Glorious events are planned for June 2026 in France. As always Normandy commemorates the D-Day Landings. There are festivals everywhere and Roland Garros tennis. In fact as you’ll see below, there’s something for everyone in June 2026 in France.

Check out the events in France in June 2026 to help plan your visit in advance.

To Jun 6, 2026: CIC Normandy Channel Race starts in Caen on Sunday May 31 though the yachts arrive a few days earlier. The 1000 mile race goes Normandy to Ireland, via the English South West coast and the Channel Islands.

To Jun 7, 2026: 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 23, 2026: 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. It’s not every day so check the website for dates and times.

To Jun 30, 2025: D-Day Commemorated. There’s plenty to do on the 82nd 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 Jul 25, 2026: 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.

To Sep 20, 2026: Normandy Impressionist Festival celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the birth of the Impressionists. Around 150 to 200 events are organised in the main cities celebrating the art: Rouen, Caen, Le Havre, Cherbourg, Giverny, Honfleur, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, Fécamp and Saint Lô and in other smaller towns.

This year, Normandy and Paris commemorate the death of Claude Monet in 1926.

More about Normandy and Impressionism
Normandy and Impressionism
Guide to Impressionist Painters

To Nov 1, 2026: 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 1, 2026: 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. This year’s theme pays tribute to cinema.

To Jan, 2027: 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 2026

Jun 1-Oct 4, 2026:  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.

Jun 3-28, 2026: The Anjou Festival now in its 74th season has become the second biggest outdoor theatre event in France. The festival presents a varied programme in historic venues.  

Jun 5-7, 2026: 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. The 2026 theme is the Vue.

Jun 5-8, 2026: Salon Vivre Côté Sud in Aix-en-Provence this year is a must if you’re interested in interior design. Organised by the Maisons Côté Sud magazine, it’s a seductive way of getting your house to look as if it were in the south of France.

Jun 7, 8 2026:  Pentecost or Whit Sunday and Whit Monday are official French holidays when shops, businesses, banks and more close so everybody can party.

Jun 7-9, 2026: La Fête des Marins. The Sailors Pilgrimage, held every year 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 10-14, 2026: 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 10-14, 2026: 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 11-Jul 26, 2026: 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 13-14, 2026:  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 18-21, 2026: 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. It’s billed as the Home of Hellbangers.

Jun 18-Jul 10, 2026: 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 19-Jul 8, 2026: 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 21, 2026: 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 22-29, 2026: What a Trip! Heyme Festival, Montpellier, Herault, Occitanie. The International Travel and Adventure Festival has everything: a travel village, world bookshop, workshops, adventure travel and an official film competition, free concerts, exhibitions, talks and more. It’s organised by people who love travel and is not like so many trade shows around the world.

Jun 23-26, 2026: 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. There’s a great market for fans to buy all kinds of memorabilia.

Jun 24-Jul 21, 2026: 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 24-Sep 6, 2026: 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 25-Jul 11, 2026: 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. Check the website for precise dates as it’s just a few days within that time frame.
Isère is a fabulous place to visit (there’s more on Isère here).

June 26-28, 2026: 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. There’s a great vintage fair as well.

Jun 26-Jul 4, 2026: 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 Jacques Tati who produced the hilarious Monsieur Hulot films. If you want to see where Monsieur Hulot stayed, check out my article on Saint Nazaire. Saint-Marc-sur-Mer is just outside the town. New films bring European and international works to the audience. International stars always come to this festival.

Jun 26-28, 2026: Rock and electronic music Since 1997, the Garorock festival in Marmande by the Garonne river has offered 3 days of rock and electronic music. Outdoor stages attract thousands of music lovers, listening to music from 1pm to 5am.

Jun 29-Jul 5, 2026: Les Zaccros d’ma Rue in Nevers in the Loire Valley is as wacky as its title. Around 50 different troupes offer theatre, circus and magic with performances, brass bands, street parades, fire shows and more.

Events in France in 2026

Have I missed an event you think I should include? Please do let me know.

Events in France in January 2026
Events in France in February 2026
Events in France in March 2026
Events in France in April 2026
Events in France in May 2026

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 2025
Events in France in August 2025
Events in France in September 2025
Events in France in October 2025
Events in France in November 2025
Events in France in December 2025

Major Events and Openings in France in 2026

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.

Regions of France
French Departments

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