Week-end Curiosités de Jublains
Shows, art market and Roman camp at the Jublains archaeological site
About Curiosités de Jublains
Jublains, an exceptional Gallo-Roman site
Jublains (Noviodunum in Antiquity) is home to one of the best-preserved Gallo-Roman archaeological sites in western France. Baths, fortress, temple, and ancient theater bear witness to the importance of this Diablintes city under the Roman Empire. The departmental archaeological museum presents collections from excavations and retraces the daily life of this civilization. The Week-end Curiosités takes advantage of this exceptional heritage to offer a unique event combining past and present.
The Curiosités Market
The Marché des Curiosités brings together about thirty art artisans mainly from the Pays de la Loire and Brittany regions. Each presents original and unique creations:
- Ceramics and pottery: echoes the potters who worked in Jublains 2,000 years ago
- Art jewelry: original creations in metal, glass, and stones
- Textiles and leather: clothing, accessories, and artisanal leather goods
- Sculpture and woodworking: contemporary works inspired by nature and heritage
- Glassmaking and illumination: ancient know-how revisited with creativity
Viaromana Roman Camp
The association Viaromana sets up a recreated Roman military and civilian camp with remarkable historical fidelity:
- Daily life in a Roman military camp from the 1st century AD
- Training and maneuvers of auxiliary soldiers in period costume
- Interactive recruitment: the public is invited to enlist as a Roman soldier
- Religious ceremonies, coin minting, and shield making
The camp operates on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5:30 pm.
Shows and activities
In partnership with the festival Les Nuits de la Mayenne, the Week-end Curiosités offers live performances in various locations in the village: ancient theater, streets, squares, and green spaces. Workshops for young people are organized to introduce children to archaeology, visual arts, and craft techniques.
Museum exhibitions and visits
The departmental archaeological museum opens its doors for free during the weekend and offers temporary exhibitions related to the event. Guided tours of the archaeological site allow visitors to discover the baths, fortress, and temple in their historical context.
Curiosités de Jublains — edition 2026
The Curiosities Weekend returns on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 2026 to the Gallo-Roman archaeological site of Jublains. For two days, the departmental archaeological museum, the Forum des Métiers d'Art, and the Les Nuits de la Mayenne festival join forces to bring the four corners of the village to life: an arts and crafts market, a reconstructed Roman camp, shows, workshops for young audiences, and site visits. Free admission.
A weekend of discoveries at the Gallo-Roman site
On July 25 and 26, 2026, the village of Jublains transforms: its four corners become the stage for shows, visits, exhibitions, workshops for young audiences, a historical camp, and an arts and crafts market. The free event is jointly organized by the Mayenne departmental archaeological museum, the Forum des Métiers d'Art, and the itinerant festival Les Nuits de la Mayenne (53rd edition, from July 15 to August 5, 2026), which stops at the ancient theater for this family weekend.
Curiosities Market and Potters' Market
The Curiosities Market is held at the Forum des Métiers d'Art (9 bis rue du Temple). It brings together about thirty artisans, mainly from the Loire Valley and Brittany, who come to present their unique creations. It is complemented by a potters' market, where ceramists and potters from Mayenne and the surrounding area exhibit in the very place where, 2,000 years ago, Gallo-Roman potters worked.
Roman Camp and Ancient Daily Life
In the fortress, the Viaromana association sets up a military and civilian camp and offers demonstrations throughout the weekend: daily life in the camp, training and maneuvers of auxiliary soldiers, religious ceremony, coin striking, shield making.
Programme Curiosités de Jublains 2026
Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 2026
- 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM — Curiosities Market (arts and crafts) and potters' market, at the Forum des Métiers d'Art (9 bis rue du Temple)
- 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM — Viaromana Roman camp in the fortress (daily life, coin striking, shield making)
- Military maneuvers — demonstrations by auxiliary soldiers
- 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM — Workshops for young audiences (on-site reservation)
- Visit to the departmental archaeological museum and the fortress (free admission)
- 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM — Parade by the brass band « Pas d'Nom Pas d'Maison » in the town (Les Nuits de la Mayenne)
- 6:00 PM — Show at the ancient theater: « Anima Compagnie » (Les Nuits de la Mayenne, tickets at nuitsdelamayenne.com)
Highlights Curiosités de Jublains 2026
- Market of ~30 artisans (Loire Valley, Brittany) + potters' market
- Reconstructed Roman camp by Viaromana
- Les Nuits de la Mayenne show at the ancient theater
- Workshops for young audiences, free visit to the museum and fortress
Prices Curiosités de Jublains 2026
Practical information — Curiosités de Jublains
Access
By car: Jublains is located about 25 km northeast of Laval via the D31 then D162. The archaeological site and museum are in the center of the village.
Practical information
Dates: Last weekend of July, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6:30 pm.
Free admission for the market, the Roman camp, and the archaeological museum.
Location: Archaeological site and village of Jublains.
Contact
Jublains Museum: patrimoine.lamayenne.fr/jublains
Les Nuits de la Mayenne: www.nuitsdelamayenne.com
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Where does it take place — Curiosités de Jublains
Site archéologique gallo-romain de Jublains
Musée archéologique départemental, 13 rue de la Libération, 53160 Jublains, 53160 Jublains