September 2015: events in France

Discover 8 events happening in France in September 2015, including a huge flea market in Lille, a marathon through the Médoc vineyards, a world puppet festival and the annual heritage days event

American Film Festival, Deauville

4-13 September

The seaside town of Deauville will be hosting its 41st American Film Festival from 4-13 September and welcoming well-known American actors and actresses. Film fans gather to watch hundreds of films in various locations around the town and directors, actors and actresses compete for several prizes awarded by the Grand Jury whose president this year will be French film director and screenwriter Benoît Jacquot. A day pass costs €30 and provides access to all screenings that day.

www.festivaldeauville.comBraderie de Lille

5-6 September

One of the largest flea markets in Europe is held every year in the town of Lille in nord-Pas-de-Calais on the first weekend in September. Falling this year on 5-6 September, the Braderie de Lille attracts almost two million shoppers who browse the hundreds of stalls across the city.

www.braderie-de-lille.frMarathon de Médoc

12 September

With wine instead of water at the drink stations, and oysters replacing energy bars as a mid-race snack, it is clear that the annual Marathon du Médoc is no ordinary marathon. Taking place on 12 September in the Médoc vineyards, this marathon attracts plenty of runners who are given six and a half hours to run – or stagger! – their way around the 26-mile course in the fancy-dress costume of their choosing.

www.marathondumedoc.comFêtes Renaissance du roi de l’Oiseau, Le Puy-en-Velay

16-20 September

Visit Le Puy-en-Velay in Auvergne from 16-20 September and you will find yourself transported back to the height of the Renaissance period at the Fêtes Renaissance du Roi de l’Oiseau. As well as the crowning of the ‘Roi de l’Oiseau’ – the best archer in the town – there are shows, entertainers, parades and residents in costume enacting scenes of daily life in the 16th century.

www.roideloiseau.comLes Nuits de Nacre, 17-20 September

17-20 September

As home to the last industrial accordion factory in France, it is fitting that Tulle in Corrèze is also home to the largest accordion festival in France – Les Nuits de Nacre, taking place from 17-20 September. During the event, the accordion can be seen and heard everywhere in Tulle – on the streets, cafés, squares, in theatres and concert halls. most of the concerts and activities are free and the music ranges from jazz to rock.

www.nuitsdenacre.comFrench Property Exhibition, London Olympia

18-20 September

Don’t miss out on the French Property Exhibition at London’s Olympia from 18-20 September. The exhibition has thousands of properties from across France on display, seminars with experts giving talks on tax, law and property and a ‘how-to’ forum. Tickets are free and you can register for fast-track entry on the website.

www.fpeolympia.comWorld Puppet Festival, Charleville-Mézières

18-27 September

Puppet companies and more than 150,000 spectators descend on the town of Charleville-Mézières in Ardennes for the biennial Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes (World Puppet Festival). Held from 18-27 September, the festival has grown in popularity since its inception in 1961 and now has to be staged in more than 40 different venues across the town with performers from all over the world. Charleville-Mézières has a strong history of puppetry and is home to the International Puppet Institute renowned for its ‘Grand Marionnettiste’ clock that presents a medieval legend every hour.

www.festival-marionnette.comJournées Européennes du Patrimoine

19-20 September

The annual Journées Européennes du Patrimoine heritage event takes place this year from 19-20 September, with the theme of ‘21st-century heritage’ highlighting the evolution of building techniques, materials and design. In Paris’s 10th arrondissement, the Médiathèque Françoise Sagan plays host to a conference during the event, held by one of the architects involved in the design of the building. Now one of the city’s largest libraries, the médiathèque was formerly the Saint-Lazare prison hospital before undergoing its unique design transformation.

www.mediathequeducarresaintlazare.wordpress.comVisiting in August? Here are some key August 2015 events in France