row of impromptu food stalls sell everything from burritos to grilled chicken to magic mushrooms. There’s no shortage of cerveza for sale, as well as tinto de verano—or “summer wine”—sold in plastic one-liter bottles. Think a red wine/Sprite hybrid.

You’ll find a mellower vibe in the “Green Dragon,” a special section organized by a pair of British ex-pat cafe owners. This year, they even set up special compost “aseos” (toilets) with bamboo fences erected for privacy.

Wandering Cheapo Diane Schutz is a television producer, writer, and budget traveler based in New York City. She has worked recently as a producer for the Travel Channel’s “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.”

Popularity: 3% [?]