Events and festivals in Centre-Val de Loire on 10–11 October: the Rendez-vous de l'Histoire in Blois on the theme of Merchants, an imagination book fair in Azay-le-Rideau, a leather festival in Levroux.
More than 1,000 speakers. In Blois, the Rendez-vous de l'Histoire runs until Sunday 11 October on the theme of Merchants. Events and festivals in Centre-Val de Loire on 10–11 October: the Rendez-vous de l'Histoire in Blois on the theme of Merchants, an imagination book fair in Azay-le-Rideau, a leather festival in Levroux.
The 29th Rendez-vous de l'Histoire in Blois
The 29th Rendez-vous de l'Histoire takes place from 7 to 11 October 2026 in Blois. Its theme: « Merchants », the figure of the trader across the ages, from the trade routes of Antiquity to the contemporary era.
Founded in Blois in 1998 by Jack Lang, the festival brings together more than 1,000 speakers, 600 lectures and debates, 300 authors signing books and 150 publishers at the history book fair. It draws more than 50,000 visitors every year.
The history book fair, free to enter, fills the Halle aux Grains from Friday to Sunday.
Lectures and debates run from 9 am to 9 pm, at the royal château, the CCI campus and many other venues in the town centre. There is also a film series, exhibitions, concerts and historical dinners, the latter by reservation. Access to most events is free.
Books, leather, film and a road race
Grim'Loire gathers about a hundred exhibitors, authors, publishers, illustrators and craftspeople of the imaginary, at the Auguste Rodin hall in Azay-le-Rideau, Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Entry is free, with role-playing games, board games, a raffle and a literary prize.
At the Le Lux cinema in La Châtre, the George Sand Short Film Festival screens twenty films on 10 and 11 October for its first edition, with the screenwriter and director Thomas Bidegain heading the jury. Seven prizes are at stake. In Aubigny-sur-Nère, Filming Art and Architecture shows artists' films, documentaries and fiction free of charge until Sunday, each screening followed by a discussion with a director, an artist, an art historian or a critic.
Levroux celebrates its leather and parchment trades, documented in the town since the 12th century. The Festival of Leather, Parchment and Fashion brings craft demonstrations, fashion shows and workshops to the Michel Moulin gymnasium, Saturday from 2 pm to 6 pm and Sunday from 9 am to noon then 2 pm to 6 pm. Free entry.
On Sunday 11 October, the Marathon du Cher links Saint-Doulchard to Vierzon along the Canal de Berry, with three simultaneous starts at 9:30 am: the 42.195 km marathon, the half-marathon from Mehun-sur-Yèvre and a 10 km from Foëcy.
On the Loire, some sites stay open. The International Garden Festival of Chaumont-sur-Loire runs daily until early November, on the theme « Le Jardin fait son cinéma ». At Chambord, the Equestrian Show features ten horses and eight riders, directed by Mario Luraschi, with the voice of Jean Dujardin; there are two performances at the weekend.