Festival Éternel — The Festival of Souls
Día de los Muertos celebrated in Montluçon
2026
About Festival Éternel
The Festival Éternel "La Fête des Âmes" brings the Mexican Día de los Muertos—a UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage celebration—to Montluçon. Since 2022, the Franco-Mexican association Cielito Lindo has partnered with the City of Montluçon to host this event over several days between mid-October and October 31st. Past editions have featured pre-Hispanic and traditional Mexican folk dances, concerts, lectures, documentary screenings, photography exhibitions, alebrije and piñata workshops, catrina face painting, costume contests, and a nighttime costumed parade through the medieval town.
Our team has not been able to confirm with an official source that this 2026 edition is taking place. The dates and program shown below may be outdated. We strongly recommend that you contact the organizer directly to verify before any travel or registration.
Festival Éternel — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the Festival Éternel "La Fête des Âmes" has not yet been announced. As of mid-August 2026, neither the Franco-Mexican association Cielito Lindo, the City of Montluçon, nor the Allier tourist office have released any dates, and those currently displayed on this page are not based on any official source. In previous years, the organizer typically begins communications in early October.
2026 Edition: Nothing announced yet
As of mid-August 2026, there is no confirmation of a new edition of the Festival Éternel. The festival's Facebook page has been inactive since November 1st, 2025, and the website festival-eternel.webnode.fr still displays information from the 2022 edition. Neither the City of Montluçon's calendar nor the Allier tourist office's listings include a 2026 entry, even though the latter already lists sixteen events in Montluçon for October 2026.
This silence is not unusual, as the organizer tends to communicate late. In 2024, the first post on the festival's page appeared on October 17th for an event starting on the 18th. In 2025, the first announcements were made on October 1st for an event held from October 25th to 31st. The City of Montluçon, for its part, typically creates its event listing during the first half of October, as seen in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The Franco-Mexican association Cielito Lindo remains active; its Facebook page was still posting in July 2026, and it remains registered as active in the national directory of associations.
The dates shown on this page, October 24th to 31st, 2026, are not based on any official announcement. To verify, please call 07 78 55 01 49 or keep an eye on the festival's Facebook page starting October 1st.
Highlights Festival Éternel 2026
What to expect in 2026
- Pre-Hispanic dances at Place Piquand
- Concerts of folkloric and traditional Mexican music
- Participatory workshops: Alebrijes, calavera makeup, colored sand carpets
- Exhibitions and screenings at Ferme des Îlets
- Grand costumed night parade through the streets of Montluçon
- Costume contest and masked ball
- Free entry at most venues
Prices Festival Éternel 2026
Practical information — Festival Éternel
Access
Montluçon is located in the Allier department, halfway between Bourges and Clermont-Ferrand.
By car: Take the A71 then A714 from Paris or Clermont-Ferrand, or use the RN 145 (Route Centre Europe Atlantique) and RN 144. The organizers note it is 340 km from Paris and 280 km from Lyon.
By train: Montluçon-Ville station offers daily connections to Clermont-Ferrand (1h30), Bourges (1h30), Limoges (2h), Paris (3h30), Lyon (3h15), and Bordeaux (4h30).
Venues used to date
- Place Piquand, in the medieval city: dances, entertainment, night market, and parade departure point.
- Ferme des Îlets, Parc des Îlets, 27 rue des Faucheroux: exhibitions and workshops in 2025.
- Salsa Resto Bar, 12 rue des Forges: concerts, Mexican meals, and dance parties in 2024 and 2025.
- MJC Centre social, salle l'Embarcadère, 8 rue du Général Émile Mairal: exhibitions, workshops, and performances in 2022 and 2023.
Pricing
Prices vary by venue. In 2025, events at the Ferme des Îlets and Place Piquand are free, while events at the Salsa Resto Bar are ticketed. In 2022, general admission was €5, with free entry for children under 12.
Contact
Franco-Mexican association Cielito Lindo, +33 7 78 55 01 49, [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/festivaleternel for the festival, facebook.com/aframexcl for the association.
Día de los Muertos in Montluçon
Día de los Muertos is the Mexican holiday dedicated to remembering the departed, traditionally celebrated around November 1st and 2nd. The Montluçon-based Franco-Mexican association Cielito Lindo turned this into a festival in 2022. The inaugural edition took place at the MJC l'Embarcadère and Place Piquand on October 28th, 29th, and 30th, in collaboration with the MJC Centre Social, the Cœur de Ville association, and the Montluçon City Hall.
Previous editions
- 2022: October 28th to 30th, MJC l'Embarcadère and Place Piquand. General admission €5, free for ages 0-12.
- 2023: October 26th to 28th, MJC Centre social.
- 2024: October 18th to 20th, Place Piquand and Salsa Resto Bar.
- 2025: October 25th to 31st. Ferme des Îlets on the 25th and 26th, Salsa Resto Bar on the 29th and 30th, Place Piquand on the 31st.
What to expect
The program varies each year. The 2024 edition, detailed by the City of Montluçon, included pre-Hispanic dance, a collective art project creating a "Day of the Dead" rug, face painting, an alebrije workshop led by María Manuela López C., photography exhibitions by Blanca L Reducindo and Mario Tarantini, a documentary on the Xallitic Night of the Catrinas festival, costume contests for children and adults, a concert by Eko, the nighttime parade, an after-party at Salsa Resto Bar, traditional dance by the international Mexican company Mexinantli, a dance party, and a Mexican meal prepared by chef Omar San Blan on Sunday.
The nighttime costumed parade is the highlight of every edition: meet at Place Piquand for face painting, followed by a procession through the medieval city after dark. In 2025, a night market will precede the parade at Place Piquand from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Official website status
festival-eternel.webnode.fr remains online, but it only displays content from the inaugural October 2022 edition, and the "Program" link leads to an error page. Announcements are now shared via the festival's Facebook page, the association's page, and the Montluçon City events calendar.
Where does it take place — Festival Éternel
Festival Éternel in brief
History of Festival Éternel
Edition 2025 Oct 2025Other festivals near Montluçon
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