Events and festivals in Grand Est on the weekend of 17 October: cranes at Lac du Der, French song in Troyes, street circus in Maxéville, a haunted castle in Moselle and sauerkraut in Colmar.
They come from the north. On Saturday 17 October 2026, the Crane and Migration Festival opens around Lac du Der, as common cranes return to the Champagne wetlands. Events and festivals in Grand Est on the weekend of 17 October: cranes at Lac du Der, French song in Troyes, street circus in Maxéville, a haunted castle in Moselle and sauerkraut in Colmar.
Nine days of common cranes around Lac du Der
The Crane and Migration Festival starts on Saturday 17 October and runs for nine days, until Sunday 25. LPO Champagne-Ardenne organises it around the return of the common cranes. Events are spread between Lac du Der-Chantecoq, the Étang de la Horre national nature reserve, the Étangs de Belval-en-Argonne regional nature reserve and the Forêt d'Orient regional nature park, including the Maison du Parc at Piney.
Cranes rising at dawn and settling at dusk, birdwatching outings, photo exhibitions, talks, screenings, concerts, workshops for children. The dike welcome points run every afternoon at the Chantecoq site, and the Train aux Oiseaux leaves from the Giffaumont-Champaubert water sports station.
The wetlands of Champagne cover 255,800 hectares, from the Argonne to the Forêt d'Orient. It is the largest Ramsar site in mainland France, and close to 150,000 waterbirds spend the winter there.
A wingspan of 2 to 2.40 metres, a weight of 4 to 6 kilos: the common crane is one of the largest birds in Europe. It stays wary. The LPO notes that its flight distance is 300 to 400 metres, and going down into the lake basin is strictly forbidden.
Song, circus, castle and vineyards
In Troyes, Les Nuits de Champagne begin on 17 October for a week of French song: more than 56 concerts in 12 venues across the city, from a festival founded in 1988. In Maxéville, at the gates of Nancy, Michtô celebrates its 20th edition at the MEMÔ, whose reopening to the public is announced for these dates, with shows under the big top, street theatre and concerts.
In northern Moselle, the Château de Malbrouck dresses its fortress in autumn and Halloween colours for the Bêtes et Sorcières festival: a walk through a haunted castle from 10 am to 6 pm, €7 full price, from 17 October.
Third weekend of October on the Alsace Wine Route: Vignobles en Scène opens the estates labelled Vignobles & Découvertes, with winemakers' banquets, concerts among the estates and walks through the vines, from Thann to Marlenheim. On Sunday 18, the Marche Gourmande de Sigolsheim covers 8 kilometres through the vineyards and over the Mambourg hill, six stops for a full menu, €40 per adult.
In Mulhouse, the Salon du Chocolat et des Gourmandises brings pastry chefs and chocolate makers from the Haut-Rhin to the exhibition centre until Sunday, with showpieces made by Alsatian apprentices.