From Colmar's Alsace Wine Fair to Le Chien à Plumes on the shores of the Vingeanne lake, twelve picks across the Grand Est for the weekend of August 1-2, 2026.
The calendar tips over. On Saturday August 1 and Sunday August 2, the Grand Est closes a handful of July festivals and opens the season of big village fêtes. Colmar uncorks its wine fair, Schiltigheim rolls out its barrels, the Côte des Bar opens its champagne cellars. What do you keep when everything starts on the same Saturday?
Our pick of the week sits in the Haute-Marne. On the shore of the Vingeanne lake, Le Chien à Plumes holds its first-weekend-of-August date, run by 450 volunteers since 1997. Here are twelve outings across the region's ten départements.
Alsace Wine Fair in Colmar (68): 1,500 wines and an open-air stage
From Friday July 31 through August 9, the Parc des Expositions in Colmar hosts the Alsace Wine Fair. Running since 1948, it remains the biggest summer date in Colmar.
More than 1,500 Alsace wines and 350 exhibitors fill the halls for ten days. Alongside them, the Coquille stage runs an open-air concert festival, from French headliners to electro nights. Grand cru tastings by day, music by night: the formula is well drilled. The opening weekend is usually the liveliest of the ten days.
Le Chien à Plumes in Villegusien-le-Lac (52): three days of live music by the water
From Friday July 31 to Sunday August 2, the Rue de la Gare in Villegusien-le-Lac hosts Le Chien à Plumes, founded in 1997 beside the Vingeanne lake.
Nicknamed the smallest of the big festivals, it rests on one association and 450 volunteers. The lineup refuses to pick a lane: rock, chanson, electro, hip-hop, reggae, metal and world music follow one another across three days. The date falls on the first weekend of August every year, far from the main festival routes. A human-scale format for listeners who like broad bills.
Schiltigheim Beer Festival (67): four days in the Brewers' Town
From Friday July 31 to Monday August 3, the Place Alfred Muller hosts the Schiltigheim Beer Festival, running for more than forty years.
The town once housed the largest breweries in Alsace, hence its nickname as the Brewers' Town. For four days the square strings together live concerts, barrel-lifting contests and tastings from seven local breweries. A neighbourhood fête that grew into a regional date, a short ride from Strasbourg. Aim for the evening, once the concerts take over from the tastings.
Route du Champagne en Fête on the Côte des Bar (10): twenty cellars open in two days
On Saturday August 1 and Sunday August 2, the Côte des Bar around Bar-sur-Aube runs the Route du Champagne en Fête, dreamed up by local growers in 1995.
The whole idea rests on two objects: a passport and a flute glass. Carrying both, visitors walk or shuttle between a dozen villages and step into more than twenty cellars. The villages rotate from one year to the next. It is the Aube's biggest wine-tourism event, and one of the few where tasting comes with a genuine village-to-village walk.
Hattonchâtel Medieval Fête (55): a hilltop village replays the Middle Ages
On Saturday August 1 and Sunday August 2, the village of Hattonchâtel, in Vigneulles-lès-Hattonchâtel, turns into a medieval town for its historical fête, run by the Loisirs Amitié association.
A craft market, knightly combat, troubadours and demonstrations of old trades take over the village and the grounds around the castle. The setting does much of the work: Hattonchâtel sits high on the Côtes de Meuse, clustered around its fortress. Two days that speak to families and to reenactment fans alike. A short outing, easy to fit into a single day.
Rouffach en Fête (68): a lumberjack contest, a flea market and fireworks
On Saturday August 1 and Sunday August 2, the Place de l'Église in Rouffach hosts Rouffach en Fête, heir to the Alsatian Kilbe and held for more than forty years.
The programme mixes genres without apology: tastings of local wines, a lumberjack contest, dance halls led by brass and variety orchestras, a large flea market, regional food and a fireworks display. This is the village fête in full, taking over the wine town from Saturday to Sunday night. The lumberjack contest stays the one attraction nowhere else offers this weekend.
Electroder at Lac du Der (51): nine free hours of electronic music on the beach
On Saturday August 1, the beach at Giffaumont-Champaubert hosts Electroder, an open-air electronic music festival run by the Der Animation association.
From midday to 9pm, the beaches of France's largest man-made lake turn into a dancefloor, with regional and national DJs behind the decks. Entry is free. The daytime format, halfway between swimming and electro-house, breaks from club nights and suits an August afternoon. A find for anyone crossing the Marne that Saturday.
Clair de Rue & Clair de Nuit in the Pays de Barr (67): five villages, three evenings
From Friday July 31 to Sunday August 2, the Clair de Rue & Clair de Nuit festival travels through the villages of the Alsace vineyard, around Goxwiller.
Born in Goxwiller in 2000, it took its current shape in 2021 by pairing street arts with music. Goxwiller, Barr, Dambach-la-Ville, Nothalten and Andlau share the lineup over three evenings. Rock, folk, electro and Balkan sounds cross paths with street companies. A good way into the Pays de Barr, off the standard wine-route circuits.
Estival des Hallebardiers in Langres (52): the audience wears the cape
On Saturday August 1, the walled town of Langres hosts the Estival des Hallebardiers, a street theatre festival staged on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through August 22.
Three walking shows run at the same time each evening, across the fortified town. Every spectator puts on a cape in the colours of their own show and follows professional actors from scene to scene. The idea erases the line between stage and audience, and turns the old town into a set. The meeting point is Place Diderot.
Cuivres en Ardennes in Sedan (08): last day for the trumpets and brass bands
On Saturday August 1, Cuivres en Ardennes closes its edition at the Pôle Culturel Calonne in Sedan, after some ten days of concerts.
Founded in 2021 by an association created in 2011, the festival devotes its whole programme to the brass family. Classical, jazz, funk, street brass bands and percussion meet in the town's landmark venues. That angle is rare for a summer festival, and it produces evenings that differ sharply from one another. A last chance before next summer.
Tambouille Festival around Bruyères (88): a different village every night
Through August 8, the Tambouille Festival tours the villages around Bruyères, in the Vosges. Entry is free.
Run by the Compagnie des Joli(e)s Mômes and more than 140 volunteers, it sets up temporary stages in meadows, on squares and in forest clearings. Each night a new village hosts a live performance followed by several concerts. Saturday August 1 and Sunday August 2 fall right in the middle of the ten-day tour. The setting changes nightly, the spirit does not.
Constellations de Metz (57): the city as a screen, every night
Through September 5, Constellations de Metz turns the city centre into a free digital art trail. The festival has been running since 2017.
The night trail, Pierres Numériques, casts video mapping and immersive installations onto historic façades. By day, the Art & Jardins trail takes over the city's parks. Both are walkable, with no ticket and no booking. For an August Saturday evening in Metz, it is the easiest plan to improvise: step out after dinner and follow the route.
Also worth a look this weekend
- Nancy (54) — La Belle Saison projects its free light-and-sound show onto the façades of Place Stanislas every evening.
- Rethel (08) — the Fêtes de Sainte-Anne wrap up on Sunday August 2 after ten days of rides, dances and fireworks.
- Damvillers (55) — the Fête des Arts gathers open-air painters, craft makers and a book area at the Jardin des Rainettes on Sunday August 2.
Champagne cellars in the Aube, beer barrels in Schiltigheim, knights on the Côtes de Meuse and DJ decks beside the Lac du Der: the first weekend of August lays out the Grand Est's contrasts across its ten départements.
To compare with other regions, head to our full weekend agenda. Enjoy August 1-2 in the Grand Est!
