March in France has a host of events, though with Easter in April, some of them have moved a month forward. The weather is changing; Spring start to appear and France’s great gardens and parks are showing off the first of their new colours. A great month to visit.

To March, 2025: The Vendée Globe is on track with the first sailors expected to 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 when the last sailors arrive. The first sailor over the line was the Frenchman Charlie Dalin who broke all records. He arrived on January 14.
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

To Mar 2, 2025: The Menton Lemon Festival began in 1934. Over 300 professionals using 145 tonnes of citrus fruits (yes, that’s right) create extraordinary citrus-themed floats and parade around the Promenade du Soleil while dancers and folk groups entertain and throw tons of confetti. The central Biovès Gardens are transformed with temporary sculptures in those bright orange and yellow coloured fruits, some as high as 10 metres. This year the theme is Journey to the Stars.

Menton lemon festival 2025 poster with large lemon and Journey to the stars words and small space ship
Menton Festival 2025

To Mar 2, 2025: Porte de Versailles International Agricultural Show is the biggest agricultural event in France. It’s been held since 1964. For anyone interested in agriculture it’s a must with over international 1,000 exhibitors from around the world. They show off 3,000 animals, a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables, as well as agricultural items and more. Four areas take in livestock farming and its related industries; gastronomic products from France and elsewhere; cultivation and the plant industries; and agricultural services and trades.

Small dark bay Landais pony agricultural show
Landais pony © Wikimedia Commons/Thomon

To Mar 2, 2025: Cannes Festival International des Jeux (International Games Festival) began in 1987. Game designers, publishing companies and fellow game-players come here for traditional games, classics, board games, videos, simulation games, collectors’ items and more. Watch the gaming competitions and get your games signed in the Palais des Festivals.

International Games Fesrival at Cannes showing men over board with soldiers playing a war game
International Games Festival at Cannes © Yves Tennevin/CC-BY-SA 3.0

To Mar 2, 2025: Nice Carnaval, PACA. The theme for 2025 is the King of the Oceans. Plenty to do and see in the Queen of the south of France. Taking over the streets and square, the Carnival procession and the Battle of the Flowers have to be seen to be believed. Place Masséna is at the heart of the celebrations as extraordinary floats parade past the stands while street art, bands and performances entertain.
Check the website; it’s not daily.

Nice Carnival showing huge figures in main swuare at night, all lit up
Nice Carnival

To Mar 4, 2025: The Granville Carnaval is, like the one in Dunkirk, all about fish and cod in particular. It began 150 years ago when the local fishermen set off for the Grand Banks fisheries off Newfoundland and partied before they went It’s a great event, with 40 or so floats, 3,000 participants and over 150,000 visitors. It rivals Dunkirk for its downright eccentricities.

Granville Carnaval February with huge crowd in street shot taken from above. In centre men dressed in yellow with floats behind
Granville Carnaval © Granville Carnaval

To Mar 6, 2025: Limoux Carnival in the Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon. For over 400 years the Limoux Carnival has celebrated 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 takes place every weekend to March.

Limoux Carnival showing man in red costume with white ruff and red top hat withface painted in white with marks like a clows. He's surrounded by like-costumed people
Limoux Carnival CC-BY-SA 2.0/tagon

To Apr 27, 2025Dunkirk Carnival in Nord-Pas de Calais is one of those events when the French appear to go totally bonkers. Go there to appreciate the extraordinary 300-year old party as it sweeps through 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

Events starting in March 2025

Mar 1-2, 2025: The Violet Festival has taken place in Tourrettes-sur-Loup since 1952. Begun in 1880 when the village in the Alpes-Maritimes in southern France became famous for its violet growing farms, the festival celebrates the end of the violet season with serenades, dances, a floral procession and finally a flower battle for everyone.

Delicate violet violets growing
Violet Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Mar 1-2, 2025: Sarlat Fest’Oie (Goose Festival) is one of the best known March events. It takes place in the picturesque town of Sarlat-la-Canéda in Périgord, an area famous for its geese. There’s an all-you-can-eat banquet, naturally, and the chance to savour street food like goose soup from one of the stalls. Buy products in the bustling market and follow flocks of geese as they are led through the city.

Sarlat Goose fair with geese in wooden pen in street and 3 women looking at them...speculatively
Sarlat Goose Festival ©Sarlat Tourisme

Mar 2, 2025: Mardi Gras is celebrated in Paris with a huge parade through the streets. It’s based on the ancient cultural tradition La Promenade du Boeuf Gras (March of the Fat Beef Cow).  It starts at 1pm in Place Gambetta in the 20th and ends at Place de la République. It’s led by a gorgeous cow, all dressed up and accompanied by around 5,000 costumed paraders. After it ends there are 2 hours of dancing in Place de la République. Mardi Gras always takes place 47 days before Easter. Definitely a date for your diary.

Paris Mardi Gras Carnaval 2025 poster
Paris Mardi Gras

Mar 7-9, 2025: The Annecy Venetian Carnival is a spectacular carnival set around the lake and in the town in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. It’s not nearly as old as its inspiration – the Venetian carnival (1162!) but began in 1996.  Masked figures, many dressed as Commedia dell’arte figures parade the streets, parks, gardens and quays…in silence. It’s very beautiful, and rather sinister.

annecy Carnival with three figures completely overdressed in long skirts, masks, wigs,
Annecy Carnival © Aria/Joel Perrin

Mar 5-9, 2025: Mulhouse Carnaval in Alsace fills the streets with decorated floats and bands of pipes and drums. Events include a ball in a marquee, an international cavalcade and of course the election of the carnival king and queen. This year’s theme is Let’s celebrate the 800th anniversary of the city!

Mulhoue Carnival showing figures dressed in red with huge wigs embracing a passerby in the street
Mulhouse Carnival CC-BY-4.0/Thomas-Bresson

Mar 7-16, 2025: Foire de Chatou on the Ile des Impressionnistes, north east of Paris.  France’s biggest antiques fair has everything from expensive to bric a brac from the 17th to the 20th century. 300 vetted dealers offer genuine items.

Roire de chatou with Vuitton boxes and mannequin figure on table
Foire de Chatou

Mar 9-16, 2025: Paris to Nice is one of France’s iconic cycling races.  Begun in 1933 by Albert Lejeune, director of two newspapers, the 83rd edition will see 21 teams compete, with most of the big names who will go on to complete in the Tour de France. The Race to the Sun starts at Perray-en-Yvelines and gives you the chance to see the champions as they pass through small villages.

Map of cycle route Paris to Nice
Paris to Nice Cycle Route

Mar 12-Apr 6, 2025: Monte-Carlo Spring Arts Festival is a classical music festival that runs from Thursdays to Sundays over the month. Founded originally in 1970 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, it features great European orchestras and takes place in the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Hôtel Hermitage and One Monte-Carlo.  It’s not expensive for such a prestigious event; tickets are from €20-40.

Monte Carlo Festival showing Musique Océanographique, a full orchestra on stage
Monte Carlo Festival © Musique Océanographique

Mar 13-15, 2025: The Rallye Le Touquet Pas-de-Calais starts the 2025 French Rally Championship. Over 150 drivers wizz through the countryside and along the coast.

Rallye Le Touquet with one rally car with sea behind in field
Rallye Le Toquet ©Le Touquet Tourisme

Mar 14-31, 2025: Les Printemps des Poètes. Poetry festivals, large and small take place all over France, from a reading in a café to a fully fledged festival. And the one in Nice on the Côte d’Azur is one of the best known. This very French festival is the most esoteric of events in France in March 2023. Not for the faint-hearted! This year’s theme is Volcanic Poetry, so I guess the fabulous Auvergne (where I have my house) will figure.

Mar 14-Apr 11, 2025: Banlieues Bleues Festival in Saint Denis, Paris. New jazz musicians from around the world come together in this popular festival. It includes takes place in different venues including Dynamo, the main venue open all year round.

Poster of Banlieues Blues Festival 2025 with 3 young black boys naked from waist up with one in front playing trumpet
Banlieues Blues Festival 2025

Mar 15, 2025: La Trace du Fromage on the Aubrac plateau in Aveyron gives you the chance to walk, cross-country ski or snowshoe over the extraordinary Aubrac landscape on the search for cheese, mulled wine, gentian, fouace and aligot. Celebrating Lagouile AOP, it’s organised by the Cooperative Jeune Montagne. Go from from buron to buron – small stone shelters where shepherds live with their herds during the summer and make cheese by hand.

Flat plateau of Aubrac with small stream on right and bare grassy landscape in winter
Aubrac in Winter Public domain via Wikimedia

Mar 22-24, 2025: Paris Contemporary Drawing Fair (DDESSINPARIS) showing the best contemporary drawing in all forms, takes place this year in Domus Maubourg, a former private mansion near Les Invalides.  A dozen French and international galleries nominate works by emerging and established young artists.

Domus Mauberg entrance Paris with grand sweeping staircase in neo classical building
Domus Maubourg Entrance

Mar 27, 2025: International Cheese Day. This might be international but in a country which is famous for Charles de Gaulle’s remark: “How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?”, you can expect quite a lot. The aim is to champion rare and raw milk cheeses from across the country so make sure you shop for cheeses on this day and look out for local events.
Food of France

Bottle of Gigondas wine in background and many different cheeses on plateau
Gigondas wine and plate of cheeses © Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Mar 27-30, 2025: Drawing Week, Paris. Different venues celebrate the art of drawing. Try the Drawing Now Art Fair at the Carreau du Temple.

Paris Drawing Fair with two women, one in black, one in red in front of wall sculpture
Paris Drawing Fair

Mar 31-Apr 6, 2025: European Days of Crafts (Journées Européennes des Métiers d’Arttakes place all over Europe. It’s a real eye-opener where galleries, studios and workshops stage exhibitions, installations, open houses, performances and more. Meet the artists and craftspeople, learn something of their craft, from tapestry weavers to leather toolers, jewellery designers to book binders and bicycle makers, and get inspired.

Workshop at European Craft Days

Events in France

Events in France in January 2025
Events in France in February 2025

Events in France in April 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 May 2024
Events in France in June 2024
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

Here’s a quick guide to France, its regions and departments to help you find where the events are taking place.
Regions of France
French Departments


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