Upcoming Events
1st May 2008 - 16th October 2009
13th Centenary of the Foundation of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel
Celebration of 13 centuries of the holy life, the art, the history and the harmony with nature of this coastal site - exhibitions, concerts, seminars, masses, walks...
www.1300-ans-mont-saint-michel.com
www.projetmontsaintmichel.com
www.sitesetmusees.cg50.fr
Tel. +33 (0)2 33 58 47 87
21st - 24th February
Granville Carnival
135th edition of these un-missable weekend festivities in Granville. The carnival is grounded in local history having originally been a celebration which took place on the weekend before Mardi Gras to mark the departure of the local fishermen who went to sea for months on end. Tradition lives on as the whole town pulls out all the stops for four days of festivities in the middle of winter at the hands of the Carnival King, culminating in a great confetti battle!
www.ville-granville.fr
Tel. +33 (0)2 33 91 30 03
13th - 15th March
La Foire au Boudin
Mortagne-au-Perche
45th edition of the annual black pudding festival featuring local and international associations and producers.
www.foireauboudin.free.fr
18th - 19th April
Franco-British Plants & Gardens (« Journées des plantes Franco-britanniques »), 12th annual edition
Château de Crosville-sur-Douve
More than 80 exhibitors with various specialisms, including nurseries, antiques dealers and landscape gardeners. Both British nurseries and nurseries from all over France will be amongst them.
www.chateaucrosville.com
Tel. +33 (0)2 33 41 67 25
May to October
Summer in the Eure (« L'Eure d'Été »)
Five months of events to liven up your stay in the Eure and add that personal touch - farmers' markets, festive restaurants, exhibitions, concerts, visits to parks and gardens...! For the full programme, contact the Eure department tourist board (« Comité Départemental du Tourisme de l'Eure »), available from February.
www.cdt-eure.fr
Tel. +33 (0)2 32 62 84 32
16th - 29th May
‘Jazz under the apple trees' (« Jazz sous les Pommiers »)
Coutances
28th edition of the annual jazz music festival
www.jazzsouslespommiers.com
30th - 31st May
Joan of Arc Festival
Rouen
Medieval markets, typical local produce, people in costumes, music and street theatre - all to commemorate Joan of Arc, condemned as a witch in 1431 during the 100-years' war in Rouen and burnt at the stake at only 18 years old. In 1920, she became a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Religious services will be held in the cathedral and in Church Sainte Jeanne d'Arc in the Old Market Place.
www.rouentourisme.com
Tel. + 33(0)2 32 08 32 40
Houlgate Plein Vent
Houlgate
3rd - 7th June
Annual kite festival on the beach at Houlgate.
www.plein-vent.fr
4th - 7th June
Deauville International Week (« Semaine internationale de la Voile de Deauville »)
3rd edition of this annual regatta in Deauville.
www.deauville-week.fr
5th - 7th June
65th Anniversary of the Normandy D-Day Landings
Numerous festivities marking the 65th anniversary of the Normandy D-Day landings (memorial ceremonies, conferences, reconstructions...)
5th June - ceremonies in the Anglo-Canadian landing sector (Bayeux, Bernières sur Mer),
celebrations at the Longues sur Mer battery culminating in a huge firework display (Bayeux)
6th June - ceremonies in the American landing sector (American Cemetery, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Sainte Marie du Mont)
7th June - procession of vehicles used in the landings and in the liberation of France through bayeux
www.normandiememoire.com
Tel. +33 (0)2 31 94 80 26
17th - 21st June
Tour de Normandie
Vintage cars' parade passing through the departments of Orne, Calvados, Seine Maritime and Eure. Over 100 vintage cars participate in this event.
www.tourdenormandie.com
June
Open-air Opera Festival « Rigoletto de Verdi »
Château du Champ de Bataille, Sainte-Opportune-du-Bosq Touring the most beautiful chateaux in France, this opera in three acts and four scenes by Giuseppe Verdi will be performed in the majestic courtyard at the Champ de Bataille chateau.
www.operaenpleinair.com
June to September
"Thursdays at Le Pin"
Le Pin National Stud (« Le Pin au Haras »)
The magnificent Colbert Courtyard is transformed into an outdoor theatre, the actors being none other than the horses of the National Stud themselves! Stallions ridden or in-hand, mares and foals running free alongside, even a donkey, all come on stage one after the other: a horse rears in the centre, while those impressive carriages, heritage of "Le Pin" National Stud, thunder by, the cobbles vibrating underfoot.
contact@harasdupin.com
www.haras-national-du-pin.com/en
Tel. +33 (0)2 33 36 68 68
June to September
Medieval Festival of Mortemer
Mortemer Abbey (« Abbaye de Mortemer »)
In the heart of the Lyons forest, Mortemer Abbey brightens up summer with a variety of shows, theatre performances, ghost evenings and a huge medieval festival.
www.mortemer.fr
Tel. +33 (0)2 32 49 54 94
Mid-July to Mid-Augst
Musical Promenades in the Pays d'Auge (« Les promenades musicales du Pays d'Auge »)
Out and about in the Pays d'Auge region, a number of concerts, occasionally enhanced with dance, theatre and poetry, will be held in diverse locations from chateaux, churches and chapels to workshops, parks and gardens.
http://www.pays-auge-culture.org/culture/Festivals/promenades/promenades.htm
July and August
Nocturnal walks at the Mont-St-Michel Abbey
www.monuments-nationaux.fr
First weekend in August
Festival of Hunting and Fishing
Carrouges
Three days set against the backdrop of the chateau of Carrouges. 24 hectares of exhibitions and contests. Events include the grand mass of Saint Hubert, team display - dogs and horses - European Hunting Horns Cup and village fishing. Night-time show held daily. Food available on site.
www.fetedecarrouges.com
Tel. +33 (0)2 33 37 15 88
Mid-August
The Tatihou Crossings Folk Festival (« Les Traversées Tatihou »)
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue - Tatihou Island
15th edition of this annual nautical music festival which sees festival-goers making the crossing from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue to the isle of Tatihou through the oyster beds with concerts taking place on the island under a big top
www.tatihou.com
Tel. +33 (0)2 33 05 98 36
Mid-August
Normandie Horse Show
Saint-Lô Racecourse
Ten days to discover the elite of the equestrian world and of Normandy breeding - including show jumping Grand National, foal and pony fair and equestrian exhibitors.
www.normandiehorseshow.com
September
Festival du Septembre Musical de l'Orne
A variety of musical events spanning different genres taking place throughout September.
www.septembre-musical.com
1st - 14th September (dates TBC)
American Film Festival
Deauville
Screening the best of the year's US film releases, the Deauville Festival of American Cinema is a popular event that attracts a mix of interested moviegoers and absolute film fanatics. The event focuses predominantly on America's burgeoning independent film scene and there are awards up for grabs in a number of categories. Well-attended by a raft of big name stars and directors, the festival has all the glitz and glamour one would expect from a movie industry
get together.
www.festival-deauville.com
Mid-October
La Foire de la Pomme
Vimoutiers
66th edition of this annual apple festival
www.vimoutiers.net
25th October
SolOceans
Caen
The SolOceans is the first equal-opportunity, single-handed round the world boat race. Skippers and sponsors will sail on identical mono-hulls, with controlled costs, ensuring everyone competes on an equal footing and even smaller businesses can afford to take part. Boats set sail from Caen heading for New Zealand.
www.soloceans.com/en
8th - 9th November 2009
Le Goût du Large festival ("A taste for the open sea")
Port en Bessin
Third edition of the scallop and seafood festival running alongside the European sea shanty festival. Gather at Port en Bessin to dive into these maritime traditions!
www.bayeux-bessin-tourism.com/eng
Tel. +33 (0)2 31 22 45 80
December
Winter Festivities (« Les Hivernales »)
Falaise
Christmas illuminations, craft market, choirs and events in medieval costume in front of the castle in the birthplace of William the Conqueror.
www.falaise-tourisme.com