Les Estivales en Savoie
Free multidisciplinary festival in the courtyard of the Château des ducs de Savoie
2026
About Estivales en Savoie
Estivales en Savoie — edition 2026
Estivales en Savoie 2026 — 24th edition, from June 27 to July 9
Les Estivales en Savoie return for their 24th edition from Saturday, June 27, to Thursday, July 9, 2026, in the main courtyard of the Château des ducs de Savoie in Chambéry. Supported by the Département de la Savoie, this edition offers nine evenings of entirely free concerts featuring thirteen artists, staying true to the festival's spirit: total accessibility, no reservations or tickets required, and musical eclecticism.
A program that spans genres and continents
From the alternative pop of Grenoble's MPL to the electro-folk of Yaël Naim, the rap of Yamê to French chanson revisited by the big band L'Usine à Jazz, and from the world music of the Quatuor Béla and the Palestinian duo Sabîl to the Japanese-infused afrobeat of Ajate, the program changes its mood every night. Mélissa Laveaux brings her Franco-Caribbean psychedelic folk, Charlie Winston his jazz-and-folk-tinged pop, and the opening acts highlight regional talent—the Chambéry duo Nótt and the Lyon-based rapper Cyrious.
Steel Pulse to close the festival on July 9
The closing night on Thursday, July 9, will feature Steel Pulse. Founded in Birmingham in 1975 and a Grammy Award winner, the British group has spent fifty years performing socially conscious reggae with punk and rock influences. They replace Salif Keita, who was initially announced for this evening but had to cancel his tour for health reasons. Karim Dabo, whose fusion rhythms and afro-pop will open the evening, remains on the bill.
A festival that opens its stage to the community
Several concerts will feature local Savoyard performers. On June 30, two choirs of students aged 9 to 14 will accompany the Quatuor Béla and the duo Sabîl on two traditional songs from their repertoire, "Hali hali hal" and "Ayazin." On July 9, about fifteen unaccompanied minors supported by the Department will join Karim Dabo following several percussion workshops. The opening concert by MPL will be fully interpreted in French Sign Language, in partnership with ADIS.
A final annual edition before the break
Faced with rising production costs and declining public funding, the Département de la Savoie has chosen to take a break in 2027 to reflect on a new model, with a return planned for 2028. The stated goal is to preserve the artistic quality and total free access of an event that attracts over 19,000 spectators each year.
Highlights Estivales en Savoie 2026
- Dates: Saturday, June 27 to Thursday, July 9, 2026
- 24th edition — nine evenings of entirely free concerts, thirteen artists
- Closing headliner: Steel Pulse, reggae legend and Grammy Award winner (Thursday, July 9, 8:00 PM), replacing Salif Keita
- Program includes: MPL, Jadayel (Quatuor Béla & Duo Sabîl), Yaël Naim, Yamê, Mélissa Laveaux, L'Usine à Jazz, Charlie Winston, Ajate, Mitsune, Nótt, Cyrious, Karim Dabo
- Heritage setting: main courtyard of the Château des ducs de Savoie, Chambéry
- XXL opening night on June 27 from 5:00 PM on the esplanade: guinguette, Liliput Mobile Club, Chez Guy et Freddy, La Manufacture sonore, La Bande à Tyrex at 7:00 PM, food trucks
- Three free "street concerts" before the main evening shows: violin brass band on June 30, World Mic Collectif at Place du Château on July 2, parade of nearly 1,000 musicians for the 100th anniversary of the Fédération musicale de Savoie on July 4
- Free admission, no reservations or tickets required; doors open 1 hour and 15 minutes before concerts
- Opening concert (MPL) fully interpreted in French Sign Language with ADIS; accessible platform for disabled visitors upon registration
- Bus shuttles from the Bauges, Maurienne, Albertville, Aix-les-Bains, and Lac d'Aiguebelette regions
- Final annual edition: break in 2027, return in 2028 with a new format
Programme Estivales en Savoie 2026
Cour d'honneur du Château des ducs de Savoie, place du Château, Chambéry · Free admission, no reservations or tickets required, subject to capacity (standing concerts) · Doors open 1 hour and 15 minutes before each concert, 8:30 PM for the opening night.
Saturday, June 27, 2026 — XXL Opening Night
- From 5:00 PM — The castle esplanade turns into a "guinguette" with three continuous activities: Liliput Mobile Club (a human jukebox in a caravan, billed as the world's smallest nightclub), Chez Guy et Freddy (an electric fairground theater where you pedal in rhythm to extract juice from seasonal fruits and vegetables), and La Manufacture sonore by Cie Les petits détournements (an exhibition-workshop of instruments made from repurposed objects). Food trucks and a bar will be available for this special evening.
- 7:00 PM — La Bande à Tyrex · a wild show blending circus, music, and bicycles.
- 9:30 PM (doors 8:30 PM) — MPL · alternative pop from Grenoble, featuring tracks from the album "Bisou magique." The concert will be fully interpreted in French Sign Language, in partnership with ADIS.
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
- Street concert — a violin brass band takes over the streets of Chambéry, mixing local tunes with international repertoire.
- 9:00 PM (doors 7:45 PM) — Jadayel · Quatuor Béla & Duo Sabîl · a meeting between the Palestinian duo Sabîl and the French string quartet: oud, percussion, and strings weave a shared musical tapestry between East and West. Two student choirs (ages 9-14) will join them for the songs "Hali hali hal" and "Ayazin."
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
- 8:00 PM — Nótt · duo from Chambéry, opening act.
- Yaël Naim · the radiant voice of the Franco-Israeli artist, a three-time Victoires de la Musique winner, performing an electro-folk repertoire.
Thursday, July 2, 2026 — Rap Night
- Street concert — World Mic Collectif at Place du Château: afrobeat, drill, and afro-love.
- 8:00 PM — Cyrious · rapper from Lyon, opening act.
- Yamê · the male revelation of the 2024 Victoires de la Musique, blending rap, soul, and jazz.
Friday, July 3, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Mélissa Laveaux · Franco-Canadian psychedelic folk with Caribbean influences.
Saturday, July 4, 2026 — 100th Anniversary of the Fédération musicale de Savoie
- Late afternoon — nearly 1,000 musicians and singers from across the department parade through the streets of Chambéry.
- 7:30 PM — Grand finale at Place du Château with "L'Arbre centenaire," a piece composed for the occasion by Fabrice Lelong.
- 9:00 PM — L'Usine à Jazz · an eighteen-piece big band revisiting French chanson, featuring Laëtitia Hulewicz and Samuel Chaffange.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
- 9:00 PM (doors 7:45 PM) — Charlie Winston · the British artist based in the south of France, an eclectic singer-songwriter blending pop, jazz, and folk, who rose to fame with the platinum-selling album "Hobo."
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
- 8:00 PM — Mitsune · a Berlin-based quartet reinventing Japanese folklore, opening act.
- Ajate · a collective blending afrobeat with Japanese instruments.
Thursday, July 9, 2026 — Closing Night
- 8:00 PM (doors 6:45 PM) — Karim Dabo · fusion rhythms and afro-pop, opening act, joined on stage by about fifteen unaccompanied minors supported by the Department, following a percussion workshop.
- Steel Pulse · a global reggae legend born in Birmingham in 1975, Grammy Award winner, blending reggae, punk, and rock with messages of peace and unity. The group closes the festival, replacing Salif Keita, who had to cancel his tour for health reasons.
Bus shuttles are organized from the Bauges, Maurienne, Albertville, Aix-les-Bains, and Lac d'Aiguebelette areas, in coordination with local community centers.
Prices Estivales en Savoie 2026
Doors open 1 hour and 15 minutes before each concert (8:30 PM for the June 27 opening night, with activities starting at 5:00 PM on the esplanade).
Visitors with reduced mobility: access to a raised platform is available only by prior registration via the online form at estivales.savoie.fr.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors: the MPL concert on June 27 is fully interpreted in French Sign Language, in partnership with ADIS (online registration required).
Bus shuttles from the Bauges, Maurienne, Albertville, Aix-les-Bains, and Lac d'Aiguebelette regions, in coordination with local community centers.
Estivales en Savoie — 2027 edition
The 2026 edition was held from 27 June to 9 July 2026. The dates for the 2027 edition have not been announced yet. This page will be updated as soon as the official programme is published.
Practical information — Estivales en Savoie
Practical Information
Access
Address: Cour d'honneur du Château des ducs de Savoie, place du Château, 73000 Chambéry.
By car: Chambéry is accessible via the A43 (Lyon–Chambéry) and A41 (Grenoble–Chambéry–Annecy) motorways. Parking is available nearby in the city center.
By train: Chambéry–Challes-les-Eaux station (TGV from Paris in 3h, TER from Lyon in 1h30). The castle is a 10-minute walk from the station.
Shuttles: Bus shuttles are organized from the Bauges, Maurienne, Albertville, Aix-les-Bains, and Lac d'Aiguebelette areas in coordination with local socio-cultural centers.
Rates
Free admission for all concerts, with no reservations or tickets required, subject to availability. Concerts are standing room only.
Times
Evening concerts at 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, or 9:30 PM depending on the date. Doors open 1 hour and 15 minutes before the start of the concert.
Accessibility
People with reduced mobility: A raised platform is accessible by prior registration only, via the online form at estivales.savoie.fr.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people: One concert per edition is fully interpreted in French Sign Language in partnership with ADIS (Departmental Association for the Integration of the Deaf), upon online registration.
Contact
Département de la Savoie — Château des ducs de Savoie, CS 31802, 73018 Chambéry cedex.
Phone: 04 79 70 63 68
Festival website: estivales.savoie.fr
Les Estivales en Savoie: Free music in the heart of Chambéry
For over twenty years, Les Estivales en Savoie has been the go-to free summer music event in the Savoie region. Supported by the Savoie Department, it transforms the courtyard of the Château des ducs de Savoie into an open-air stage in the center of Chambéry's historic district every summer. This remarkable heritage site, dominated by the medieval castle's semi-circular tower, gives the concerts a unique and intimate atmosphere.
An eclectic and high-quality program
The strength of Les Estivales lies in its ability to offer a varied program accessible to everyone, with no ticket costs. Jazz, rock, French chanson, world music, electro, reggae, soul, pop, and salsa: each edition spans genres and cultures to provide a dozen exceptional musical evenings. Over the years, the festival has hosted renowned artists such as Yuri Buenaventura, Barbara Pravi, Feu! Chatterton, Terrenoire, and Oxmo Puccino, mixing national and international headliners with regional discoveries, the latter consistently performing as opening acts.
A stage open to the people of Savoie
Les Estivales is not limited to evening concerts. The Department also organizes free "street concerts" that take over the streets of Chambéry before certain shows, as well as cultural initiatives that bring local residents onto the castle stage: student choirs performing with guest bands, percussion workshops with local youth, and gatherings of amateur musicians from the area. The festival also focuses on accessibility, with one concert interpreted in French Sign Language each year in partnership with ADIS and a dedicated platform for people with reduced mobility.
A commitment to free access
Faced with rising production costs and shrinking public funding, the Savoie Department has chosen to take a break in 2027 to reflect on a new model, with the festival's return planned for 2028. This decision reflects the organizers' commitment to making culture accessible to as many people as possible without compromising on the quality of the program: admission remains free, with no reservations or tickets required.
The Château des ducs de Savoie: A historic setting
The inner courtyard of the Château des ducs de Savoie, residence of the sovereigns of the House of Savoy from the 13th to the 16th century, offers a spectacular architectural backdrop for open-air concerts. This listed site, which now houses the Savoie Prefecture and the Departmental Hotel, welcomes festival-goers into a secure and friendly space, just a few steps from Chambéry's old town and its picturesque alleys.
A unifying festival for the region
With over 19,000 spectators per edition, Les Estivales en Savoie plays an essential role in the cultural and tourist life of Chambéry during the summer. The festival brings together a diverse audience—families, young people, and seasoned music lovers—and contributes to the influence of the Savoyard capital. Free shuttle buses, organized with socio-cultural centers in the Bauges, Maurienne, Albertville, Aix-les-Bains, and Lac d'Aiguebelette areas, allow residents from the valleys to attend the concerts. The 24th edition, from June 27 to July 9, 2026, brought together thirteen artists, from MPL to Yaël Naim and Yamê, with reggae legend Steel Pulse closing the event.
Where does it take place — Estivales en Savoie
Estivales en Savoie in brief
History of Estivales en Savoie
Edition 2025 Jun 2025Other festivals near Chambéry
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