From the Generali Open equestrian finale in Lamotte-Beuvron to the Holi festival of colour in New Mayapur, eleven picks across the Centre-Loire Valley this July 25-26.
This weekend of July 25-26, the Centre-Loire Valley swings between endings and beginnings. The region's biggest horse show wraps up in Lamotte-Beuvron after three weeks, while a few kilometres away a chamber music festival settles into a manor house. Something similar happens in Richelieu, where classical musicians take over from a sword-fighting festival that closed just days earlier. Between these closings and openings, the Indre adds a curveball: a festival of Indian colour on a Sunday afternoon.
Our pick of the weekend is the De Bouche et de Blues Festival in Chédigny, where farmhouse cooking and live blues share the same evening in a village barely bigger than a postage stamp. Here are eleven outings across the Centre-Loire Valley this weekend.
Generali Open de France in Lamotte-Beuvron (41): closing weekend for France's largest horse show
The Generali Open de France closes its gates this Sunday July 26, after nearly a month at the Parc Équestre Fédéral in Lamotte-Beuvron. Run by the French Equestrian Federation, the event spans 400 hectares in the Sologne. Pony championships gave way to club championships over the weeks, drawing thousands of riders from across France and overseas. More than twenty disciplines are on show, from dressage to show jumping. Entry stays free, and the public can wander between the arenas at will. Closing weekends tend to draw bigger crowds than the rest of the month: set aside a full morning to catch a few events without rushing.
Chambord, Rêve de Lumières (41): a 156-metre façade tells 74 years of light shows
The Chambord, Rêve de Lumières show runs every evening through September 12 across the château's 156-metre façade. The event traces back to 1952, home to the world's very first son et lumière show. Moving images, music and dance cover the stone for fifty minutes. Digital projection has replaced the original spotlights, but the goal hasn't changed: tell Chambord's story through light rather than an audio guide. A family-friendly outing, no booking required, equally suited to a last-minute evening or a planned visit. Set aside about an hour on site, screening included.
Chartres International Organ Festival (28): a Sunday under the cathedral's great organ
The Sunday concert of the Chartres International Organ Festival takes place July 26 inside the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded in 1975 by the Association des Grandes Orgues de Chartres, the festival showcases the Danion-Gonzalez organ within the Gothic nave's acoustics. The programme runs through August 20, with Sunday concerts and weekday evening performances. Admission stays open to everyone, including visitors who've never been to an organ concert. Hard to beat this setting for a Sunday afternoon: the cathedral alone is worth the trip, the concert does the rest.
Festival Les Intemporel-les in Argenton-sur-Creuse (36): closing day for an eclectic music festival
The Festival Les Intemporel-les wraps up its fourth edition this Sunday July 26, in and around Argenton-sur-Creuse. Founded in 2022 by the Interlude association, it packs eight days of musical discovery into a mix of groove, funk, electro, world music, chanson and classical. Concerts take over heritage sites across southern Indre, away from standard concert halls. The name says it all: no boxes, no hierarchy between genres. For this closing day, the line-up narrows to a handful of concerts rather than spreading across multiple stages, a quiet way to end the week.
Festival de Musique de Richelieu (37): opening concerts this Saturday
The Festival de Musique de Richelieu opens its edition on July 25, for two weeks of classical, baroque and romantic music. Started by pianist Nicolas Boyer, the event brings international artists into history-laden venues: the Dôme in Richelieu's park, the collegiate church of Faye-la-Vineuse, and other sites across the Cardinal's town. The festival picks up where the Cape et Épée sword-fighting festival left off just days earlier, in the very same town. Two opposite moods, one shared backdrop: costumed duels give way to chamber music. Opening night sets the tone for a programme built around quality over quantity.
Les Nuits du Donjon in Montrichard (41): a brand-new night trail opens this Saturday
Launched in 2023, Les Nuits du Donjon opens its new edition on July 25, a 900-metre immersive night trail through the Montrichard-Val-de-Cher fortress. From the castle courtyard to the wooded park, visitors walk through monumental projections, video mapping, holograms and laser effects. Each edition builds on an original story drawn from local medieval legend, so the route changes year to year instead of repeating the same show. The trail runs through October 31, but this opening weekend still carries the novelty factor: regulars come back for the new staging, newcomers discover a format still rare in the region.
La Bamboche in Olivet (45): closing weekend for a riverside dance-hall festival
La Bamboche closes its edition this Sunday July 26, at the Parc du Poutyl, on the banks of the Loiret. Launched in 2021 by the town of Olivet, this dance-hall-style festival grew out of merging two older municipal events. Around forty mostly free shows have run since early July: concerts, theatre, street arts, comedy, outdoor cinema. For this last weekend, the mood stays relaxed and family-friendly, with no ticket needed for most slots. An easy outing to pair with a riverside walk, minutes from central Orléans.
Henrichemont Gourmet and Artisanal Market (18): an evening of Berry produce and live music
The Estivales d'Henrichemont set up their gourmet and artisanal market this Saturday July 25, on Place Henri IV. Around fifty stallholders, craftspeople, designers and local food producers, sell their goods in a lively market-night setting. Food stalls, a bar and live music or a dance round out the evening. Last year's edition kept the crowd and the music going late; this one follows the same formula, on the same village square. A no-frills outing for anyone after an open-air dinner rather than a ticketed show. Check exact times with the town hall before heading over.
De Bouche et de Blues Festival in Chédigny (37): a closing night of blues and farmhouse food
The De Bouche et de Blues Festival closes its run this Saturday July 25, in the flower-decked village of Chédigny, in Indre-et-Loire. Every July, the event pairs two local traditions: Touraine farmhouse cooking and the blues, with concerts from established artists. A tasting format lets visitors build their own meal across several stalls run by local associations. Chédigny, known for its roses and its ranking among France's most flower-decorated villages, offers a very different setting from a standard concert hall. Our pick of the weekend, for anyone who likes to pair a good meal with live music without spending a fortune.
Rencontres Musicales de Jaugette in Obterre (36): chamber music inside a manor in the Brenne
The Rencontres Musicales de Jaugette run from July 24 to 26 at the Manoir des Arts de Jaugette, in Obterre. Founded in 2012 by pianist Irina Kataeva-Aimard, this chamber music festival brings internationally known artists into a converted barn seating 130, inside the Brenne regional nature park. The venue's acoustics are said to punch well above its size. Three days of concerts far from any city concert hall, in a setting where the audience easily crosses paths with musicians between pieces. A choice for anyone who prefers a small room over a big anonymous auditorium.
Holi Festival at New Mayapur in Luçay-le-Mâle (36): India's festival of colour, on a Sunday
The Holi Festival at New Mayapur takes place this Sunday July 26 at the Château d'Oublaise, in Luçay-le-Mâle. Run by the ISKCON community settled on the estate since 1975, this free event invites the public to celebrate Holi, India's festival of colour, with lively music, traditional dance and clouds of coloured powder. It's probably the weekend's most unexpected outing in the Centre-Loire Valley, nothing like a music festival or a village market. Wear clothes you don't mind ruining: the powder doesn't always wash out easily. A collective, outdoor, family-friendly experience, weather permitting.
Between horses, illuminated façades and coloured powder, this weekend in the Centre-Loire Valley reads more like a string of finales than a quiet summer lull. For more ideas across France, head to our full weekend agenda.
