Four French Summer Festivals to Make You Say “Ohhh, là-là!”

When you think of French summer festivals, the major events come to mind.

July 14th is Bastille Day. A huge national festival across France, it marks the date the Bastille was taken in Paris in 1790. But more importantly, it represents French unity and the end of the absolute monarchy in France.

May 8th is also a French National Holiday. Charles De Gaule announced the end of WWII – and of six years of Nazi oppression – on May 8th, 1945. Today, the French still observes May 8th and many public offices and institutions are closed.

Although many people are familiar with Bastille Day and VE Day, there are many summer festivals all over this great country. If you are in the right spot at the right time to see a play, listen to live music or walk some beautiful gardens this year, you will have a magical time in France. Whether you’re in Provence, the Loire Valley or the Pyrenees this year, make sure to catch the action during these lesser-known festivals.

Fete de la Musique: June 21

Culture Minister Jack Lang created The Festival of Music in 1982. Maurice Fleuret calculated that half of the French population (approximately 5 million people) knew how to play an instrument. Yet there was no public festival to celebrate these young amateur talents.

The French government decided to celebrate “Street Music” during the summer solstice – the longest day of the year. Since the mid-eighties, approximately 130 countries and over 340 cities participate in this one-day event.

Although the bigger metropolitan cities have larger organized concerts, smaller villages celebrate the festival as well. The party showcases a mix of genres and bands play music well into the night accompanied by all kinds of visual artistic expression and animation.

And the best part: the concerts are free! So if you are anywhere in France on June 21st, make sure to catch the local musicians for an evening you’ll never forget.

Carcassone Festival: June to August

If you haven’t had enough music in France in June, make your way to Carcassone in July. Ciclismo Classico’s Bike Across France trip rolls through Carcassone in the southern Pyrenees and it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the mountains.

For one full month, this town hosts music, art, dance, film, and comedy acts all over the city. The paid shows are in the massive performance theatre just outside the medieval walls and attract artists such as Liam Gallagher, Sting, Eros Ramazzotti, the Black Eyed Peas and Joan Baez.

Inside the medieval village, the Château Comtal, Eglise Saint-Vincent, Place Marcou and other locations hold many free concerts. Make sure to check out the festival website for times and locations. Be aware: a number of the dates are already sold out!

Festival of Avignon: July

In 1947, the mayor of Avignon invited Jean Vilar to present his masterpiece Murder in the Cathedral in the Popes’ Palace in Avignon. At the same and in the same venue, art critic Christian Zervos and poet René Char organized an exhibition of contemporary paintings and sculptures.

Since the impersonal open space in the Palace did not impress Vilar, he proposed three, unknown works. It was right then that The Festival of Avignon began.

Today this Festival is still a culturally rich gathering of art and thought. The month-long program brings together theatre talents, journalists, and contemporary artists in a creative and expressive setting.

Local thespians perform over 50 theatre and cinematic pieces in 20 days in unconventional venues like town squares, gymnasiums, halls, prisons, yards, and churches. Local professionals perform major works such as Antigone, Hamlet, Prometheus Bound, and King Lear. The Avignon townspeople also play the roles of extras in many of the performances.

Festival des Jardins – Loire Valley Chaumont Sur Loire: April – November

One of the most impressive castles in the Loire Valley is Chaumont. The ancient kings built this magnificent structure in the year 1000 to protect the border of Anjou and Blois. Charles II d’Amboise turned it into the ornamental castle that we know today and each summer the castle hosts garden parties.

Each year the castle holds the International Garden Festival for lovers of nature and material. Over 30 different gardeners come from all over the world to compete following a theme for the castle.

This year’s theme is “Gardens of Paradise” and will include European, Asian and Arab interpretations of the concept. There is the possibility of visiting the gardens in the evening when they are magnificently illuminated during the refreshing evening hours.

So if you’re looking to attend a few summer festivals this season in France, be sure to check out our Bike Across France and don’t miss “la musique!”