Events and festivals in Nouvelle-Aquitaine on October 17 and 18: the Beynat chestnut festival serves a chestnut cake 3 metres in diameter, with the Festival Polar de Cognac and the Fête de l'Anim' in Angoulême.
Saturday, on the market square in Beynat. It is in the Corrèze that the chestnut festival opens on October 17, 2026. Events and festivals in Nouvelle-Aquitaine on October 17 and 18: the Beynat chestnut festival serves a chestnut cake 3 metres in diameter, with the Festival Polar de Cognac and the Fête de l'Anim' in Angoulême.
Beynat's chestnut festival
The Beynat Chestnut and Marron Festival has filled the market square for more than 30 years, on the third weekend of every October. On Saturday 17/10/2026, the entertainment starts at 2 p.m.
More than 10 producers show chestnuts, marrons and products made from them: jams, chestnut creams, flours. The star has a name, the blanchie de Beynat, a chestnut with the Origine Corrèze label.
On Sunday, the main fair runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Brotherhoods parade in traditional costume and offer visitors introductory workshops, music and folk shows liven up the village streets and regional authors sign their books. At the stalls: roasted chestnuts, chestnut cakes, crêpes and apple juice. A chestnut cake 3 metres in diameter is cut and shared.
Guided walks and visits to the old village and the chestnut-wood basket museum cost 2 euros per person. The festive meal at the gymnasium, by reservation, is 35 euros for an adult and 16 euros for a child. The market and the entertainment are free.
From the Charente vineyards to the Bordeaux quays
This weekend, the Festival Polar de Cognac, founded in 1996 by Bernard Bec, opens as early as Friday, October 16, and brings authors, directors and illustrators together around crime fiction, from comics to theatre, with free admission to every event. The Grand Prix Cognac and the Prix Polar are awarded there. In Angoulême, the Fête de l'Anim', born in 2022 at the Magelis image hub, screens animated cinema until Sunday the 18th, from the Chais Magelis to the CGR, with previews and masterclasses. In Bordeaux, Les Quais de l'Aventure, run by the association Forum de l'Aventure et de la Solidarité, hold their 4th edition at the Megarama Bastide from October 15 to 18: travel documentaries and meetings with filmmakers and adventurers.
Vignobles en Scène opens the labelled sites of the Cognac country from Friday to Sunday: tastings of cognac and pineau des Charentes, walks in the vines, concerts. Margaux Saveurs brings together four communes of the appellation, from Margaux-Cantenac to Labarde, with château visits, a Gerbaude dinner and concerts in the churches.
On Saturday only, the Fêtes de l'Ostra celebrate the Marennes Oléron IGP oyster at the Cayenne channel in Marennes: guided tastings, chefs' demonstrations, a concert at the end of the day. Admission is free, some activities are paid and by reservation.
In the Landes, the Océan Brass Festival puts brass bands and fanfares on stage in Mimizan, between Le Parnasse, Le Forum and the squares of the town and the beach, from Friday to Sunday.