The city's official tourism website is where you start for major seasonal events. Eventbrite and Resident Advisor are where you find everything else. The hotel concierge is more useful than people give them credit for, but only for a specific type of question.

Eventbrite for General Events

Eventbrite has reliable coverage of ticketed events in most major European cities: food markets, cultural festivals, one-off exhibitions, guided experiences. Filter by date and city before you travel and build a shortlist. The advantage of Eventbrite is that everything listed has a booking mechanism, which means you can confirm something is happening on your specific dates rather than finding out it was a summer-only thing when you arrive in October.

Resident Advisor for Nightlife

If you want to know what is happening in clubs, underground venues, or any part of the electronic music ecosystem in a European city, Resident Advisor is the definitive source. It covers Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Paris, Lisbon, and most major European cities with genuine depth. The listings are accurate, the venue information is reliable, and the reviews give you a realistic sense of what to expect. For anything beyond mainstream nightlife, it is the only source worth consulting.

Time Out Where Available

Time Out has strong coverage in London and decent coverage in a handful of other European cities including Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Madrid. Its event listings are not always comprehensive but the editorial recommendations for restaurants and bars are useful for cross-referencing. The app is more useful than the website on mobile.

Expat Facebook Groups as Intelligence Sources

Search for "[City] Expats" or "[City] English Speaking" groups on Facebook before you travel. These groups are primarily for residents, not tourists, which is what makes them valuable. Post a question about what is happening on a specific weekend and you will get specific, current answers from people who actually live there. Local Facebook groups surface things that no tourism website covers: pop-up dinners, neighbourhood events, free concerts in parks.

The Concierge's One Actual Skill

Hotel concierges are not great at restaurant recommendations because the commission incentive distorts their suggestions. They are, however, often very good at knowing about local events in the week ahead. They field questions from guests all week, they read local listings, and they know which neighbourhoods are quiet versus busy on a given weekend. Ask what is happening locally this weekend rather than asking for a restaurant recommendation. The answer is more likely to be useful.