What’s on and where in France in September 2012 – here is the definitive guide to help you plan to get the most from your visit or your area.
We don’t want to give you any bad information so we only put the dates if we’re absolutely certain of them but we do give you a website wherever we can where you can check the dates and all other details.
If you run an event or know of an event you think we should include please do let us know via our contact form.
Alsace
Strasbourg – Two nights of non-stop music, live acts and classes at the Ososphère:
Aquitaine
Arcachon – Cadence d’Arcachon – At the end of the summer, Arcachon lays on entertainment with dance shows, parades and exhibitions filling the streets:
Biaritz – Dance Festival – classical and contemporary:
Auvergne
Le-Puy-En-Velay – Renaissance Festival – craft stalls, live music and taverns set up in the streets of the town:
Burgundy
Dijon – La Grande Brocante – a three day flea market and a great chance to do some bargain hunting and pick up something typically and wonderfully French in a lively atmosphere: Montlouis-Sur-Loire – Jazz Festival – Annual event at which around 250 jazz and blues musicians join together for a packed musical programme:
Champagne -Ardenne
Troyes – Vintage Car Show – Every year vintage cars and motorbikes from all over Europe converge in this grand parade across town – a must for car and bike enthusiasts:
Corsica
Casamaccioli – Every year this important religious gathering takes place, its also the setting for one of the most ancient fairs in Corsica and local crafts play a big part:
Franche-Comté
Besançon – International Music Festival – Classical music concerts take place across the whole region but the main focus is the town of Besançon. There’s a competition to find the best conductor at this most prestigious event:
Languedoc-Roussilon
Cap D’Agde – “Bresoudos” – Legendary and unique motorbike show for Harley-Davidson owners and enthusiasts.
Limousin
Tulle – Mother of Pearl Nights – Accordion music festival with lots of sing-along action and jollity:
Lorraine
Baccarat – Fête du Pâté lorrain – a fabulous festival which takes over the whole town and includes hundreds of musicians, there are dances, concerts and patétasting opportunities with a competition to see who can eat the most!
Nord Pas-de-Calais
Lille – Braderie de Lille – Every first weekend of September, The Braderie de Lille is the largest flea market in Europe, and certainly one of the most famous in France. Somewhere between one and two million visitors roam the city streets to the sound of music and the many events organized for the weekend. The other tradition of this mad weekend is to eat a dish of “moules – frites” (mussels and chips) and take part in a competition between the various restaurants in town competing for the highest pile of empty shells!
Normandy
Dieppe – Dieppe Kite Festival – one of the top three kiting festivals in the world – there are thousands of kites of all shapes and sizes – a spectacular event:
Deauville – Festival of American Cinema – all the best American films of the year are shown, actors and directs attend and there’s a chance to see some independent cinema offerings:
Paris
Chevaux au Stade – Music and performance horses at the grand Stade de France.
Picardy
Crepy-en-Valois – Church Bell Ringing – all the churches in the valley open up to the public for a whole week in September and organise concerts and exhibitions:
Poitou-Charentes
Angoulême – Circuit des Remparts – procession of vintage cars in the town:
Cognac – Coup de Chauffe – street artists and performers entertain the crowds for three days in this festival:
Provence Cote-D’Azur
Avignon – Celebration of the grape harvest – festivities to toast the wine take place on the famous Pont D’Avignon:
Rhône Alpes
Saint-Hilaire- Du Touquet – Festival of Free Flight – paragliders, parachutists, kite-flyers, hang-gliders, balloonists and flight nuts get together there are films and a fancy dress competition:
