What's on in Cambrai: events and festivals

How to find out what's on

Cambrai lives to a varied programme of music festivals, traditional fairs, themed markets, exhibitions and shows. Because exact dates and line-ups change from one year to the next, the most reliable way to know what is happening during your stay is to check live, official sources rather than fixed listings:

• The official city website and the tourist office, which keep an up-to-date agenda.
• The city's official social media accounts.
• Public notices in the town centre and the regional press.

The seasonal highlights below have become firm fixtures of the local calendar, but always confirm dates before travelling.

Spring

BetizFest — contemporary music festival

BetizFest is one of the big dates for fans of contemporary music in the Cambrésis. Each year the festival programmes a line-up of French and international acts across several stages, in an electric atmosphere, with association stands, food trucks and side events. Dates and programme are published each year by the organisers.

Fête de la Bêtise

A spring celebration devoted to the city's emblematic sweet, the Bêtise de Cambrai: making workshops for young and old, tastings, street entertainment, food markets and children's shows, with the local confectioners taking part.

Carnival

A festive tradition around Shrove Tuesday: decorated floats, costumed groups, brass bands and confetti parade through the centre in the spirit of the carnivals of the Hauts-de-France.

Summer

Fête de la Musique

On 21 June, as everywhere in France, the Fête de la Musique fills the town centre with free concerts on the squares, in the cafés and in front of the monuments — classical, jazz, rock, pop and world music side by side until late into the evening.

Festival Juventus — classical music and jazz

A festival devoted to young talents in classical music and jazz, with intimate concerts in historic settings (the cathedral, the museum, heritage halls), master classes open to the public and meetings with the artists. Dates and programme are announced each year.

The Giants Martin and Martine

An unmissable highlight of the Cambrai summer, around 15 August: the giants Martin and Martine, a couple of weavers several metres tall, parade through the streets carried by volunteers, accompanied by brass bands, folk groups and decorated floats. This Flemish tradition belongs to the intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO for the processional giants of the North and Belgium. The day brings craft markets, street shows, demonstrations of old crafts such as weaving and lace-making, a popular evening ball and fireworks.

Night markets and open-air cinema

Through the summer, several night markets are held on the central squares — local producers, crafts, music and food on the spot — and, when the weather allows, free open-air film screenings take place in the public garden or on other squares.

Autumn

European Heritage Days

On the third weekend of September, monuments and places usually closed to the public open their doors for free guided visits: underground casemates, private mansions, artists' studios and archives. It is a chance to see Cambrai from unusual angles.

Craft beer festivals and the book fair

Autumn is a good season for brewing gatherings, with regional events showcasing the craft breweries of the North alongside food trucks and concerts. A book fair also brings authors, signings, round tables and writing workshops around regional and national literature.

Armistice commemoration

On 11 November, an official ceremony is held at the war memorial and in the military cemeteries nearby. This commemoration carries particular resonance in Cambrai, where the memory of the Battle of Cambrai 1917 and its memorial sites remains vivid.

Winter

Christmas market

From late November to late December, the town centre fills with wooden chalets selling crafts, Christmas decorations, regional produce, mulled wine, hot chocolate and waffles. A temporary ice rink, rides and festive lights transform the Grand'Place and its surroundings. Opening hours and the programme are announced each year.

New Year and winter festivities

On 31 December, festive open-air entertainment is sometimes organised in the centre depending on the year, occasionally with fireworks at midnight. During the Christmas holidays, monumental "son et lumière" projections are sometimes staged on the cathedral façade or other landmark buildings, blending images and music.

Weekly markets and brocantes

The centre of Cambrai hosts several markets each week: a general market on the Grand'Place and a regional-produce market in the covered hall, complemented in season by organic or farmers' markets. Precise days and times are posted at the town hall and on the tourist office website. A monthly brocante (flea market) is held in the centre, and the big annual braderie draws a large regional crowd. The municipal theatre, the conservatoire, the media libraries and cultural associations also programme recitals, plays, children's shows, talks and exhibitions throughout the year.

Family and rainy-day ideas

Most of the city's festivals include programmes for younger audiences, from the Fête de la Bêtise to the summer Giants. If the weather turns, there is still plenty to do indoors:

• Visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with workshops and trails for children.
• Step into a confectioner's shop to see Bêtises being made.
• Browse the covered market and taste local produce.
• Catch a show at the theatre or a concert.
• Drive out to the Matisse Museum at Le Cateau-Cambrésis.

The tourist office also runs themed guided visits — medieval Cambrai, in the footsteps of Fénelon, evening walks and the underground casemates — with the programme varying through the year.

Continue your visit

• Things to see and do in Cambrai — monuments, museums and itineraries.
• Food and drink in Cambrai — Bêtises, northern dishes and beers.
• Plan your visit — getting there, how long to stay, accessibility.