Dordogne Festivals and Events
Month-by-Month Guide
Explore the vibrant cultural life of the Dordogne, nestled in the enchanting Southwest of France. From traditional village fetes and food-oriented gatherings to lively music festivals and vintage events, immerse yourself in a rich calendar of annual celebrations.
Use our detailed month-by-month guide for 2025 to stay informed and plan your visit, making sure you don't miss the best festivals and celebrations across the Dordogne and its surrounding regions.
Annual Festivals and Events Guide
JANUARY:
- 'Bande Dessine/Comic Strip Festival' is a massive 4-day event (the 3rd largest in the world) held at the end of January in Angouleme (Charente)
- Truffle Festival Sarlat is an event held in the third week of January, celebrating every aspect of the Perigord Black Truffle (Dordogne)
- La Fête de la Truffe is held on the last Sunday in January in Sorges, home to the Truffle Museum and the Logis Hotel Restaurant, featuring its Black Truffle menu. The festival attracts a massive crowd with demonstrations, cooking competitions and a giant banquet (Dordogne)
FEBRUARY:
- Arnac Pompadour (France's National Stud) holds horse racing and horse-related events every month from February to October (Correze)
Floralies at Saint-Jean-de-Cole
Spring Festivals and Events in the Dordogne:
MARCH:
- Fest de L'Oie, this annual goose festival is held over 2 days in early March in Sarlat-la-Caneda with geese parading through the town, cookery demonstrations and much consuming of all things goose (Dordogne)
APRIL:
- Chateaux en Fete is held on the last two weeks of April, when over 80 Dordogne Chateaux open their doors, some on selected days for festivities (Dordogne)
MAY:
- Fete de la Fraise in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne is held on the second Sunday in May in celebration of strawberries and includes the making of an 8-foot strawberry tart (Correze)
- Jazz Pourpre en Perigord from 16 - 24 May 2025, featuring jazz concerts across Bergerac (Dordogne)
- 'Fetes des Fraises et des Fleurs' strawberry and flower festival in Dordogne's strawberry capital, Vergt, on the 3rd weekend in May, with up to 15,000 visitors (Dordogne)
- 'Fetes des Fromages Fermier' celebrating cheese in Rocamadour on Whit Sunday (Lot)
- 'Les Floralies' in Saint Jean de Cole is a huge floral festival held on the second weekend in May, attracting over 10 000 (Dordogne)
World Music Festival in Perigueux
Summer Celebrations and Cultural Highlights:
JUNE:
- Rendez-vous au Jardins, which takes place from June 6-8, sees over 2,200 gardens, from historical to private, open across France (an event also held in 20 other European countries) to promote all aspects of gardening.
- The 'World Music Festival' on June 21st celebrates all types of music with numerous free events across France.
JULY:
- Filibree is an annual 3-day festival celebrating Occitan du Pergord (the local language and culture). Now in its 104th year, its location moves annually throughout the Dordogne. In 2025, it will be held in Sarlat-la-Caneda on 7 July (Dordogne)
- The 6-day annual Cognac Blues Festival has been going on since the 1990s and is held in early July (Charente)
- The 'Fete d'escargot/Snail Festival' held in La Coquille on the second weekend of July, promotes the humble snail (Dordogne).
- On the 14th, the 'Bastille Day' bank holiday is celebrated across France with villages holding fetes and communal get-togethers, followed by music into the night, ending in a bang in a great show of fireworks (France)
- Festival des Jeux du Theatre ( Film Festival) in Sarlat is now in its 72nd year and runs for the last 2 weeks in July, featuring over 18 shows, with actors, directors, etc (Dordogne)
- Festival International des Arts du Mime et du Geste, Mimos in Perigueux on 1st - 5th July 2025. Founded in 1983 in honour of Mime artist Marcel Marceau, who celebrates the nonverbal use of the body to entertain, such as mime, puppetry, clowning, hop-hop, etc (Dordogne)
- 'Fete du Cognac' is a massive 3-day music festival held at the last weekend in July. Expect prominent names, and in 2025, it includes the Pretenders (Charente)
Vintage Days in Perigueux
Summer and Early Autumn Traditions:
JULY-AUGUST:
- 'Ete Musical en Bergerac' During the first two weeks of August, find live music and traditional dance across the backdrop of historic sights and monuments in Bergerac and the surrounding area (Dordogne)
- The Vesere Festival is a well-established, month-long annual event featuring classical music in all its forms. In 2025, it runs from 5th July to 12 August in the Brive area (Dordogne)
SEPTEMBER:
- Vintage Days in Périgueux is a three-day event at the beginning of September, celebrating everything vintage, from fashion and dancing to car parades, with over 100 vintage vehicles lining the streets around the centre. Shops and restaurants all join in giving the city an incredible atmosphere (Dordogne)
- Heritage days on 21st-22nd September, where many places of interest normally closed to the public are open for viewing (France)
- Hot Air Balloon Festival in Rocamadour last weekend in September, which is a massive festival in a stunning location (Lot)
Autumn and Winter Festivals in Dordogne
OCTOBER:
- Fêtes de la Chataigne (Chestnut Festival) Dournazac on the last weekend in October (Haute-Vienne)
- Rue des Métiers Art, held in Nontron, brings together the best artisans in a delightful setting. This is THE show for rural arts and crafts (Dordogne)
NOVEMBER
- Fete de la Pomme ( Apple Fair) held on 5 November in Sainte Anne, Sainte Priest to celebrate all things apple (Haute Vienne)
- Gourmet Book Festival held in Perigueux on 16-17 November 2025, where authors promote their cookery books, includes food tastings, local produce, cookery demonstrations, etc (Dordogne)
- Le Foire au Dindons (Turkey festival) is held annually in Varaignes on 11 November, celebrating with turkeys running through the village plus a bourru and chestnut fest (Dordogne)
- Beaujolais Nouveau Day is traditionally held annually on the third Thursday in November to celebrate the first bottled wine of the year (France)
DECEMBER
- Christmas market in Limoges (Haute-Vienne)
- Christmas market in Perigueux (Dordogne)
- Foire au Chapons ( Capon Festival) is held on 10th December in Blond when more than 10,000 visitors go to see the Brotherhood procession and Capon racing (Haute Vienne).
The Chestnut festival in Dournazac
Things to See & Do
Mialet
The charming village of Mialet is located in the Dordogne, South West France in the Aquitaine region.
Top 12 Attractions
There are so many places to visit and things to do in our area. To give you a little taster we have created a list of our top 12 favourites.
What to See in Our Region
There are countless places to visit within a 2-hour radius of Miallet. Here are the main sites including drive time and distance.
Where & What to Eat
Eating out is a fabulous experience in this part of France and there is a huge variety of establishments to choose from.
Festivals & Events
Annual calendar of festivals & events in the Dordogne and nearby departments.
Sports & Outdoors
The North Dordogne or Perigord Vert is a perfect location for those with a great affinity to the great outdoors.