Midsummer Festival

Midsummer Festival: Baroque Music at the Château d'Hardelot

The Midsummer Festival is a baroque music festival that annually celebrates the arrival of summer at the Château d'Hardelot, in Condette, Pas-de-Calais. Created in 2009 upon the castle's reopening after extensive restoration work by the Department, it has become an essential event for lovers of ancient and baroque music.

A Franco-British Musical Dialogue

The Château d'Hardelot is home to the Centre culturel de l'Entente cordiale, dedicated to cultural relations between France and Great Britain. The Midsummer Festival fully embodies this mission by exploring the musical links between the two sides of the Channel through the centuries. The program highlights French and British baroque composers, from Purcell to Rameau, from Handel to Lully.

A Unique Elizabethan Theatre in France

One of the jewels of the Château d'Hardelot is its Elizabethan theatre, unique in mainland France. Inspired by 16th-century London theatres, it offers an exceptional setting for baroque music and opera performances. Concerts also take place in the castle's gardens, courtyard, and chapel.

An Original and Demanding Program

Each year, the Midsummer Festival invites the best ensembles for ancient and baroque music: Le Concert Spirituel conducted by Hervé Niquet, the Ensemble Clematis, La Grande Garabagne, and numerous internationally renowned soloists and artists. The program combines concerts, baroque operas, recitals, and interdisciplinary performances.