Events and festivals in Île-de-France this weekend, September 19-20, 2026: Arpajon's historic bean fair draws 150,000 visitors, the Techno Parade crosses Paris and Montlhéry opens its medieval market by its thousand-year-old tower.
Every year, the same smell of grilled beans. Arpajon welcomes back its bean fair this September 19 and 20 (19-20/09), in Essonne, south of Paris.
A Hundred and Four Years of Beans in Arpajon
The Bean Fair of Arpajon has run since 1922, in a town known for its vegetables since the Middle Ages. It counts, a hundred and four years on, among the oldest agricultural fairs in Île-de-France. It remains the town's most popular gathering.
Each September, more than 150,000 visitors converge on the town centre for three days of celebration, from the 18th through the 20th. One name carries the local legend, passed down since 1872. They come to honour the haricot chevrier, a bean variety discovered that year. Gabriel Chevrier found it at Brétigny-sur-Orge, a few kilometres away, on the edge of the Essonne countryside.
Three days, one unchanging trio. A giant flea market, a producers' market and a funfair open the way. Food contests, shows and farm exhibitions then join a festive atmosphere built entirely around one vegetable turned local emblem.
Electro Parade, a Medieval Fair and a Breton Fest-Noz
In Paris, the Techno Parade has run since 1998, launched with the backing of then culture minister Jack Lang. It sends dozens of sound-system floats rolling from Bastille toward Nation, watched by hundreds of thousands of people. It remains France's biggest electronic gathering. In Essonne, at Montlhéry, the Medieval Festival sets up its historic market, its re-enactment camps, its horse shows and its medieval music at the Parc de la Souche. It all sits beneath a tower that has overlooked the town for nearly a thousand years, before a fire show on Saturday night. The tower itself does not move. In Marcoussis, Elfondelabière has gathered, since 2018, craft breweries from the Ardennes, Normandy, Île-de-France, the Centre and Aquitaine. Concerts and food stalls round out the two days.
Joinville-le-Pont reclaims its old nickname of « little Hollywood ». The Association pour la mémoire du cinéma de Joinville-le-Pont runs the Hollywood sur Marne Festival, honouring the studios that once produced up to 40% of French cinema between 1910 and 1970. Screenings of films shot on location, a masterclass and a photo exhibition fill these three days. In Saint-Denis, the mood turns collective. More than 140 associations set up a village on Place Victor Hugo for the Fête de Saint-Denis, with concerts, street performances, circus acts and parades. Free and open to all, it stays true to Saint-Denis's identity.
Elsewhere, the games change. Rambouillet has gathered, since 2023 at the Salle Raymond-Patenôtre, fans of modern board games, miniatures, tabletop role-playing and historical wargames. Ramboludik runs at no charge, organised by the Barak'à jouer association. Further on, Brittany takes over. In Argenteuil, the Tud Yaouank association has organised Pariz Breizh since the early 2000s. The esplanade of the Salle Jean Vilar turns into a corner of Brittany: a bagad, a fest-noz, a Breton produce market, games and entertainment.