Events & Festivals in Grand Est, August 8-9 2026: Colmar to Sélestat

Events and festivals in Grand Est this weekend, August 8-9, 2026 (08/08/2026), close out the region's busiest month with everything from a century-old flower parade to a Roman reenactment on the German border. Our pick of the weekend is the Sélestat flower parade, one of France's oldest floral processions, with twelve floats covered in dahlias rolling through the old town. But the lineup goes well beyond Alsace's vineyards: gladiators in Moselle, a farewell wine street party in Bas-Rhin, an old-fashioned harvest festival in a Haute-Marne hamlet. Which one would you drive further for?

Alsace Wine Fair: Colmar's Big Send-Off

Running since 1948, the Alsace Wine Fair is Colmar's flagship summer event, and this weekend marks its final stretch: ten days of festivities wrap up on Sunday, August 9. The exhibition park gathers more than 1,500 Alsatian wines and 350 exhibitors, alongside tastings of top vintages. A parallel open-air concert series on the Coquille stage runs from Michel Polnareff to Zaho de Sagazan, blending pop, electro and new names. The Alsace Wine Fair remains one of the region's biggest late-summer draws.

Sélestat Flower Parade: Twelve Floats, a Century of Tradition

Every second weekend of August since 1929, Sélestat rolls out its giant floats. Twelve monumental structures, covered in nearly 500,000 multicolored dahlias, parade through the town center — once by daylight, once at night under illumination. It's one of France's most spectacular floral parades, built by volunteers over months of work. The Sélestat Flower Parade takes place August 8-9, 2026.

Vita Romana: Gladiators and Legionaries on the Border

For more than twenty-five years, the European Archaeological Park of Bliesbruck-Reinheim, straddling the Franco-German border, has brought Antiquity back to life for a weekend. Equestrian shows, gladiator fights, Roman legionary drills and falconry displays fill the site for two days, with re-enactors in full armor mixing with visiting families. Vita Romana runs August 8-9, 2026 in Bliesbruck, Moselle.

Rock les Bains: Three Stages in a Spa Town

Founded in 2015 by Camille Leconte, this self-funded, independent festival turns the Promenade des Dames in Plombières-les-Bains into an open-air rock stage. Two days of free concerts across three stages, one of them acoustic, mix rock, pop, indie, reggae and electro in a Vosges spa town more used to thermal cures than amplifiers. Rock les Bains takes place August 8-9, 2026.

Au Grès du Jazz: Season Opener in La Petite-Pierre

The festival opens its twentieth edition on August 8, deep in the Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord, a UNESCO-listed Biosphere Reserve. Nine days of demanding programming mix confirmed international artists with new discoveries, staged in venues far from a typical concert hall. The forest village of La Petite-Pierre suits the format well. Au Grès du Jazz begins this weekend.

Musicalta Festival: Closing Marathon in Rouffach

Since 1996, this international academy of classical and chamber music has hosted hundreds of students from around the world. More than fifty concerts, recitals and musical marathons take place in the churches and heritage buildings of the Rouffach area over three weeks each summer. This weekend marks the close of the 2026 edition. The Musicalta Festival wraps up on August 9, 2026.

Heiligenstein Wine Festival: One Village, One Rare Grape

Klevener de Heiligenstein is a rare white wine made from the Savagnin Rose grape, grown exclusively on this village's slopes since 1742. Every second weekend of August, winemakers and residents throw a street party dedicated to the grape, with tastings and live music. The Heiligenstein Wine Festival runs August 8-9, 2026.

Lunéville Château Guinguette: Last Night on the Grand Terrace

Nicknamed “La Guinguette d'Élisabeth,” this summer evening series animates the Grand Terrace of Lunéville Château, known as the “Little Lorraine Versailles.” Every Saturday in July and August brings world-music concerts, family shows, DJ sets and a bar. Saturday, August 8, 2026 is the season's final edition.

Dommartin-le-Saint-Père Harvest Festival: A Sunday in 1900s Countryside

Organized by the Écho Village de la Blaise association, this festival turns a Haute-Marne hamlet into a living tableau of early-20th-century rural life. Horse-drawn work, old-fashioned harvesting and threshing, forgotten trades like clog-making, blacksmithing and butter-churning, plus an equestrian show fill the day. The Harvest Festival takes place Sunday, August 9, 2026 only.

Cussangy Festival: Live Arts in an Aube Village

The “Cussangy en histoire(s)” association runs three days of eclectic programming mixing theater, concerts, recitals, storytelling, and traditional and contemporary dance in this small Aube countryside village. Exhibitions and artist meet-ups round out the schedule. The Cussangy Festival runs August 7-9, 2026.

Tambouille Festival: Last Stop on a Ten-Day Tour

Carried by the Compagnie des Joli(e)s Mômes and more than 140 volunteers, this free traveling festival has turned meadows, squares and clearings around Bruyères into pop-up stages for ten days. Each night, a new village hosts a live show followed by several eclectic concerts. Tambouille Festival closes this tenth traveling edition through the Vosges on Saturday, August 8, 2026.

Also Worth a Look

• Metz Plage: a free urban beach at the Plan d'Eau in Metz, with a water park, sports and concerts through August 16 — Metz Plage.
• La Plage des 2 Rives: guinguettes and swimming along the Meurthe riverbanks in Nancy through August 31 — La Plage des 2 Rives.
• Nuit de la Cathédrale: a free sound-and-light show on Strasbourg Cathedral's façade, every night from 10:30pm to midnight — Nuit de la Cathédrale.

Planning Your Weekend in Grand Est

Eleven picks, ten towns, four different kinds of events: food, tradition, music and live performance share the bill for the weekend of August 8-9, 2026 in Grand Est. To check other regions, head to the full weekend agenda.