On October 17 and 18, the port of Ouistreham hosts the Festival of the Scallop and Seafood, with close to 5,000 visitors at each edition, while Deauville, Le Havre and Flers hold their own festivals.
Scallops sold at the Halle aux Poissons. It all happens at the port of Ouistreham, in the Calvados, on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18. On October 17 and 18, the port of Ouistreham hosts the Festival of the Scallop and Seafood, with close to 5,000 visitors at each edition, while Deauville, Le Havre and Flers hold their own festivals.
The Festival of the Scallop and Seafood in Ouistreham
The Festival of the Scallop and Seafood takes over the port of Ouistreham Riva-Bella on October 17 and 18. It celebrates the opening of the scallop season, an emblem of Norman fishing, and puts fish, shellfish, crustaceans and local specialities in the spotlight. Entry is free.
Everything revolves around the Halle aux Poissons. Visitors buy fresh scallops directly from local fishermen and producers there, along with all kinds of fish and seafood, with producers coming from all over Normandy and beyond. Chefs give cooking demonstrations at 3 pm and 4:30 pm every day. Around them, the programme lines up concerts, exhibitions, children's games with pony rides, inductions into Norman gastronomic brotherhoods and a village of producers and craftsmen where visitors taste local produce.
Ouistreham Riva-Bella is a historic fishing port and the terminal of the Brittany Ferries link between France and England.
Close to 5,000 visitors come each edition.
Caen is 15 km away, and the car parks near the port are free.
Gavray, Vimoutiers and the Orne gorges
The Foire Saint-Luc in Gavray-sur-Sienne, known since the 12th century, spreads more than 400 exhibitors over 12 hectares until Sunday, October 18. In Vimoutiers, the Apple Fair holds its big parade of floats and brass bands on Sunday, October 18, in the afternoon, with a local produce market and cider contests between the Halle du Pays d'Auge and the town centre.
Saturday night, Orne gorges. The Trail de la Roche d'Oëtre, in Saint-Philbert-sur-Orne, sets off a 16 km night course, a first for the département. The Roche d'Oëtre, a listed natural site, overlooks the Rouvre valley from more than 118 metres. On Sunday, staggered starts begin at 6 am over distances from 5 to 107 km, and the 20 km Nordic walk is free.
In Le Havre, the Ouest Park Festival closes its edition on Saturday, October 17 at the Fort de Tourneville: rock, electro, pop and hip-hop on four stages, in front of up to 6,000 curious festival-goers a night. The festival has used this fort, a former military site of six hectares, since 2009, after five editions in Harfleur.
Photography on the Planches of Deauville. The Planches Contact Festival opens on October 17 and runs until January 3, 2027, an open-air trail on the Planches and the beach, free, where some twenty international photographers show works created in residency. The festival was born in 2010 and has shown 170 artists since its creation.
The Équidays, organised by the Calvados Département, set up a travelling village every day from 2 pm to 6:30 pm in a different town, with a parade at 6:30 pm in the town centre. Most activities are free, and the event runs until October 21, during the All Saints school holidays.
In Flers, Vibra'Mômes runs until Sunday: concerts, theatre, dance and puppets, suitable from the first months of life. Indoor seats cost 4 euros, outdoor shows are free. In Alençon, the Salon Habitat brings together more than 130 exhibitors in construction, renovation and decoration at the Anova exhibition park, from 10 am to 7 pm, for 5 euros, free for under-18s.