Events calendar Berry

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!

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!

For over 20 years, enthusiasts have been reviving the Saint Luc procession. In the afternoon, they've added a very different kind of entertainment: a witchcraft festival featuring a gourmet and craft market, plays, strolls, a brass band, percussion instruments, a funfair, fireworks and a grand ball. If you like to scare yourself with the witch's house or tarot card readings, if you want to see the witch burn, don't miss the Bonnu festival! Costumes and entertainment are highly elaborate, and the shows are captivating.

Now in its ^59th year, the Fête des Chieuves, as it's known in Berry, is held in Couy, attracting just over a thousand people every year. The program includes a giant barbecue and a country ball on Saturday evening. On Sunday, don't miss the traditional goat races, with budding jockeys and folk groups. Free play areas for young and old are open all day, culminating in a country-style meal and evening show.

At the beginning of August, Garigny hosts the donkey festival in the courtyard of the Château de Doys. To the delight of visitors, this country festival features donkey races, ridden by both experienced and novice "jockeys", which can give rise to some quite comical spectacles... After Saint Hubert's mass, there's a wide range of entertainment, with music and dance on the program every year, and game stalls to entertain young and old. Be sure to stop by if you're in the area.

With the festival L'Air du Temps, we are invited to a musical escapade in the countryside. The Bains-Douches, a current music scene, which offers high quality concerts all year round, hosts this festival. In addition to the concerts, there are exhibitions, drawing workshops for children, and free shows. It's a change from the birds singing and the tractors humming! In 2023, Lignières will host the 31st edition of this festival which saw in 2022 François Puyalto, Yves Jamet or Jules Box.

The Foire aux Sorciers has been held in Bué since 1946. It combines the celebration of wine produced in the Sancerre region with the history of local witchcraft. This part of the Sancerre region was marked during the Renaissance by a major witchcraft trial, that of the Carroi de Marloup (the proceedings of which have been preserved). Since 2008, the festival has been held on Saturday evening. People come in costume as witches, birettes, ghosts or devils. The festive evening begins with a meal and witch stories, followed by a country ball and fireworks.

A not-to-be-missed event in the tourist season. At the end of July, the three towns bordering the lake - Cuzion, Eguzon and Saint-Plantaire - organize the Three Beaches Challenge at Bonnu, Chambon and Fougères. It's also the occasion for a parade of Club Nautique boats, entertainment, demonstrations and free introductions to water-skiing. A concert, fireworks on the water and a free dance round off the day's activities, which are always well attended around Lac d'Eguzon, the largest lake in the Centre region. Numerous water sports activities keep the lake lively.

The history of the city of Châteauroux began in the 10th century when Raoul le Large decided to build a castle there. Eleven centuries later, the city has changed considerably but its medieval heritage is still present. This is what this 1h15 medieval tour proposes to discover. Starting from the Place Gambetta, it will take you to the Place Monestier in 21 steps, passing, of course, by the Château Raoul. Circuit available at the tourist office.

The Bidon circus has been organizing a festival in Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre for 8 years. This old-fashioned circus travels the Indre region but also the Indre-et-Loire and the Auvergne. For 50 years, it has been traveling the roads with its old-fashioned horse-drawn caravans, before wintering. It is a very poetic circus. At the end of its tour, the Bidon circus meets at the gymnasium of Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre for final performances and to introduce new companies to the public.

Every year in mid-September, since 1994, Vartan has been hosting a two-day event on the theme of the green Berry lentil, an iconic product of the Centre-Val de Loire region. On the programme: farmer's market, tasting of local dishes, cooking competitions, traditional dance demonstrations and workshops for children. Saturday evening closes with a dance party, and on Sunday there's a concert! A joyful way to immerse yourself in the customs of Berry.