Mary AnneEvents in France in June 2025 are glorious and varied. This year is the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II so expect memorable events in Normandy. There are festivals everywhere and Roland Garros tennis. In fact as you’ll see below, there’s something for everyone in June in France.
Check out the events in France in June 2025 to help plan your visit in advance.
If you’re in Normandy, visit Caen. 2025 is Caen Millennium Year and it’s celebrating in style.
To Jun 1, 2025: Joan of Arc Festival (Fêtes Johanniques) in Reims, Champagne. Joan of Arc persuaded the dauphin Charles to be crowned in Reims cathedral on July 17, 1429. The Festival celebrates the event with a huge medieval fair, culminating in a historical re-enactment of them arriving in Reims. But there’s much more – a medieval village with craftspeople, minstrels and jugglers in the streets and everyone in period costume. Or watch a falconry display, wool-spinning and stone-cutting workshops.
To Jun 1, 2025: Nuits Sonores is an urban-oriented electronic music festival in Lyon. The innovative and exciting programme welcomes performers from around the world. It takes place in museums, disused factories, a theatre and the city hall. And along with the music come contemporary art, exhibitions, films and more.
To Jun 9, 2024: Roland Garros in Paris is one of the 4 major world Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Taking place on 20 clay courts, it began in 1925. Like other major tournaments, each match is five sets long (for men) and 3 sets long (for women).
There are two major awards: the Musketeers’ Cup for men and the Suzanne Lenglen cup for women. The womens’ cup is named after the great tennis player who (among other things) was one of the early famous women wearing a bra invented in 1889 by Herminie Cadolle. There are also trophies for the winners of the men’s doubles, ladies’ doubles and mixed doubles.
To Jun 24, 2025: Saint-Denis Festival is a superb festival in the great basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris and other buildings in the arrondissement. Classical music concerts from French and international orchestras range from the classics to contemporary. Some concerts are broadcast on a giant screen in front of the basilica and there are plenty of events for children as well.
To Jun 30, 2025: D-Day Commemorated. There’s plenty to do on the 81st anniversary of the D-Day Landings plus many events for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
See my article on a tour of the D-Day Landing Beaches from Utah to Sword.
For accommodation near the D-Day Landing Beaches, check my article here.
To Nov 1, 2025: Giverny, Claude Monet’s house and garden open for the season. A visit is a must on most people’s itinerary and this year with so many great events in Normandy it will be busier than ever.
To Nov 3, 2025: International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire Château in the Loire Valley is a fabulous, huge Festival, the Chelsea Flower Show of France. The Château and grounds are lovely and the festival of a series of gardens from international designers always delivers some surprises.
To Jan, 2025: Chartres en lumières sees this wonderful city illuminated for its annual festival of light. The first city to do this, it really is a must-see event.
Events in France starting in June 2025
Jun 2-Jul 26, 2025: Les Nuits de Fourvière in the Gallo-Roman theatres of Lyon is a magical feast of theatre, music, dance, opera and circus. Around 60 performances are watched by over 130,000 spectators.
Jun 4-8, 2025: Voiles d’Antibes on the Côte d’Azur is the start of the famous seaborne Mediterranean circuit races, when those beautiful rare, vintage and classic yachts unfurl their sails and race through the water.
Jun 4-14, 2025: Festival de musique de Sully et du Loiret. Held in the delightful Loire Valley, the festival has been running since 1973. It presents a mix of classical and jazz in the famous château and other local heritage buildings.
Jun 6-8, 2025: Rendezvous aux Jardins. This very popular government sponsored event takes place throughout France with around 2,400 public and private gardens opening up to the public (like the Château de Rivau below). You can talk to the gardeners, go on guided tours, watch demonstrations on plants, see exhibitions, and enjoy musical walks, games and more.
Jun 7-9, 2025: La Fête des Marins. The Sailors Pilgrimage, held every Whitsun in Honfleur sees fishing boats sailing out of the port into the Seine estuary for a blessing by a priest. The town has exhibitions, a parade with sailors carrying model boats, performances and food stalls in the streets.
Jun 8, 2025: Pentecost or Whit Sunday and Whit Monday are official French holidays when shops, businesses, banks and more close so everybody can party.
Jun 9, 2025: Annual Transhumance. St Rémy de Provence is famous for its transhumance when hundreds of sheep are driven through the town to begin their journey up to the pastures to grow fat and happy during the summer months. They leave from the Plateau de la Crau at 10.30am for a couple of circuits of the town, then leave for the real thing in the afternoon.
Jun 8-14, 2025: Annecy Animated Film Festival The international competition, founded in 1960, has over 200 films from short to feature films, TV movies and student films. Premières take place at different venues, plus conferences and more. There are free outdoor screenings each night at Le Pâquier.
Jun 11-15, 2025: Festival du Film de Cabourg, Normandy. Every summer, Cabourg’s film festival is dedicated to romantic films. Premières, tributes and retrospectives, lectures, debates and meetings, all open to the public. There’s also an outdoor cinema with 400 seats set up on the beach. At the end of the competition, the Swann d’Or awards are given to the best feature-length films, best short film, best actress and best actor.
Jun 11-15, 2025: 24 Hours of Le Mans race, in Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire is one of the most famous car races in the world. It covers a road circuit of just over 8 miles (13kms) in Le Mans, part of which is on a public road.
More about the Le Mans race and the museum.
Here’s a general guide to Le Mans, a Tale of Two Cities: what to see and do, where to stay, eat and more. What surprised me (and many first-time visitors to Le Mans) is the beautifully preserved, and extensive, mediaeval quarter at the heart of the city. Guide to Plantagenet Le Mans.
Jun 13-15, 2025: Salon Vivre Côté Sud in Montpellier is a must if you’re interested in interior design. Organised by the Maisons Côté Sud magazine, it’s a seductive view of living in the south of France.
Jun 13-Jul 25, 2025: Chorégies d’Orange started in 1869, making it the oldest festival in France. It’s held in the magnificent Roman Théâtre Antique, which seats 8,600 people, has superb acoustics and puts on popular operas and classical music.
Jun 14-15, 2025: Medieval Festival de Provins. This UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Seine-et-Marne near Paris is an exceptionally well preserved fortified medieval city. Their annual Medieval Fair is great fun with swashbuckling galore, sinister characters along with musicians, stilt walkers and entertainers. There are camps, craftspeople making and selling jewellery, spices, fabrics and costumes from the distant past. And it’s great for children.
Jun 19-27, 2025: Hellfest in Clisson, Loire-Atlantique. Since 2006 Hellfest has been staging hard rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, black metal and hardcore punk. Seven stages for the biggest names. Not everyone goes in the gear you’d expect: Festival-goers appear as pink rabbits, Gauls and Teletubbies.
Jun 19-Jul 11, 2025: Les Flaneries de Reims is a delightful classical music festival that also includes world music and jazz. Around 60 concerts, many of them free, take place around the city: in the St. Remi Basilica, the Opera, the Manège de Reims Circus, the Palace of Tau and Reims Station Forecourt. A big outdoor picnic finishes the festival. Free shuttle buses take people from one part of the city to another.
Jun 21-Oct 12, 2025: La Gacilly Photo Festival is a wonderful outdoor photo festival. For three months, hundreds of large format photos are displayed in the parks, green maze, squares and streets of the small town in Morbihan, Brittany. This year’s theme is Australia and the New World. To be confirmed.
Jun 21, 2025: World Music Day (concerts and dancing in the streets throughout France). It began in 1982 and has blossomed since then. Everyone participates so there’s an enormous variety of music from contemporary to folk as the music schools, conservatories, museums, hospitals, radio, concert halls, cafés, street performers and more put on their own versions.
Jun 22-Jul 24, 2025: Festival de Nîmes in Occitanie. Music festival with a big line up has been wowing the crowds 1997 and is one of the important festivals in the south of France. But hurry; many concerts are sold out.
Jun 24-29, 2025: The Anjou Festival now in its 73rd season has become the second biggest outdoor theatre event in France. The festival presents a varied programme in historic venues.
Jun 24-29, 2025: Jazz a Ramatuelle, Var, PACA. Since 1986, swing jazz has been played here, mainly with American and French jazzmen. Established musicians and new discoveries play her and at the Fringe Festival.
TO BE CONFIRMED
Jun 25-Jul 22, 2025: Summer Sales throughout France.
Read more about Discount shopping, malls, bargains and sales in France.
And…Flea markets and brocante fairs are always great entertainment.
ESTIMATE Jun 25-Sep 8, 2025: Paris Jazz Festival. 25 free festivals spread over the summer take place in the Parc Floral in jazz, world music and Afro-American music (soul, blues). Along with the concerts, there are workshops where you can make instruments from salvaged objects, introductions to percussion and conferences as well as a sound discovery area for children in the Botanic Garden. All concerts and activities are free; there’s a charge for admission to the park.
Jun 26-28 & Jul 8, 10, 11, 2025: Jazz à Vienne, Isère. Great names lined up for this annual popular jazz festival held in the Théâtre Antique which can hold over 7,000 spectators. Over 200,000 people descend on the city to see the performances at venues from Jazz Mix to the Cybèle stage. There’s a Jazz Parade and if you’re near Vienne you might catch the Caravan’Jazz which travels around the local communes. Isère is a fabulous place to visit (there’s more on Isère here).
June 27-29, 2025: Saumur in Anjou has a great event – a Vintage Cycle Ride! Participants register for a ride – anything from 30kms to 105 kms, dress up as their favourite vintage character and set off around Saumur.
Jun 27-Jul 5, 2025: La Rochelle International Film Festival on the French Atlantic coast explores the world of films from everywhere. 250 films, historic and contemporary are shown at a festival that prides itself on the unusual and the unknown (many are not distributed through the usual channels). Retrospectives rediscover forgotten works and stars. This year it’s the turn of Edward Yang, the great Asiatic film maker who disappeared in 2007. New films bring European and international works to the audience. International stars always come to this festival.
Jun 28-Aug 31, 2025: Le Voyage à Nantes: Summertime festival is one of the most exciting, and original, summer events in France. It’s an urban trail with works of art, some of which are new, others are created. 30 or so different works start at the former LU factory by the Canal Saint- Félix, then continue past iconic sites and buildings like the castle of the Dukes of Brittany and the Machines de l’Isle park with its grand elephant. A green line on the ground takes you along the itinerary. Don’t worry if you miss it; there is a permanent Voyage à Nantes through the city.
Events in France in 2025
Have I missed an event you think I should include? Please do let me know.
Events in France in January 2025
Events in France in February 2025
Events in France in March 2025
Events in France in April 2025
Events in France in May 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.
Events in France in July 2024
Events in France in August 2024
Events in France in September 2024
Events in France in October 2024
Events in France in November 2024
Events in France in December 2024
More about great Food Festivals in France
Public holidays in France
More about Normandy, much in the news this year.
Here’s a quick guide to the French regions and departments to help you find where the events are taking place.