Events calendar Lille

Mange Lille! brings together chefs, producers and artisans with a common goal: to promote gastronomy by showcasing Lille's culinary talents through a variety of events. From cooking competitions to tastings, themed evenings and other activities, the collective promotes the region's rich but little-known terroir. This unique local project gives as many people as possible the opportunity to discover new, accessible and up-to-the-minute addresses, brilliantly run by a host of inspired young chefs.

An international sporting event, the Lille Half Marathon is a running race organized by the Ligue Hauts-de-France d'athlétisme in March, to celebrate the return of spring. To take part in this race is first and foremost to set yourself a challenge and surpass yourself to cross the finish line. But it's also about discovering Lille's heritage, the Grands Boulevards and the Citadelle in a whole new light, thanks to routes that cross the heart of the city, welcoming thousands of people for the occasion in a very friendly, festive and supportive atmosphere.

Les Fenêtres qui parlent is a unifying and original event. Created in 2001, they enable neighborhood associations to express their stories and memories. As you can imagine, the windows of participating residents are decorated with drawings, paintings and messages... More than a simple event, these windows are an open door on local life and the dreams of residents, highlighted by regional artists. A surprise window is revealed after a tour of the partner towns. Each year, you'll have the pleasure of strolling new streets and discovering new neighborhoods in this amazing metropolis, through a variety of themes ("Micro Machine" in Lille-Sud, "Couples Improbables" in Roubaix, "Flottements" in Bois-Blancs, for example). A great initiative to liven up and showcase the many neighborhoods that deserve to be better known!

Unusual moments in perspective thanks to the open doors of the artists'workshops! The program? Visit the premises of a thousand amateur and professional artists from the North, be they painters, graphic artists, sculptors or photographers. You will discover in which space they work, which inspires them, with which materials, with which tools they create… Exciting and often enriching meetings on the works and artists themselves at the sharing workshops with the general public. A great opportunity to discover all these talents!

Winter sports in Lille take place at the Gare Saint-Sauveur. Games and activities await you. You'll have a great time with family and friends. The famous 700^m2 skating rink is the main attraction (the only paying activity), but you'll love the other attractions too: toboggan runs, a ski and snowboard simulator... and other activities for all ages. Many shows and events are free of charge. During the day and at night, you won't be able to get away from this atmosphere worthy of a real ski resort.

Behind this festival is an association (Culture B) and an ambition: to restore beer to its former glory and make it a product of excellence, while highlighting the regional brewing tradition. Since its launch in spring 2017, the festival has grown considerably, bringing together 10,000 participants and 105 breweries by 2021! On the program: tastings, meetings, exhibitions, meals, themed tours of the metropolis and its breweries, and a final bouquet where brewers come together to offer the best of their production.

Since its inception, the NAME Festival has never ceased to reinvent itself and surprise us. A major event for electro-music fans, the festival takes over unusual venues (remnants, industrial wastelands...) and thrills its thousands of spectators to the sounds of internationally renowned artists and young emerging musicians. The NAME Festival is a talent scout and incubator, and organizes meetings and master classes. On the strength of its reputation, the festival has become an itinerant one, organizing events all over France.

For years, at the time of the holidays of the All, the Champ de Mars in Lille animates and vibrates at the rhythm of the cries of joy and amazement of the spectators of the Grand Lille Festival of the Cirque, who put his suitcases and his gigantic top. Animated by a loyal gentleman from home, the indéboulonnable Thierry Féery, this great circus mass attracts over 80 000 spectators every year. Acrobats, jugglers, magicians, animal trainers, not forgetting clowns, the festival renews its programming every year and showcases artists and acrobats from all over the world. In the 31st edition of 2017? The incredible acrobats of the Hats Juggling Troup of China, a circus filmmaker from Moscow, Muriel and Scott'accidental illusionists ', a dog trainer from Russia or Scott Nelson the Magician. Not to mention Henri the Prince of Clowns and a spectacle of 12 Fauves. The Lille Circus Festival is a blend of tradition and modernity and never stops laughing, dreaming and travelling. So book your tickets soon!

Lille Art Up! is a major contemporary art fair that attracts thousands of curious visitors every year. 100 galleries and publishers invite you to discover the best of contemporary creation. Renowned and emerging artists come together to explore different themes, such as memory games in 2023. On Thursday evening, during the nocturne, happenings, performances, readings and other animations create a lively dialogue between artists and spectators. As for the weekend, it is centered around workshops accessible to all and allowing to learn engraving or photography in all simplicity. Contemporary art, yes, but for everyone!

Created in 2016, the Journées Nationales de l'Architecture are part of a more global approach by the Ministry of Culture aimed at rethinking architecture in everyday life and encouraging a desire for architecture among the French to improve the living environment and habitat. As such, these days seek to showcase the most beautiful and unusual architectural achievements throughout France, and enable visitors to re-appropriate their city. In Lille in 2016, the curious were able to discover the metamorphoses of the Citadelle and the urban and architectural history of the town halls. They were able to attend exhibitions on themes as varied as "Japan, archipelago of the home" or "Building the accessible, architecture facing the walls of disability". Conferences, workshops and film screenings were also on offer. Enough to satisfy the most varied cultural appetites. Whether you prefer classical or contemporary architecture, you're bound to find an event to suit your taste. Following the success of the first edition, the Ministry is organizing the Journées Nationales de l'Architecture once again. In 2017 in Lille, the program should focus more on contemporary Lille. Eventually, the Ministry hopes to make these days as essential as the Journées du Patrimoine.

france's^3rd-largest short-film competition, the European Film Festival attracts some 6,000 spectators every year. This competition for short films of all kinds aims to promote French and European cinema, but not only that... It's also an excellent opportunity for film professionals to meet their Lille audiences! Pascal Légitimus, Joey Starr, Gary Lewis, Mathieu Kassovitz and many others have taken part in the event during their respective careers.