Good news comes for European gamers, who will get free Xbox Live Gold membership over the coming weekend as part of Microsoft’s Xtival ‘07 event, a four day “festival” of gaming, competitions and exclusive downloads for Xbox 360 gamers in the region.

The event will run from Friday 23 November until Monday 26 November, offering the following:

Friday 23rd November – OLD SKOOL V NEW SKOOL

As the gates open for this unique weekend, Friday is gamers’ chance to play the newest versions of games everyone’s talking about and show their mates how it’s done. Or, show the world their genius on something they really know their way around. These games will include FIFA ‘08, Halo® 3, Lost Planet, Gears of War along with all the latest titles from the Xbox LIVE Arcade.

There is also the chance to take part in a ‘Developer Jam Session’ Competition taking on the brains behind Project Gotham Racing 4, the blockbuster title from Bizarre.

Saturday 24th November – HEADLINERS

On the second day, gamers will get to prove themselves as Guitar Heroes in waiting, as they are invited to take part in a unique ‘Game with Fame’ session with a top name talent. More details to be revealed later this month.

They will also get to take on the developers of the amazing music title along with playing friends old and new alike on Viva Piñata Party Animals, Naruto, Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow 6 Vegas

Sunday 25th November – SPORTS DAY

Closing out Xtival ‘07, the organisers will be showcasing the best sport on the planet, inviting visitors to show off their skills on the top Xbox 360 games titles including Tiger Woods, Table Tennis, Virtua Tennis, Forza® 2 Motorsport, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.

Additionally, there will be a Halo art competition, seeing players submit the moments they are most proud of to the judges. The winning entry will be printed and given to the gamer for hanging on the wall and basking in its glory. Finally, a mystery gamer competition will also be going on, giving away Microsoft points to randomly selected gamers who get online and play during the weekend. There will also be free exclusive theme packs and gamer pics available on the service for the festival weekend only.