Events in France in January 2025

Events in France in January 2025 are as impressive and plentiful as usual. January 1, New Years Day, is a public holiday in France as in so many countries around the world. Throughout the month carnivals cheer up the country, shaking off the winter blues. And there are festivals of music and comic strips, horse shows and circuses and France’s official sales.

To Jan 5, 2025: Nancy in east France is a spectacular festival. Over 70 exhibitors attend the event in brightly lit chalets, offering the public original gift ideas, art and craft objects and local specialities.

Two huge giraffe (models) in square at Nancy St Nicolas Festival withpeople photographing and christmas tree to right — St Nicolas Festival in Nancy © Nancy Tourist Office

To Jan 5, 2025: The Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale was created in 1991. New contemporary artists, from sculptures to painters, photographers to video makers are represented. Three separate platforms are spread between the Contemporary Art Museum and La Sucrière on Quai Rambaud, La Veduta, a cultural laboratory with exhibitions and artists’ residencies, and Résonance, the biennial’s fringe event, devoted to the Rhône-Alpes art scene with performances and concerts. It alternates with the Dance Biennial which was created in 1984.

La Suriere building in Lyon showing 19th centry huge industrial building of concrete with huge glass winsows and words in red — La Sucriere in Lyon © Wikimedia/Buorrel

To Jan 5, 2025: Chartres en lumières sees this wonderful city illuminated for its annual festival of light. It’s nightly so there’s no excuse to miss it.

Chartres lit up at Saint aignan church with facade totally covered in different coloured lights — Chartres lit up Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Events Starting in January 2025

Jan 6, 2025 Epiphany: This is the day when Christmas in France officially ends. The day when the Three Wise Men come from the east to visit the baby Jesus. This being France, it’s celebrated with a cake: La Galette des Rois which has a long and distinguished history. You’ll find the boulangeries full of these cakes. Most are modest, but check out the shops selling the best; some of the top French chefs make very expensive versions for those wishing to impress their friends.

Here’s the Programme

Jan 8-Feb 4, 2025: Les Soldes d’Hiver. This is the French sale season and the chance for some great bargains. And they are genuine as the January Sales dates are subject to strict law.
However, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges have different dates: Jan 2-29, 2025. More information on the government website.
More about Sales and Discount Shopping in France.

Front of shop with windows with Soldes signs and two people walking out with red carrier bags, in Paris — Sales in Paris © Paris Tourist Office Amélie Dupont

Jan 11-23, 2025: La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc is something to savour. One of the longest and most difficult dog sled races in the world, it takes place in Savoie and Haute-Savoie in the Alps. 11 days of high speed racing take the world’s best mushers and their dogs through 22 resorts – a distance of 750 kms. It opens in Megève with fireworks, walks and hikes, mulled wine, giant tartiflettes to eat, films, exhibitions, a kid’s introduction to sled driving, igloo-building and more.

La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc showing the dog sled race with team of huskies racing through snow with mountain i nbackground on sunny day. Sledge at rear — La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc SS-BY-CA 4.0

Jan 14, 2025: The Vendée Globe winner arrives! Charlie Dalin arrived at Les Sables d’Olonne in the early morning of Jan 14. Since 1989 the solo sailing race is one of the toughest challenges in yacht racing. It takes around three months to sail 45,000kms past the three Capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn. Raced every four years, it’s long, dangerous and difficult. The race continues probably until March, 2025 with the last sailors arriving.
Here’s my article on the Race in 2020.

Charlie Dalin at end of 2024-5 Vendee glove with boatin middle surrounded by small boats — Charlie Dalin finishes first © Jean-Louis Carli/Alea

Jan 15-19, 2025: Cheval Passion Horse Show in Avignon is a must for horse lovers. Over 1,200 horses and riders perform for a total of 90 hours in the Parc des Expositions, showing every skill from trick riding to Western competitions. One of the great events is the Crinières d’Or. Acts created specially for the event are exciting, daring and spectacular. In addition to the acts, there are 250 exhibitors, 12 corrals, 12 display halls and more. It’s great for children too with a special Poney Passion.

Avignon Horse Show poster 2025 — Avignon Horse Show 2025

Jan 18-19, 2025: The Fête de la Truffe is a glorious annual event entirely dedicated to the truffle. Held in Sarlat, Perigord, you get the chance to find out more about truffles with identification workshops, truffle hunting demonstration and cookery demonstrations from local chefs. Meet the truffle growers and gatherers and buy the famous ‘black diamonds’ in the main market place. And indulge your taste at one of the restaurants in the Place de la Liberté with ‘croustous’ tapas with truffle and foie gras.
The Intriguing Story of Food in France
Top Food Festivals in France

Sarlat Truffle festival with woman in beret leaning over sniffing a truffle in her hand — Sarlat Truffle Festival ©Sarlat Tourisme

Jan 18-26, 2025: Premiers Plans Festival in Angers in Anjou is dedicated to new European talent in the cinema. Around 100 debut films are shown for a whole week. Over 70,000 people come to see the festival which is supported by the greats of French cinema like Gérard Depardieu, Patrice Chéreau, Fanny Ardant and Jeanne Moreau. Many now well-known directors first appear here. Also: retrospectives, script readings by professional actors, symposia and documentary screenings.

Premiers Plans 2025 poster with couple against backdrop of high hills — Premiers Plans 2025

Jan 11-Apr 27, 2025: Dunkirk Carnival in Nord-Pas de Calais is one of those events when the French appear to go totally bonkers. It’s an extraordinary 300-year old party taking over the town. The carnival celebrates the boats setting off for voyages to the rich fishing grounds off Newfoundland and Iceland – voyages which lasted for months.
Shrove Tuesday is the highlight with musicians dressed as fishermen leading the parades, complete with ‘giants’ and 450 kilos of wrapped, smoked herrings hurled from the balcony of the City Hall. As I wrote, bonkers.
The carnival is mainly at weekends, with some events on a weekday. Check the website.
The main Carnival events are March 2: Bande de Dunkerque; March 3: Bande de la Citadelle; March 4: Bande de Rosendaël; March 9: Bande de Malo-les-Bains.

Dunkirk Carnival. Two men almost kissing with faces made up white with colours and crowd behind. Everyone dressed in wierd costumes — Dunkirk Carnival © Ville de Dunquerque

Jan 23-26, 2025: The Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain (Global Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow) in le Cirque Phénix in Place du Cardinal Lavigerie in the 23th arrondissement of Paris is one of the world’s biggest circus festivals. Tightrope walkers, clowns, jugglers, acrobats and trapeze artists from around the world contort themselves in ways you would not think possible and perform extraordinary tricks. The French love circus talent; the 15-year old daughter of a friend of mine goes to a circus school frequently during term time at her normal school. I look forward to seeing her in Paris one day!

Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow with one acrobat extended backwards by pile of bricks

Jan 24-26, 2025: Salon des Vignerons. Held in Calais (one of my favourite French cities), this is the chance for those in the north of France (not a wine-producing region) to taste great wines from the rest of the country. Try wines from Alsace to Champagne, the Jura to Burgundy. It’s a fun, fairly small, low-key event with tastings, the chance to talk to wine producers and good food.

Calais Vins tasting with man in apron behind bar pouring small glass of red wine for female customer opposite

Jan 25-26, 2025: Saint-Vincent Tournante Wine Celebration is an annual event in Burgundy. Winegrowers in different villages gather to thank the patron saint, Saint Vincent, for the previous year’s wine harvest and ask for his protection for the future harvest. It’s taken place since the Middle Ages.
Each year it’s a different village, hence the name Tournante (‘in rotation’). In 2025 it’s in Ladoix-Serrigny. Famous names like Chablis and Nuits-Saint-Georges are featured but also smaller lesser known vintages are presented.

Saint Vincent Wine Festival with villages walking at dusk away from a vineyard January — Saint Vincent Festival © Mpmpmp/CC-BY-SA 3.0

Jan 25-Apr 6, 2025: Limoux Carnival in the Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon kicks off the French carnival season in style. For over 400 years it’s been celebrating a group of local millers who, having paid off their taxes to the local monks, roamed through the streets, handing out flour and treats to the locals. And they’ve been doing it ever since. This fabulous costumed event, the longest carnival in the world, takes place every weekend to April.

Carnival de Limoux poster with harlequin figure in black on multicoloured background — Limoux Carnival 2025 © V. Perez_Ville-de-Limoux.

Jan 29-Feb 5, 2025: Rallye de Monte-Carlo Historique is a great international event, officially starting and ending in Monaco. Legendary cars start the race to Monaco and go through different cities on different dates. Like the Tour de France cycle race, it consists of different stages testing different skills.
The whole event ends with the Prize Ceremony and Gala Night in the Salles des Etoiles at Monte-Carlo Sporting Club.
Find more historic cars at the Top Car Museums in France, and at the famous Le Mans 24 Hour Museum.

Poster of historic MOnte Carlo rally 2025 with old sports car facing — Historic Monte Carlo Rally 2025

Jan 29-Feb 2, 2025: More film talent at the Fantasy Film Festival in the Gérardmer ski resort in the Vosges, Grand Est. Since 1994 the festival offers 100 screenings of 50 films. It includes around 40 new films plus retrospectives of different directors shown on 4 cinema screens.
Plus exhibitions, theatre and street performances, make-up stands, video games and window display competitions.

Fantasy film festival 2024 with film on screen behind winning team on stage — Fantasy Film Festival 2024

Jan 29-Feb 2, 2025: Nantes’ classical music festival La Folle Journée has been held annually since 1995. For five days there are around 250 concerts of fairly short duration (45 minutes) at an affordable price, encouraging those new to classic music.

Folles Nantes poster 2025 with cello/double bass to left and words to right — Folles Nantes © Ville de nantes

Jan 30-Feb 2, 2025: The International Comic Strip Festival is a great event where professionals from all over the world meet around 200,000 fans. Giant tents are full of stands taken by different publishers. There are signings, exhibitions, screenings, debates, conferences, meetings, concerts and competitions. For younger people, the youth area has a range of activities, games and all sorts of workshops.

Rin coming out of a Japanese vase; just his head with suprise on his face — Tintin International Comic Strip Festival

Events in France in 2025

Events in France in February 2025

I am updating the events in France in 2025 but have left 2024 as many of France’s major events occur each year, usually at the same time of the month.