Major Events for 2022-2023

Dordogne/Nouvelle Aquitaine – Truffle Festival in Sarlat – January 2023

Spend a weekend to the pace of the Black Gold of the Périgord! At the Truffle Festival, adults may join the truffle enthusiasts at Périgord truffle discovery workshops to learn to identify and wisely purchase authentic truffles. Meanwhile, kids may enjoy “Graine de chef” cookery workshops! Between wine tasting classes and family activities, a great chef awaits to provide you with cookery lessons. As a small group of a dozen people, this is your chance to learn how to bring out the great taste of the Périgord truffle!

Courchevel/Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes -Courchevel Méribel 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (February 6-19, 2023)

From February 6-19, Courchevel and Meribel will share the world’s elite skiers’ dreams of victory. After Chamonix (1937 & 1962) and Val d’Isère (2009), for the fourth time
in history, the World Championships will be held in the heart of the French Alps. This historic event will combine uncompromising standards and French traditions and savoir-faire in hosting and organizing major international events.

Angoulême/Nouvelle Aquitaine – International Comic Festival – Jan 26-29, 2023

The International Comics Festival of Angoulême, the second-largest comic strip festival in Europe, and the third-largest in the world, welcomes each year more than 200,000 visitors, including 6,000 to 7,000 professionals and 800 journalists. The four-day festival is also notable for awarding several prestigious industry prizes.

Nice/Cote d’Azur – Carnival – Feb 10-26, 2023

Every February, for two weeks, the French Riviera celebrates with the Nice Carnival, the largest in France and one of the most famous in the world. On the program: float parades, gigantic decorations, sumptuous costumes, illuminated streets, colorful parades, day and night, with hundreds of musicians and dancers, and of course memorable flower battles. Mimosa, lilies, daisies… More than 100,000 of them swirl in the streets of Nice and on the famous Promenade des Anglais, on the Mediterranean coast. This year’s carnival theme is “King of the animals.”

Bayonne/Nouvelle Aquitaine – The Bayonne Ham Fair – April 6-9, 2023

The Bayonne Ham Fair is one of Bayonne’s smaller festivals and brings together more than 200,000 people, mainly young and old, around the Nive, the Market and the quays of Bayonne Throughout the day, you can find numerous activities organized for children. Children will be able to enjoy the event in their own way.

Dordogne/Nouvelle Aquitaine – Dordogne’s « Chateau en Fête » – 2^nd half of April, 2023

Sumptuous castles, manors, manor houses… open their doors to you and offer you exceptional activities, events and festivities! So don’t hesitate, put together your personalized itinerary and come and make many discoveries thanks to the ideas for stays based on exhibitions, shows, sound and light shows, concerts, banquets, candlelit dinners, guided tours by the owner, conferences. This unmissable event offers you the unique opportunity to enjoy exclusive, festive, fun, cultural, educational, sporting or even gastronomic experiences with your family or friends.

Across Nouvelle Aquitaine and Europe – European Museum Night – May 13, 2023

The year 2023 will see the return of the Night of the Museums in its original format to the delight of the curious and culture fans… A considerable number of museums and monuments in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (and all over Europe) will be open free of charge for most of the evening. A large number of activities – workshops, guided tours, musical performances… – are proposed. Not to be missed!

Across France – Rendez-Vous aux Jardins garden festival – June 2-4, 2023

Each year, more than 2,200 parks and gardens, public and private, in France open their doors and offer many activities and meetings with owners and professionals (botanists, gardeners, landscapers, owners, associations, etc.) guided tours, sensory or naturalistic walks, demonstrations of know-how, garden tours, musical walks, games/competitions, theatrical events, etc. Theme for 2023: “Music in the Garden”

Rouen/Normandie – Armada of Tall Ships – June 8-18, 2023

Come and marvel at the world’s finest Tall Ships during this festival on the banks of the River Seine in the host city of Rouen. This key event in the international sailing calendar is nothing less than the world’s largest gathering of tall ships! It will bring together visitors from near and far with over 7000 French and foreign sailors. Fifty magnificent tall ships, along with military boats and submarines from all over the world, will line Rouen’s quaysides for ten days of celebrations, finishing with the parade along the River Seine, which will see the fine ships head downstream towards the estuary between Honfleur and Le Havre. The Rouen Armada is the only event of its kind in France. In 2019, around 4 million spectators were welcomed to Rouen over the 10-day period, and thousands of sailors from across the world walked the streets of Normandy’s capital city. 2023 promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Across France – Fête de la Musique – June 21, 2023

Set on a unique and symbolic date, June 21, the day of the summer solstice, the Fête de la musique is a major free popular festival open to all musicians, amateur or professional. Celebrating living music and all musical practices, it is the occasion in Paris, and throughout France, of thousands of concerts where bands, harmonies, choirs, orchestras, “big band” or rock groups take to the streets and make their joyful notes resound.

Vienne/Auvergne-Rhone-Alps – Jazz à Viennes – June 28-July 12, 2023

Since its creation 40 years ago, the Festival Jazz à Vienne has been celebrating the world of jazz during the first two weeks of July. Every year over 200,000 festivalgoers flock to see 1000 artists appear on 4 stages. 

Colmar/Alsace – International Festival – Early July 2023

The Colmar International Festival, under the artistic direction of Vladimir Spivakov adheres to demanding standards to attain veritable international renown – attracting musicians and ensembles of the highest level and organizing a well thought-out and well-planned schedule of events. 

Across France – Tour de France – July 1-23, 2023

This is the world’s largest bicycle race, a grand loop of nearly 3,500 kilometers through the most beautiful landscapes of France. Each summer, the peloton sets off for three weeks, crossing more than a third of the French departments. The route differs from one edition to another but always with memorable mountain stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees. This year kicks off in Bilbao in the Basque Country. And since 1975, the triumphant arrival of the yellow jersey and the riders takes place on the Champs-Elysées, in Paris. Final sprint on the most beautiful avenue in the world and guaranteed spectacle!

Across France, July 14^th 2023

July 14, the day of the national holiday in France, commemorates the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution of 1789. Confetti and good moods are part of the party and all the country struts with festivities often beginning from July 13. Fireworks (the most spectacular of which is fired in Paris from the bottom of the Eiffel Tower), firemen’s balls, military parades (especially on the Champs Elysées), air parades… In the four corners of France, the festival is lived in blue, white and red.

Nice/Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – Nice Jazz Festival – July 17-July 21, 2023

Nice Jazz Festival, which has been a long favored tradition of the residents of Nice, will come back next July for a fantastic event that cannot be missed, where each form of jazz, each tendency has its own place.

Cherbourg-en-Cotentin/Normandie – Rolex Fastnet Race – July 17-29, 2023

For the second time, the city of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin will host the finish of the iconic and successful Rolex Fastnet Race for the 50th edition of the biennial sailing race. In 2021, a record breaking-sized fleet of 337 boats from 24 nations took part in the sailing contest. A Race Village and many festivities are planned in the heart of the city to invite sailing enthusiasts to take part in this great ocean festival. Cherbourg-en-Cotentin is one of France’s most famous channel ports, closely linked to naval history and transatlantic adventures, and the Cotentin Coast is home to the many prominent water sports events. In September 2022, the city’s ‘Cité de la Mer’ (sealife centre) was crowned ‘France’s Favourite Monument’.

Bayonne/Nouvelle Aquitaine – Fêtes de Bayonne – July 26-30, 2023

The Fêtes de Bayonne are one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festive gatherings. For five days, in the heart of summer, the city is transformed into the capital of the festival, with a backdrop of traditions, music, song and joie de vivre around its King Leon

Cognac/Nouvelle Aquitaine – Fête du Cognac – July 27-29, 2023

La Fête du Cognac, The Cognac Festival, is a festive and convivial event where concerts and local gastronomy are combined. For 3 evenings, the banks of the Charente come alive.

Aix-en-Provence| Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur – Aix-en-Provence Festival – July 2023

The Aix-en-Provence Festival, one of the most famous classical music and opera festivals in France, takes place each year in July, attracting major European orchestras and top conductors.

AvignonProvence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – Festival d’Avignon – July 2023

Ever since the 1940s, the Festival d’Avignon, France’s most important theater festival, is held every year in July. The majestic Palais des Papes, the largest medieval gothic palace in the world, provides the backdrop for a festival which takes over the entire town with performances on the streets, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Arles| Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – Rencontres d’Arles -Early July-Late September 2023

Every summer, over the course of more than forty exhibitions at various exceptional heritage sites throughout the city, the Rencontres d’Arles has been a major influence in showcasing the best of world photography and playing the role of a springboard for photographic and contemporary creative talents. 

Marciac/Occitanie – Festival de Jazz- Late July/Early August 2023

The Festival Jazz In Marciac will take place next August (exact dates to be confirmed) in Marciac and as always with a great program and lineup. The festival’s Ambassador, jazz great Wynton Marsalis, has been performing there every year since 1991.

Orange/Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – Les Chorégies d’Orange – Late July 2023

Les Chorégies d’Orange, world famous opera festival, staged in the exceptional location of the UNESCO listed 1^st century AD Roman amphitheater at Orange. The Chorégies d’Orange—with a program of operas, ballets and recitals, is the oldest French festival and the world’s oldest opera festival. It dates back to 1869, celebrating its 150^th anniversary in 2019

Médoc/Nouvelle-Aquitaine- Marathon du Médoc- September 3, 2023

The Medoc Marathon is a festive and eye-popping event held every year on the second Saturday of September, through the vineyards of Bordeaux’s Médoc area.

Deauville/Normandie – American Film Festival, September 2023

The American Film Festival highlights the diversity of American cinema, from major Hollywood productions to independent films. It is the only European festival of this scale to open its doors to the public, presenting each year more than a hundred films and attended by major American actors and stars. 

Across France – Rugby World Cup 2023 – September 8- October 28, 2023

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be held in France from Friday, September 8 to Saturday, October 28, 2023. During that period, 20 countries will compete in over 45 matches, in nine French cities and venues. The opening match will be in Saint-Denis–a close suburb of Paris—at the impressive Stade de France. The other host cities are wine capital and ardent rugby city, Bordeaux; Northern France’s Lille, capital of French Flanders; Lyon, one of, if not the top gastronomic city of France; Mediterranean Marseille, France’s second most ancient city, with a very contemporary twist; creative Nantes, the Western Loire’s former capital of the Dukes of Brittany; UNESCO World Heritage site, Nice, capital of the Cote d’Azur; Saint Etienne in the Auvergne Rhone-Alps region and France’s capital of design and last but not least, the great rugby capital of Occitanie, Toulouse, also known as the Pink City.

La Rochelle/Nouvelle Aquitaine – The Race Around – September 10, 2023- Spring of 2024

The organizers of The Race Around, the solo and double-handed round-the-world race in Class 40, have just announced the name of the first host city for the official Class 40 round-the-world race. La Rochelle will be the French host city for this event! The port will therefore see an incredible fleet of Class 40s set off on 10 September 2023 and return in the spring of 2024. Hosting The Race Around is a strong signal from the Agglomeration and the Department to further strengthen the practice of sailing. Listed on the Class40 calendar, The Race Around is not a round the world race like any other. Based on legendary races such as the Around Alone and the BOC, it is designed around a traditional course and supported by a growing Class40 fleet. It features some of the most successful and accessible racing yachts in international ocean racing. (The description after this is blurred in the document and is inaccessible)

Le Harvre/Normandie – Transat Jacques Vabre – End October/ Early November 2023

In its 30 years of existence, the biannual Transat Jacques Vabre has managed to establish itself as the toughest and longest-running two-handed transat. The original concept is simple: the source of this great race is a historical route, the coffee route. Indeed, Le Havre and coffee share the same legend, that of the trade which saw the best sailors of their time taking on the Atlantic to bring back to Europe the beans used to extract the precious beverage. The regatta is the ideal opportunity for visitors to discover this famous sailing competition, as well as the Latin arrival destination that’s in the spotlight, for a whole week in the bustling race village, which is traditionally set up around the place where the boats are moored, in the ‘Bassin Paul Vatine’.  Numerous activities open to all punctuate the days on the various esplanades: exhibitions, boat tours and introductory experiences, meetings with the skippers, shows and concerts, free coffee tastings, firework displays… The festivities end the day before departure with a huge party and a spectacular firework display over the basin.

Rochefort/Nouvelle Aquitaine – La Maison Pierre Loti Reopening – Late 2023/Early 2024

Pierre Loti’s house in Rochefort (near La Rochelle) will reopen its doors to the public at the end of 2023 / beginning of 2024. In the meantime, discover the world of Loti at the Hèbre Museum. The novelist whose exoticism made him popular in his time and whose themes anticipated some of the central preoccupations of French literature between World Wars. Since 2015, the public has been able to discover part of the collections of Pierre Loti’s house in a permanent exhibition that retraces the life of this traveller-writer, from his childhood “little museum” to his costumes, via his career as a sailor and his taste for social events. This exhibition is combined with a 3D virtual tour of the house, accompanied by a guide who tells the story of its decor and the parties it hosted. Enjoy this virtual journey in a projection room decorated in the oriental spirit dear to Loti, wearing 3D glasses, in front of a large screen immersing you in the most remarkable rooms: the red lounge, the blue lounge and the renaissance and gothic rooms, the staircase, the austere and moving bedroom… and then the famous mosque, the masterpiece of the house. The effect of the relief image is striking and will surprise even those who have visited and revisited the house. Each object can be examined from all angles, with the possibility of calling up additional documents: archives, photographs, etc. Combining the sum of acquired knowledge, innovative technology and live commentary, adapted to each visit, is the originality of the 3D visit to Loti’s house!