From Sport & Collection at the Val de Vienne circuit to the closing days of the Capbreton Storytelling Festival, eleven hand-picked New Aquitaine events between the Atlantic, the Pyrenees and Limousin.
The weekend of May 30-31 brings a striking variety to New Aquitaine: a vast charity gathering of supercars in the Vienne, an aerial show on Royan's main beach, two national storytelling references closing their editions. Our pick of the week goes to Sport & Collection - 500 Ferraris against Cancer at the Val de Vienne circuit, one of the largest charity car gatherings in Europe. The same weekend, Le Rêve d'Icare turns the Grande-Conche beach in Royan into a huge open-air aviation show, while the Landes vibrate to brass bands during the Grenade-sur-l'Adour patron saint festivities.
Sport & Collection - 500 Ferraris against Cancer in Le Vigeant (86): 1,300 cars on the Val de Vienne circuit
From Thursday May 28 to Sunday May 31, Sport & Collection returns to the Val de Vienne circuit in Le Vigeant. Created in 1995, it has become the largest charity car gathering in Europe. Over four days, more than 1,300 sports, prestige and racing cars share the track and the paddock. Over 600 Ferraris are expected, alongside Lamborghinis, Porsches, Aston Martins and historic single-seaters. All proceeds go to cancer research led by the Poitiers University Hospital. The site welcomes around 50,000 enthusiasts. Track sessions, hot laps for the public, static displays and a partner village make for a dense programme open to a general audience.
Le Rêve d'Icare in Royan (17): the air show on the Grande-Conche beach
From Thursday May 28 to Monday June 1, the Grande-Conche beach hosts Le Rêve d'Icare. Created in 1989, this biennial aviation festival has become a key spring date in Charente-Maritime. Boulevard Garnier turns into a huge open-air aviation showcase, with aerobatic displays above the Gironde estuary, parachute jumps, hot-air balloon flights and static displays of vintage aircraft. The public meets professional and military pilots, instructors, aerospace industry representatives. Free access from the seafront promenade. The full programme runs across five days, with peak attendance expected on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the most spectacular flyovers.
Capbreton Storytelling Festival (40): the storytelling landmark on the Landes coast
From Wednesday May 27 to Sunday May 31, the Capbreton Storytelling Festival holds its 36th edition on the Esplanade de la Liberté and across several venues in this Atlantic seaside town. Founded in 1989, it is one of the oldest and most respected storytelling festivals in France. The programme features over 50 shows and 36 artists from around the world to share the ancestral art of the spoken word. Storytellers take over halls, squares, tents and even the beach for everyday tales, traditional stories and contemporary creations. Participatory projects involve local residents. Affordable tickets, capacity varies by venue. Booking advised for the weekend headliners.
Coquelicontes across Creuse and Corrèze (23): the touring storytelling festival closes its rural run
The Coquelicontes festival reaches its last week, running through Sunday May 31. Born in 1996 from a joint initiative of the three former Limousin departments, this storytelling festival tours about sixty rural villages in Creuse and Corrèze each year. It is coordinated by the two departmental councils. Professional storytellers take over village halls, libraries, schools and farms for free or very low-priced sessions. The approach builds bridges between oral and written literature, and supports storytelling practice in schools. Several sessions are scheduled for the closing weekend. Full schedule on the websites of both departmental councils. The selected villages rotate each year, drawing audiences from across the rural Limousin.
Patron Saint Festivities of Grenade-sur-l'Adour (40): six days of bandas and Landes-style bullfighting
From Wednesday May 27 to Monday June 1, the Patron Saint Festivities of Grenade-sur-l'Adour take over this bastide for six full days. The 13th-century walled town on the banks of the Adour switches into feria mode. Brass bands in the streets, Landes-style bullfighting at the Jean Durieu arena, capeas, concerts and dance parties follow one another. Sunday's flower parade, country-style communal meals and the fireworks complete the picture. It's one of the major spring patron festivals in Gascony, just before the summer bullring calendar opens. The peñas keep going late into every night. City centre closed to traffic, relay car parks signposted on the outskirts. Affordable bullring tickets, free street entertainment.
Festival Ah? in Parthenay (79): the street arts season opens in Gâtine
From Friday May 29 to Sunday June 7, Festival Ah? launches ten days of street arts in the medieval town of Parthenay and several villages of the Gâtine. Created in 2003, it is run by the Ah? association based at L'Archipel, 7 rue de la Citadelle. The 2026 programme blends circus, street theatre, puppetry, music and brass bands. Shows unfold in the streets, on squares and across the heritage sites of the medieval centre. The festival celebrates artistic creation in public space with a confident curatorial line and a strong commitment to rural networks. Most performances are free. A good weekend to discover the festival at its launch, before the busier final days.
Fêtes le Pont in La Rochelle (17): the National Centre for Street Arts at Parc Kennedy
From Wednesday May 27 to Saturday May 30, Fêtes le Pont takes over Parc Kennedy for its annual gathering. The event is run by La Rochelle's National Centre for Street Arts and Public Space (Centre national des arts de la rue). For four days, the park hosts free shows mixing theatre, circus, dance, music and street arts. The lineup leans on recent creations and encounters with the companies. Friendly atmosphere, families welcome, audiences spread across several stages. It's a hybrid between festival and professional gathering, where you bump into audiences, programmers and artists in residence. A reliable free Saturday option, before the crowds head along the Charente coast for evening events.
Jazz 360 across Entre-deux-Mers (33): jazz orbits Bordeaux
From Friday May 29 to Sunday June 7, Jazz 360 returns for its new edition, organised by the Jazz 360 Association. The festival spreads across seven villages of the Entre-deux-Mers gateway: Cambes, Camblanes-et-Meynac, Cénac, Langoiran, Latresne, Quinsac and Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux. The programme centres on creation, balancing emerging artists, international names and adventurous forms. The vast majority of concerts are free or very affordable. It's one of the events that best feeds cultural life into Bordeaux's gateway villages. Evening sets in village halls, at L'Esquina, Château Vimeney and on village squares. A loyal local crowd, though the festival deserves to be much better known beyond the metropolitan area.
Le Troquet Vagabond in Saint-Jean-d'Angély (17): craft beer in a royal abbey cloister
From Thursday May 28 to Saturday May 30, Le Troquet Vagabond sets up its travelling beer garden in the cloister courtyard of the Royal Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély. The project tours New Aquitaine from May to October to celebrate craft beer. In Saint-Jean-d'Angély, around 50 craft beers are served on tap, alongside quality food trucks and live entertainment. The historic abbey setting, unusual for this kind of event, changes the experience compared with urban beer festivals. Family-friendly during the day, more festive after dark. Place de l'Abbaye, free entry into the courtyard, pay-as-you-drink. Easy to pair with a guided visit of the abbey's listed towers just before sunset.
Festival Jazz Pourpre en Périgord in Bergerac (24): closing weekend on Place Gambetta
From Friday May 22 to Sunday May 31, Festival Jazz Pourpre en Périgord moves into its final weekend. The 2026 edition is run by the Jazz Pourpre association, founded in 2004. The festival takes place in Bergerac and the Bergeracois area, with a much-anticipated finale on Place Gambetta. The weekend programme brings two open-air stages, a guinguette, a gourmet market and a partner village. The lineup spans traditional jazz, modern jazz, Latin, blues, soul and funk. Several free concerts run across Saturday and Sunday. It's one of the spring cultural highlights in Dordogne, just before the tourist season opens in the surrounding wine country. A great match with a tasting of Bergerac or Monbazillac wines at a partner estate nearby.
Les Folies Vocales d'Agen (47): a week of vocal polyphony on Place Esquirol
From Tuesday May 26 to Sunday May 31, Les Folies Vocales d'Agen animate the heart of the Lot-et-Garonne capital. Founded in 2017, the festival champions every form of vocal music. The 2026 lineup mixes polyphony, vocal jazz, French chanson, world music, gospel and musical comedy. It runs across three formats: Folies IN indoors, Folies OFF outdoors and Folies KIDS for younger audiences. Place du Docteur-Esquirol and several venues in the city centre host the free programme. The closing weekend gathers the strongest headliners. Booking advised for indoor concerts. A fitting plan to end the month on a vocal note, between the Garonne river and the Pyrenees.
Worth a mention too
For a wider sweep, head to our full weekend agenda. Enjoy your New Aquitaine trip.
