Guitar Nights of Porto-Vecchio celebrate their 25th edition, NoBorder opens its 48th in Calvi, Cheese Fair of Alta Rocca in Levie: six events for the mid-June weekend in Corsica.
This weekend of June 13 and 14, 2026, Corsica shifts into high season without everything yet being open. The particularity: south and north of the island are playing simultaneously, in very different registers — classical guitar and competitive sailing in the south, chamber music and world music in the north. It's the kind of weekend where geography does the programming. Our editorial pick goes to the Guitar Nights of Porto-Vecchio, celebrating their 25th edition right on this Saturday-Sunday — an anniversary for one of the most intimate festivals on the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Calvi raises the curtain on its legendary NoBorder, 48th edition of a world music event that shaped the Balagne's musical identity. Six events in all, zero padding.
Guitar Nights of Porto-Vecchio — 25th anniversary (June 13-14)
Founded in 2002, the Guitar Nights of Porto-Vecchio enter their 25th edition exactly this weekend, from Saturday June 13 to Sunday June 14, 2026. Two evenings of guitar concerts in one of southern Corsica's most beautiful towns, between Genoese citadel and the Porto-Vecchio gulf. Since their founding, the Nights have bet on stylistic diversity: classical guitar, jazz, flamenco and world music all cross paths in a programme that refuses to stick to a single repertoire. At 24 years old, the festival has managed to stay human-sized — the opposite of a mega-festival — with a capacity that still allows real closeness between artists and the audience. For music lovers looking for a Mediterranean guitar festival without the crowds, this is a reference address. Anniversary editions often bring programming surprises: check with the organisers for the precise schedule of both evenings.
NoBorder Festival, Calvi — 48th edition (June 14-18, opening Sunday)
Founded in 1979, the NoBorder Festival in Calvi is one of the oldest world music festivals in France. Its 48th edition opens on Sunday June 14, 2026 and runs through Wednesday June 18. The Sunday opening is always a strong moment: first concert under the stars, reduced capacity, a still-relaxed atmosphere before the full festival crowd arrives on Monday and Tuesday. NoBorder built its reputation on programming that ignores musical borders — Berber music, reggae, African jazz, flamenco, Corsican song — all framed by the stunning setting of Calvi's citadel, with the sea as backdrop. For anyone in Upper Corsica this Sunday, this is the evening not to miss. Box office on site from door opening.
Algajola Chamber Music Festival — 56th edition (June 14-19, opening Sunday)
Founded in 1971, the Algajola Chamber Music Festival is one of the oldest classical music events on the island. Its 56th edition also starts on Sunday June 14, 2026, in Algajola — a small coastal village in the Balagne, nestled between Calvi and L'Île-Rousse, with a reputed beach and a Genoese fort as belvedere. Chamber music found its ideal frame here: intimacy of the site, acoustics of village buildings, regulars mixed with summer visitors. Where NoBorder draws a mixed crowd, the Algajola festival addresses music lovers who prefer a string quartet to a festival soundsystem. The two events are less than twenty kilometres apart and complement each other perfectly for anyone spending the weekend in the Balagne.
Cheese Fair of Alta Rocca, Levie (June 12-16)
In the interior of South Corsica, in Levie, the 32nd Cheese Fair of Alta Rocca is in full swing this weekend. It started on Friday June 12 and runs through Tuesday June 16, 2026, in this mountain village of the Alta Rocca, at 900 metres altitude, not far from the prehistoric site of Cucuruzzu. Corsican cheese — sheep, goat, mixed — takes centre stage: local producers and affineurs exhibit, comparative tastings let visitors understand the differences between appellations, and a local craft market rounds out the programme. Founded in 1995, the Fair is one of the most serious food events in South Corsica. If you're travelling by car and love inland Corsica — the land of bergeries, pozzines and highland maquis — Levie is well worth the detour from the coast.
Festival Henry Mary, Sartène (June 13-17)
In Sartène — which Prosper Mérimée called "the most Corsican of Corsican towns" — the Festival Henry Mary starts precisely this Saturday June 13, 2026 and runs through Wednesday June 17. Founded in 1990, it celebrates its 37th edition in 2026. A music and culture event rooted in the town, it bears the name of Henry Mary, a figure of Sartènese culture. The programme weaves Corsican music and cultural expression into an urban setting that has nothing touristic about it: Sartène is a city of granite, narrow alleys and centuries-old processions — an atmosphere that gives every event a particular colour. For the passing visitor, it's a way into the town that goes beyond the archaeological museum or the Catenacciu procession.
Giraglia Rolex Cup, Saint-Florent (June 12-20)
On the Upper Corsica side, in Saint-Florent, the Giraglia Rolex Cup (now Loro Piana Giraglia) is one of the great classics of Mediterranean sailing. This legendary regatta, founded in 1953, takes its name from the rocky islet of Giraglia off Cap Corse. Its 2026 edition runs from Friday June 12 to Saturday June 20 — the June 13-14 weekend covers the inshore races in the gulf before the offshore leg linking Saint-Tropez to Calvi. This is not a music festival, but it is a spectacle: watching competition yachts file past in the Gulf of Saint-Florent, with the Désert des Agriates as backdrop, is a visual experience with no equivalent in Corsica. Race village, refreshment stands, entertainment: the regatta atmosphere saturates the entire Saint-Florent waterfront on these days.
Also worth noting
The Polyphonic Thursdays of Bonifacio programme their next concert on Thursday June 18 in the Saint-Dominique church of the Haute-Ville. If you're extending your stay in South Corsica, this is the polyphony reference of the season: around thirty evenings from April to October, island groups such as Una Fiara Nova, L'Alba or A Filetta, in the acoustics of a 13th-century Dominican church.
Wrap-up
Six very real events for this mid-June weekend in Corsica: guitar in Porto-Vecchio for the 25th anniversary of the Nights, NoBorder opening in Calvi for its 48th edition, chamber music in Algajola, cheese and terroir in Levie, culture in Sartène, sailing in Saint-Florent. A balanced north-south split, varied themes — music, food, sport — and for once, neither department dominates the billing. Looking for other weekend ideas? Check our weekend agenda and compare with other French regions for the same dates.
