Aix en Provence Events and Festivals

(Aix en Provence, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France)

From music concerts to festivals celebrating the arts and literature, from antique fairs to vintage car shows, Aix en Provence boasts a rich and varied calendar of events. The highlight of this calendar is Aix's annual festival, held during June and July, when thousands of classical music and opera-lovers flood into Aix.

The many fairs and markets within Aix en Provence are ideal opportunities for visitors to the city to pick up some unusual gifts to take back home. There are always plenty of things to do both in and around the city itself.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day (Jour de l'an)
• Easter Holiday - Easter Monday (late March or early April)
• 1st May - Labour Day (Fête du premier mai)
• 8th May - Victory in Europe Day (Fête de la Victoire 1945; Fête du huitième mai)
• May (40th day after Easter) - Ascension Thursday
• 14th July - Bastille Day (Fête nationale)
• 15th August - Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Assomption)
• 1st November - All Saints Day (La Toussaint)
• 11th November - Remembrance Day, Armistice Day (Jour d'armistice)
• 25th December - Christmas Day (Noel)
• 26th December - Second Day of Christmas (In Alsace Lorraine only)

Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Old Book Market - held on Aix's place de l'Hôtel de Ville, this is the first of a series of monthly book markets in Aix. As the birthplace of the famous French author, Emila Zola, Aix attracts many literature lovers in search of rare and antique editions

February

• Stamp Fair and Philatelists Festival - mid-February, this annual event attracts stamp collectors, both amateur and professional

March

• Tambourin Festival - a series of evening concerts featuring the 'tambourin', together with street entertainment and a forum which brings together 300 musicians and instrument makers

April

• Semaine Sainte Musicale en Aix - mid-April, organised by the Baroque Ensemble, Les Festes d'Orphée, this festival comprises concerts of sacred music

May

• Salon des Antiquaires - held at Le Tholonet, just outside Aix en Provence, this popular antique fair attracts dozens of antique dealers from all over the South of France and further afield, as well as literally thousands of visitors

June

• Aix en Provence Festival - founded in 1948, this is the highlight in Aix's annual calendar of events. Starting in June and running through to mid-July, the festival attracts the best in classical music and opera, with concerts held in historic buildings throughout the city
• Musique dans la Rue - mid-June, held through the centre of Aix en Provence, this series of free concerts features everything from classical to pop music genres

July

• Alpes Retro Antique Car Show- beautifully restored vintage cars, tour the roads of Provence, meeting up on the first night on Cours Mirabeau in Aix en Provence and delighting visitors and locals alike
• Baroque Music Festival - Baroque music performed by the Ensemble of the Festes d'Orphée, with choir, vocal and instrumental soloist performances
• Nuit d'Ete a Aix en Provence- held at the Cloitre des Oblats in the centre of Aix. Visitors can enjoy a month-long programme of opera, theatre and classical music performances
• Fair of the Vineyards of Aix - traditionally held on the last Sunday in July on the Cours Mirabeau, this fair is a good opportunity to taste and purchase wines of the region

August

• Festival Internationale de Danse - classical and modern dance companies come from all over the world to perform at Aix during the summer

September

• Fête Mistralienne - dancers parade through Aix before gathering around the statue of Frédéric Mistral in the Parc Jourdan to pay homage to this local poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904
• 5e Festival de la Chanson Francaise - concerts by French musicians held in venues throughout Aix

October

• Les Nuits Pianistiques - dozens of piano recitals, chamber music and soloist performances delight audiences from October to December

November

• Le Festival Image de Ville - architecture and urban film festival. Screenings are shown in a variety of venues in Aix en Provence
• Santons Fair - these small, clay figures which have become a symbol of a Provencal Christmas are on sale at this fair held in the centre of Aix, on the Avenue Victor Hugo

December

• New Oil and Truffle Fair - held in the Place Jeanne d'Arc, this winter fair celebrates the first pressing of the olives harvested during the year. Together with locally collected truffles, there are plenty of gift ideas for gourmet visitors to Aix en Provence and this popular event always attracts large crowds