The best parties Aude

Free entertainment and shows, from Wednesday to Sunday, on the 3 squares in the heart of the Chaurienne city, await you. A celebration of sharing since 1999, the traditional recipe is served at all hours by the restaurants, gourmet market, brass bands, children's village, parade of floats, water jousting on the Canal du Midi, concerts make this popular event a must. No less than 60,000 people dressed in blue and white in the colours of the city meet in the world capital of cassoulet for this occasion.

Every summer, in August, the charming village of Fleury d'Aude organizes its festejades, three days of popular festivities punctuated by numerous animations. Free of charge, the event is organized around several concerts. In recent years, the streets of the town have resounded to the rhythm of the songs of the Négresses vertes, Alpha Blondy, Sergent Garcia, Amir or Lio. An impressive program that attracts every year a large number of holidaymakers and locals. Atmosphere guaranteed!

St. Pierre's Day is celebrated in Gruissan at the height of the summer solstice. This religious festival is a tribute by fishermen to Saint Pierre. This return to our roots is formalized by a procession of fishermen carrying the statue of their patron saint through the streets, followed by judges in black togas, the Prud'homie in a gold hat, assessors in silver hats and the small Gruissan orchestra. After the mass, the event took on a more festive aspect, with offerings, songs, wreaths thrown into the sea... ending with a ball and orchestra.

Dive back in time and discover Montséret in the Middle Ages for a day! Rent a costume on site and immerse yourself among the villagers to enjoy a wide range of activities that will delight young and old alike: armory stands at the encampment of the medieval troupe La Garde de l'Alaric, combat demonstrations and initiation, storytelling, exhibitions, wooden games, old-time craftsman stands, calligraphy initiation, donkey rides... Total immersion guaranteed!

Cubières-sur-Cinoble takes you back to the 1900s for a day. You'll be able to retrace the lives of your grandparents and great-grandparents, as they lived through the 4 seasons, with demonstrations and activities based on working the land. The villagers invite you to come and discover the prowess of the trades of yesteryear: pen-and-ink writing, vintage vehicles, clog-makers, bakers, mills, hooping, wheat threshing, washerwomen... a veritable open-air museum, accompanied by entertainment, a festive meal and a traditional dance.

Every year, the town of Port-La Nouvelle comes alive for its anniversary! Celebrated on 21 July - the date on which the commune was officially proclaimed in 1844 - it is punctuated by musical entertainment and an impressive firework display. While waiting for the first bursts of light around 10.30pm, the curious can count on the Trait d'union Périer band to provide the atmosphere from the Place Saint-Charles.

This festival re-enacts a key tradition in medieval history: "Las Claus de La Paumo" (9th and 13th centuries). At the time, the lord of the village had to take an oath before a monk delegated by the abbey of Lagrasse. The monk then gave him the keys to the village for a year, and in exchange, he promised the protection of the city. A great celebration would then follow... Since 2002, La Palme has revived this tradition! At the end of the ceremony, it's time to celebrate! On the program: bandas, bodegas, street shows and a closing ball.

Don't miss the olive festival in Bize-Minervois! During a whole day, it is the occasion to learn the secrets of the olive tree, from the culture of the tree to the benefits of the olive oil. On the program: demonstration of pruning and grafting of olive trees, conference on the cultivation and maintenance of the olive tree, great aioli competition, aperitif, lunch... The afternoon is devoted to occitan animations and the gourmet market. The day ends in beauty with the burning of the river, fireworks and concert.

Since 2009, gastronomes have had a new meeting, the Nuit de la Fricassée, organised by the association Les Fins gourmets des Marronniers, which aims to give this local dish its full place. The "Nuit de la Fricassée" brings together, from 6 p.m., all the specialities of Limoux, gourmet and folklore. Blanquette, chardonnay, pébradous, fricassee and beans, local cheese and honey, Limos, nougat, red wine and brandy are on the menu for an evening of bandas. Of course, the Basilian brotherhood of the "Capitouls" gets in tune and enthroned a few personalities before a carnival band, sharpens the curiosity of the guests who then dance until late at night.

Organized by the winegrowers' union of the AOC La Clape, the event takes place in the middle of the vineyards, from a vineyard of the massif. On arrival, participants are given a nice straw hat, a pouch containing cutlery, a tasting glass, a notebook and a pencil to immortalize each of their oenological impressions. The perfect equipment to measure the quality of the gourmet stops in the countryside, on this^3rd Sunday of May...

Castelnaudary can't go a year without celebrating its cassoulet! The festival kicks off with the "ronde du cassoulet", a night-time walk and run, and continues on the following days with musical bandas, shows and concerts, a craft market, a cycle tour and the "Grande Confrérie du Cassoulet". Dance to the rhythm of the brass bands during the day, or dance the night away at the open-air discotheque, not forgetting to join in the corso fleuri, a grand procession of floats in honor of cassoulet!