Even though the summer holidays (and all the festivals that came with them) are ending, there are still plenty of events to attract visitors as autumn takes hold across the country.
Here’s a selection of them.
September
Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville
The annual French celebration of American cinema marks its 50th anniversary this year – with Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Douglas and Natalie Portman among the stars expected to tread the red carpet.
Douglas is being honoured with a film tribute of his career, while Coppola will present his anticipated film Megalopolis. Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will also premiere, along with Sean Baker’s Anora, James Watkins’s Speak No Evil, and Francis Galluppi’s Last Stop in Yuma County. The festival runs from September 6th to 15th.
Find out more here.
Marathon du Médoc
Unofficially the longest marathon in the world – not because of its distance, but because of the wine-tasting, the music, and the food (it includes an oyster and a steak stop) – the annual Marathon du Médoc, on September 7th this year, starts and finishes in Pauillac, and follows a course taking in the vineyards and chateaux of Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe, Médoc and Haut-Médoc.
Let’s just say no major records will be broken. Find out more here.
Bol d’Or
Think Le Mans for motorbikes and you get the general Bol d’Or idea – although, to be entirely accurate, that statement should be the other way around, as the endurance race for motorbikes started one year (1922) before the one for cars (1923).
After a 15-year hiatus, it roared back into life in 2015, and has been held every year since at Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, near Marseille. This year’s festival of speed and stamina runs from September 12th to 15th. More here.
Braderie de Lille
Looking for a bargain? Head to Lille on the weekend of September 14th and 15th, when the city centre turns into the largest and most famous flea market in Europe.
Between 8am on the Saturday and 6pm on the Sunday, you’ll find antiques, games, toys, books to suit every taste. More details here.
Journées du patrimoine
Thousands of France’s historic buildings, cultural centres and museums – as well as some places that are rarely or never open to the public the rest of the year – throw open their doors and stage special events between September 20th and 22nd many of them free of charge.
More information, including events close to you, available here.
October
Festival du Film Britannique et Irlandais
Not to be outdone by American cinema celebrations in Deauville, Normandy, the Brittany resort of Dinard – arguably one of the most British of French seaside resorts – celebrates cinema from the western archipelago between October 2nd and October 6th.
No details about the films on show were available at the time of writing, but click here for more details.
READ ALSO Why does the French seaside town Dinard host an annual British film festival?
Fête des vendanges de Montmartre
Also known as the Montmartre grape harvest festival – the fête des vendages de Montmartre is an annual celebration to commemorate the harvesting of grapes from the Clos Montmartre – an urban vineyard located on the slopes of the Montmartre hills in Paris’s 18th arrondisement.
This is one of Paris’ most popular public events, and it involves five days of gastronomy, wine tasting, and grape picking. This year, the event runs from October 9th to 15th. More information here.
La Rochelle Jazz Festival
Jose James, Sophie Alour, the Christian Sands Trio, and Theo Croker are among the headline acts at the five-day La Rochelle Jazz Festival, which runs from October 9th to 13th. Details available here.
Fête du Piment
Are you a fan of spicy food or chilli peppers? If so, this festival is the one for you. Though it takes place in France’s Basque country, as the picturesque town of Espelette celebrates the pepper that has made it world famous on October 26th and 27th.
For more information click here.
Salon du Chocolat
You love Paris. You love chocolate. Then you need to be in Paris at the end of October for its annual chocolate fair – when over 150,000 chocolatiers, pastry chefs, confectioners and professionals from the chocolate industry, as well as producing countries, great chefs, designers and cocoa experts get together show off their skills and knowledge.
It takes place at the Parc Expo at the Porte de Versailles from October 30th to November 3rd. For more information, click here.
November
Paris Photo
Some 236 exhibitors are lined up to display their artistic photographs at the newly renovated Grand Palais in Paris from November 7th to 10th. Details here.
Vendée Globe
Over on the Atlantic coast of France, round-the-world sailors are prepping for the quadrennial single-handed non-stop round the world yacht race. Most of the Vendée Globe action, by definition, takes place far from France – but the start (on November 10th) and finish are both in France. Details here.
Armistice Day
November 11th is a public holiday across much of the western world, recognising the end of World War I. In France, it is the day where towns and cities host parades and wreaths are laid at the war memorials. Virtually every commune in France has a war memorial listing the men from the local area who died for their country (mort pour le patrie).
In Paris, the French president lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day
Who cares if it’s nothing more than a clever marketing ploy – the third Thursday of every November (that’s the 21st in 2024) is a celebration for wine lovers, as the year’s Beaujolais Nouveau is released in a party atmosphere from Beaujeu to Lyon via Villefranche-Sur-Saône…
READ ALSO Beaujolais Nouveau: 13 things you need to know about France’s famous wine
Strasbourg Christmas Market
Yes, we’re that close to Christmas. Strasbourg has hosted Christmas markets since around 1570, and has got pretty good at them down the centuries – it’s the reason the city brands itself as the ‘Christmas capital of France’. This year’s celebrations kick off on November 27th and run to December 27th.
As usual, hundreds of chalets host local artisans selling Christmas gift ideas on the Grande Île, while the streets will be festooned – festooned, we say – with illuminations celebrating a very Alsatian Christmas.
Thanks for the list of events. These are great. We also enjoy the Circuit des Remparts in Angouleme on 13, 14 and 15 September. It is the only car race that I know of where you can see bugattis racing through the narrow streets of the old hill village of Angouleme. Hey, if I wasn’t going to Angouleme, I would head to Lille for the braderie. Lots of wonderful events in the autumn.