Events calendar Central

In Blois, in October, the Rendez-vous de l'Histoire brings together 1 000 speakers from all walks of life each year; it is a unique place for meetings, exchanges and debates. Historians, academics, writers, filmmakers, philosophers, politicians, journalists can find themselves in a long weekend for more than 400 meetings, debates, conferences, historical cafés, workshops, etc., in about fifteen places in the city. On this occasion, the Grain hall (in the heart of Blois) becomes the largest living room in the book book in France. Nearly 150 publishers and 300 authors come to meet the lovers of history. The cinema cycle allows you to see or review films at the cinema Les Lobis, through a selection of about fifty documentaries and fiction, subject to heritage as well as recent production, film archives like television. Finally, Les Rendez-vous de l'Histoire is a unique opportunity to discover the history otherwise, beside it in unusual places (historical cafés), through gastronomic discoveries (historical dinners), shows, exhibitions of photographs, historical comic strips.

Every day, at nightfall, the city lights up: this is the magic of Chartres en Lumières. Since 2003, Xavier de Richemont has been giving historic sites a new face by dressing them in lights and shimmering colours. Small blue lights, placed on the ground like Little Thumb's pebbles, trace a circuit through the city centre and the lower town (map available at the tourist office): all along this path, you can contemplate the 23 illuminated sites, sometimes animated, sometimes accompanied by music, and always surprising.

The Christmas Village installs its magic for 16 days at the foot of the cathedral. About fifty wooden chalets, decorated and illuminated, await visitors. It offers everything you need to celebrate Christmas: decorations, traditional dishes or sweet treats always welcome. You can also find original gifts. Artists and craftsmen exhibit their creations. Children can of course meet Santa Claus. The tradition is respected with the ice rink and the choirs. Everyone enjoys strolling around in this very special atmosphere!

Every two years, in September, the banks of the Loire are dressed in their finest finery and come alive with a thousand lights during the Festival de Loire, an event that moves the crowds. On the programme: exhibitions, jousting and lock-keeping demonstrations, boat races and parades, sailing demonstrations, tow horses, shows and street entertainment for all, concerts... This beautiful festival, an opportunity to travel back in time to the Loire navy, is the largest in Europe in terms of river navy.

With between 20 and 25 exhibitors each year, this rendezvous is a celebration in a very rustic atmosphere, in an extraordinary setting, close to a water mill that houses a fish farm. It is possible to organise a picnic on the spot all day long. So it is recommended to come with his basket under his arm, to make the full range of products from the region: Gâtinais cider and wines from Giennois, cold meats, cheeses, seasonal fruit, with some producers who propose a few'extra ', foie gras or ostrich-steak without forgetting a trout you can fish yourself. 

For shopping and bargain-seekers alike, this is a day not to be missed. For one long Sunday, retailers take to the streets, unpacking their stock and selling off their wares! To avoid the crowds, especially on Rue Nationale and Rue de Bordeaux, it's best to get up early. Don't worry, though, there are plenty of other small, more breathable streets in the city where you can find bargains here and there. Avenue de Grammont and Rue Charles Gilles are home to a friendly garage sale, while boulevard Heurteloup is home to a number of gastronomic stalls!

Since 1992, the International Garden Festival has been a laboratory for contemporary creation in the field of gardens and landscape design throughout the world. Both a mine of ideas and a breeding ground for talent, the Festival revitalizes the art of gardens. The diversity, creativity and quality of the projects have helped establish the festival's worldwide reputation as a must-see event. Edition 2022: Ideal Garden - 30 years of green utopia.

Created in 1977, the Bourges Spring is the great rendezvous of music lovers, of all current music: hip-hop, electro, French and international varieties, world music, rock, reggae… On this occasion, a wind of euphoria blows over the city that lives a week high in color and emotion. This is the opportunity to discover new talents and to attend the concerts of the stars of the moment that have been meeting here. There are no fewer than 40 performances in various places (top, Palais palace, theatre, auditorium…), but also open scenes where the groups are continuously selected throughout the year, and a hundred concerts in bars, restaurants and outdoors. It's not stop at all corners of the street, for more than 100 000 spectators!

On Saint Anne's Day (July 26), the old town smells of garlic and basil. The event is said to have originated in the Middle Ages. Fans of unusual strolls, gardeners and budding cooks take advantage of the opportunity to stroll through the old town of Tours on this day! The Place de la Victoire, the Place and Rue Châteauneuf and the Rue du Grand-Marché are transformed into a large market where all varieties of these two products are present. And all around, in the Halles and rue Courteline, you can find second-hand goods dealers, artists and craftsmen, as well as various delicacies.

A veritable rendezvous for those who love good local and organic produce, Convergences Bio is a huge open-air market that takes place on the quays of the Loire once a year. Market gardeners, cheesemakers, fishermen, livestock farmers, cereal growers, beekeepers and so many others who make up the region's peasant wealth come together for this ephemeral village. There's plenty to meet, taste and nibble at, and a few militant stalls where you can get to know the world again. In September, the organizers also propose the Banquet Festif et Solidaire de l'île Simon.

Baghdatis, Benneteau, Chardy, Clément, Dimitrov, Goffin, Grosjean, Kolhschreiber, Llodra, Lopez, Win, Mahut, Rochus, Santoro, Saulnier, Simon, Stepanek, all of these great world tennis names took part in the Opening of Orléans, the 6 ^th of the French ATP tournaments in the space of a few years, just behind Paris-Bercy, Montpellier, Marseille, Metz and Nice. For the 2015 edition, the course of the 20 000 spectators was first crossed.

The Fête festival is part of the great rendez-vous of the hunting and fishing fans of this department. For two days, in mid-September, the castle's park sounds like horns: Sully is located at the edge of the state forest of Orléans, which is one of the entrance gates of the Massif massif. A hundred exhibitors participate each year at this very busy event in the hunting ground.

The ^9th art has its local festival! Comic enthusiasts gather in the Place Châteauneuf or the Salle Ockeghem to stroll between the stands, discover new releases and have their comics signed by the authors on hand. The program also includes exhibitions, film screenings (and often a drawing concert!), and entertainment for young and old. Drawing workshops are a big hit, as are conferences. LSF interpretations and read-alouds are also organized. See you on the 2nd weekend of September!

In addition to illuminating its streets with Christmas colors to transport passers-by into a festive universe, the city of Tours also has its Christmas market. Since 1998, the chalets have been set up in Place de la Gare and on Boulevard Heurteloup. With the new municipality (and the covid), the market is expanding! In 2021, we could discover craftsmen and traders in front of the cathedral, on Place de la Résistance and on Place Anatole France. Jewelry, local products, sweets, mulled wine and handicrafts are on the agenda. And for a nice souvenir with the family, you can take a picture with Santa Claus or take advantage of the outdoor skating rink, the big wheel and the rides.