Chalon Draws 200,000, Nozeroy's Walls Go Medieval This July 25-26

This weekend, July 25 and 26, Chalon-sur-Saône turns its streets into an open-air stage, while the medieval walls of Nozeroy go back in time and the gardens of the Saline Royale fill with concerts. Twelve events span almost the whole region, from Côte-d'Or to Territoire de Belfort. Our pick of the weekend is Chalon dans la Rue: four days that turn an entire town into a stage, with no real equivalent in France. Add some local food tradition, plenty of music and a couple of heritage curiosities, and you get a packed weekend.

Chalon dans la Rue (71): a whole town becomes a stage

Since 1987, Chalon dans la Rue has turned Chalon-sur-Saône into a giant open-air theatre. From Thursday July 23 to Sunday July 26, around 150 French and international companies stage more than 700 performances in the streets, squares and gardens. Street theatre, circus, dance, puppetry: everything happens live, often for free. The town counts close to 200,000 spectators over the four days, making it France's largest street-arts gathering. Sunday July 26 wraps up this edition with the last shows before the stages come down. A full immersion on foot, moving between two districts of the historic centre.

Beaune International Baroque and Romantic Opera Festival (21): the final act at the Hospices

Created in 1983 by Anne Blanchard and Kader Hassissi, the Beaune International Baroque and Romantic Opera Festival closes its run this Sunday, July 26. For four weeks, the Hospices civils and the Basilique collégiale Notre-Dame have hosted baroque operas, oratorios and recitals performed by top European ensembles. This weekend brings the season's final performances, staged in a historic setting few festivals can match: the old hospital halls of the Hôtel-Dieu. A date for early-music lovers looking for demanding programming, away from the big general-interest summer festivals.

Festival de la Paille in Métabief (25): 24,000 festival-goers at the foot of Mont Morond

On Friday July 24 and Saturday July 25, the Festival de la Paille draws close to 24,000 festival-goers to Métabief, in the Haut-Doubs. Born in 2000 and based here since 2008, this contemporary music festival mixes rock, reggae, electro, pop, hip-hop and French chanson over two to three days. Its friendly atmosphere and strong local roots have built a following well beyond the Jura mountains. Saturday July 25 closes this edition, the last chance to catch the line-up before the stages are dismantled. A solid option for an open-air concert without leaving the mountains.

Les Grandes Heures de Cluny (71): ten days of music in the abbey town

Since 1967, Les Grandes Heures de Cluny have filled the monks' Farinier granary, the church of Saint-Marcel and the Notre-Dame chapel with ten days of concerts, recitals and dance performances. Launched on July 19, the 2026 edition is in full swing this weekend and runs through August 10. Classical music, dance and singing share the bill in venues steeped in history, steps from the ruins of the largest Cistercian abbey in the world. Close to sixty years old, this festival remains a fixture of Burgundy's cultural summer, drawing music lovers and heritage fans alike.

Assaut des Remparts in Nozeroy (39): one day back in the Middle Ages

On Sunday July 26, the medieval town of Nozeroy relives its past for a single day. For more than thirty-five years, the Assaut des Remparts has filled its cobbled streets with musicians, street performers, storytellers and craftspeople. The programme also includes a sit-down medieval banquet and street shows running all day long. Organised by the local events committee, it draws thousands of visitors from across the Jura. A simple way to show children and adults alike what daily life looked like inside a fortified medieval town, with no digital effects involved.

Saline Royale Live in Arc-et-Senans (25): concerts inside a Unesco World Heritage site

On July 25 and 26, two evenings of contemporary music fill the grounds of the Saline Royale in Arc-et-Senans, a Unesco World Heritage site. Saline Royale Live launched in 2025, alongside the opening of the Claude-Nicolas Ledoux hall, and books internationally known acts this year. The 18th-century architecture, designed by the hall's namesake architect, gives these concerts a setting hard to match anywhere else in the region. Only in its second edition, this event remains fairly under the radar — a good reason to go before tickets get harder to find.

Rencontres Musicales de Noyers (89): young classical talent in one of France's prettiest villages

Through July 31, the Rencontres Musicales de Noyers bring together established soloists and rising talent for classical concerts and public masterclasses. Founded in 1990 by Emmanuel de Malézieux, the festival turns the Gothic church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Noyers-sur-Serein into a concert hall. The village, listed among France's Most Beautiful Villages, adds its medieval backdrop to a programme spanning baroque works to more recent pieces. This weekend marks one of the festival's high points, with several evening concerts. A demanding festival that also aims to pass classical music on to younger generations.

Saint-Fargeau Castle Son et Lumière (89): a thousand years of history, 600 volunteers

Every Friday and Saturday night in July and August, more than 600 volunteer actors and 50 horse riders bring a thousand years of history back to life in the grounds of Château de Saint-Fargeau, in Puisaye. Equestrian games, medieval re-enactments, the story of Joan of Arc and scenes from the French Revolution follow one another in costume, with pyrotechnics and a full soundtrack. The next performance falls on Saturday July 25. Widely seen as one of France's major historical pageants, it rallies an entire local community, year after year. A family night out, built for a broad audience of all ages.

Festival Eurocuivres around Montbéliard (25): ten days of brass and an international academy

Created in 1998, the Eurocuivres Festival closes its season this Sunday, July 26, after ten days of free concerts across the Montbéliard area. Horns, trumpets, trombones, tubas and euphoniums fill several venues, while an international academy trains more than a hundred enthusiasts, aged 7 to 77, alongside recognised soloists. This dual focus, teaching and public concerts, sets Eurocuivres apart from other summer music events. A fitting way to close out the region's brass season, in an atmosphere open to the whole family.

Onion Festival in Pontailler-sur-Saône (21): free soup and a peeling contest

On Sunday July 26, Pontailler-sur-Saône holds its Onion Festival, a tradition running more than thirty-five years, organised by the Football Club Mirebellois Pontailler Lamarche. A peeling contest, tastings, a craft market, concerts and fireworks draw close to 4,000 people to this Côte-d'Or town. The free onion soup remains the highlight regulars look forward to each year. An unpretentious local celebration that shows another side of the region: the local associations that keep rural summers alive, far from the big stages.

Salon Chasse et Nature in Saint-Honoré-les-Bains (58): hunting horns and horseback stunts

On July 25 and 26, the Salon Chasse et Nature brings together hunters, anglers and nature lovers in Saint-Honoré-les-Bains, in the Morvan. Organised by the ADLC association, the programme mixes specialist exhibitors, laser clay shooting, dressage and trick-riding displays, a Saint Hubert mass with hunting horns, and a pyrotechnic equestrian show. Fireworks close out the weekend on Sunday evening. Far from the region's music festivals, this event offers a concrete look at hunting culture, still very much alive in the Nièvre. A niche gathering, unapologetically so, for an audience passionate about nature and rural tradition.

Les Nuits de Sacy (89): a first edition built around a village-born writer

From July 23 to 26, the small village of Sacy hosts the very first edition of Les Nuits de Sacy, entirely devoted to the writer Rétif de la Bretonne, born here in 1734. Staged readings, a musical walk, an exhibition, a panel discussion, screenings and workshops fill out this inaugural weekend. The initiative bets on the literary memory of a village of a few hundred people to build a brand-new cultural event in the Yonne. A modest but original venture, worth watching as it grows in the years ahead.

Also worth noting

• In Cendrecourt (70), Music'en Brousse offers two nights of rock, reggae and metal on July 24 and 25, with on-site camping.
• In Belfort (90), the Fête du quartier des Glacis livens up the foot of the Vauban citadel this Saturday, July 25.
• In Rogny-les-Sept-Écluses (89), Ruggieri's fireworks display lights up the seven listed locks on Saturday night — organisers call it one of France's three finest fireworks shows.

Looking for more ideas? Browse every event of the weekend on our full weekend agenda. Enjoy the weekend across Burgundy-Franche-Comté.