Events and festivals in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur on October 10-11, 2026: the Fiesta des Suds closes four days at the foot of the Mucem

In Marseille, the Fiesta des Suds ends its four days of concerts on the Esplanade du J4, while Collobrières, in the Var, opens its Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 11.

A Sunday between sea and forest. For events and festivals this weekend, October 10, 2026, Marseille and Collobrières, in the Var, hold the Sunday. In Marseille, the Fiesta des Suds ends its four days of concerts on the Esplanade du J4, while Collobrières, in the Var, opens its Chestnut Festival on Sunday, October 11.

The Fiesta des Suds on the Esplanade du J4

The Fiesta des Suds takes over the Esplanade Gisèle Halimi in Marseille from October 8 to 11. The site, known as the Esplanade du J4, lies at the foot of the Mucem, facing the Mediterranean.

Several stages take turns from evening to early morning. The lineup mixes world music, rock, reggae, electro and hip-hop, with emerging artists and names from the international scene, a prominent place for the local scene, and French chanson as well as traditional music in the same spirit of discovery.

The closing Sunday is traditionally a free festive day, open to everyone. The four-day pass and single-day tickets are sold at fiestadessuds.com and through partner outlets.

Born in 1992 in the Docks of the Joliette district, founded by four friends passionate about music, the festival moved into the J4 hangar two years later, then in 1996 to the Belle de Mai tobacco factory. Today it occupies the esplanade. All year round, the Fiesta runs mediation projects, artistic residencies and support for emerging artists from the Marseille and Mediterranean area.

To get there, the metro (line 1 or 2, Joliette or Vieux-Port station), tram T2 (Joliette station) and bus 82 (Fort Saint-Jean stop) serve the area, and the Vieux-Port and Joliette car parks are close by.

The festival also welcomes people with disabilities.

Actoral, last day in Marseille

On Saturday, October 10, actoral closes its edition, which began on September 23. The director Hubert Colas founded it in 2001 in Marseille to bring contemporary writing and live arts together.

Theatre, dance, visual arts, performance, literature, music and film meet in several venues in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, where more than 200 French and international artists are invited each year. Around 12,000 spectators followed the 2025 edition.

Writing is understood in the broadest sense: dramatic, poetic, choreographic, sound, film. All year long, the association hosts about 50 artists in residence.

The Pass actoral is personal: it gives the Pass rate on shows and the reduced rate to the person accompanying the holder.

The chestnuts of Collobrières

On Sunday, October 11, on the Place de la Libération, the Fêtes de la Châtaigne de Collobrières open three October Sundays in the Maures massif. Admission is free, from about 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The farmers' market gathers local producers: fresh chestnuts, handmade marrons glacés, chestnut cream, flours and jams. Stalls roast the chestnuts, chestnut porridge is among the dishes, and the cooking of the massif adds porcini mushrooms, olive oil, honey and goat cheese.

Collobrières is home to the Confiserie Azuréenne, which makes marrons glacés and chestnut cream. The festival follows the fruit from the tree to the finished product, from harvest to roasting and then confectionery.

The chestnut, nicknamed "the bread tree", fed the people of the Maures, who ate it roasted, boiled, as flour or preserved. With the rural exodus of the 20th century, many chestnut groves were abandoned. The festival puts this heritage back on the map.

The program features street shows, traditional Provençal music, craft exhibitions, demonstrations of skills tied to the chestnut grove, nature walks and workshops for children.

Collobrières lies 24 km from Toulon, 20 km from Bormes-les-Mimosas and 40 km from Saint-Tropez. From Toulon, allow about 40 minutes via the D14 and D39 through the Maures massif. Parking at the edge of the village is free.