Event calendar for Quillan & Nearby (2026–2027)
May 2026
🚜 De Ferme en Ferme (Open Farm Day)
📍 Haute Vallée de l’Aude (around Quillan)
📆 1 May 2026 (confirmed) — a region-wide open day where local farms welcome visitors to discover traditional agriculture, local produce and rural life. Ideal for families and those looking for an authentic experience of the area.
🔁 Annual recurring
🚴 La Carach Bike
📍 Quillan
📆 Early May 2026 (date TBC) — a regional cross-country mountain biking event featuring technical off-road routes through the hills surrounding Quillan. Popular with competitive riders and spectators, and part of the area’s growing cycling scene.
🔁 Annual recurring (typically late April to early May)
🎨 Artist to Watch (Art Weekend)
📍 Quillan & surrounding villages
📆 May 2026 (multi-day; dates vary) — a regional art event showcasing over 50 artists across the valley, with exhibitions, open studios and opportunities to meet creators.
🔁 Annual recurring
🏃 Spartan Race Weekend
📍 Carcassonne
📆 8–10 May 2026 (confirmed) — a major international obstacle race event attracting participants from across Europe. A high-energy weekend combining sport, endurance and spectator-friendly racing.
🔁 Annual recurring
🏃 Trail du Pech de Bugarach
📍 Bugarach (approx. 30 min from Quillan)
📆 23 May 2026 (confirmed) — a popular trail running event set around one of the most iconic peaks in the region, offering challenging routes and panoramic views.
🔁 Annual recurring
🚴 Fête du Tour
📍 Quillan
📆 28–29 May 2026 (confirmed) — a cycling-focused weekend with organised rides, local activities and a festive atmosphere linked to the wider Tour de France celebrations.
🔁 Annual recurring
🏎️ Course de Côte du Col du Portel
📍 Near Quillan
📆 22 -24 May 2026 — a hill climb motorsport event forming part of the regional championship, attracting drivers and spectators to the mountain roads above Quillan.
🔁 Annual recurring
June 2026
🐄 Pays de Sault Transhumance
📍 Pays de Sault
📆 First weekend of June 2026 (typical recurrence) — celebration of the traditional seasonal movement of livestock from the lowlands to summer pastures, with ceremonies and cultural activities.
🔁 Annual recurring
⛰️ Festival de la Randonnée en Pyrénées Audoises
📍 Pyrénées Audoises
📆 Third weekend of June 2026 (traditional recurrence) — an annual festival of organised hikes exploring scenic local trails.
🔁 Annual recurring
🏁 Course de Côte de Quillan (Hill Climb)
📍 Quillan → Col du Portel
📆 May June 2026 (Whitsun/Pentecost weekend; exact date TBC) — classic hill climb motorsport competition starting in Quillan and finishing at Col du Portel, drawing regional drivers and spectators.
🔁 Annual recurring
July 2026
🚴♂️ 🇫🇷 Tour de France – Stage Passage (Carcassonne → Foix)
📍 Quillan (Aude, Occitanie)
📆 Tuesday 7 July 2026
The Tour de France passes directly through Quillan during Stage 4 of the 2026 race. Expect the full race caravan, roadside spectators, and live peloton passage as the world’s biggest cycling event moves through the Aude foothills toward the Pyrenees.
🔁 One-day international sporting event
🎉 Major road closures + public spectacle
🎭 Festival de Carcassonne (Regional Summer Festival)
📍 Carcassonne (≈1 hour from Quillan)
📆 Early–late July 2026 (exact programme dates TBC)
One of France’s largest summer arts festivals featuring major concerts, theatre, opera, and live performances within the medieval cité and surrounding venues.
🔁 Annual recurring regional highlight
🎸 Festival de Guitar / July Music Festival
📍 Quillan
📆 July 2026 (date TBC)
Summer music festival showcasing guitar performances and live musical acts across town venues and outdoor stages.
🔁 Annual recurring
🎆 Bastille Day Celebrations (Fête Nationale)
📍 Quillan + surrounding villages
📆 14 July 2026
France’s national holiday featuring fireworks, live music, communal dinners, and evening celebrations throughout Quillan and nearby towns.
🔁 Annual recurring national event
🎆 Lac de Puivert Fireworks & Summer Market
📍 Lac de Puivert
📆 Mid-July 2026 (traditionally around 15 July, 3rd Wednesday of July)
Weekly lakeside market with artisan stalls, food vendors, and evening entertainment, typically culminating in a fireworks display over the lake at dusk.
🔁 Annual recurring
🛍️ Quillan Summer Night Markets (Nocturnes)
📍 Quillan town centre
📆 July 2026 (weekly evenings, exact dates TBC)
Evening artisan markets featuring food stalls, local crafts, and live music, creating a lively summer atmosphere in the town centre.
🔁 Weekly summer series
August 2026
🚴 Critérium Cycliste International de Quillan
📍 Quillan
📆 15 August 2026 (Assumption Day) — historic one-day road cycling race through town streets, acclaimed as one of France’s oldest criterium races.
🔁 Annual recurring
🎉 Grandes Fêtes de Quillan
📍 Quillan
📆 Mid-August (approx. 13–17 August) — a lively multi-day town festival with music, communal eating, live entertainment, parades and social gatherings each summer.
🔁 Annual recurring
🌲 La Ronde des Sapins (Fir Tree Tour)
📍 Pays de Sault
📆 End of August 2026 (likely final weekend) — trail event through scenic forests and summit routes.
🔁 Annual recurring
September 2026
🥔 Plateau de Sault Potato Festival (La Fête de la Pomme de Terre)
📍 Pays de Sault
📆 Late August / September 2026 (exact date TBC) — harvest festival dedicated to the famed local potato crop, with food, demonstrations and family activities.
🔁 Annual recurring
🍷 Festival des Saveurs Pyrénées Audoises
📍 Quillan
📆 Early September 2026 (estimated weekend around 12–13 Sep) — annual gastronomic celebration with stalls, tastings and showcasing of local produce and cuisine.
🔁 Annual recurring
🚵 Ronde VTT des 3 Quilles
📍 Quillan
📆 Late September / Early October 2026 (2025 edition ran on 28 September) — mountain bike event over varying routes with support activities.
🔁 Annual recurring
December 2026
🎄 Quillan Christmas Market
📍 Quillan
📆 Mid-December 2026 (e.g., weekend of 11–12 Dec) — festive holiday market with artisan stalls, local products, seasonal food and community celebrations.
🔁 Annual recurring
January–March 2027
🎭 Carnaval de Limoux 2027
📍 Limoux (about 40 min from Quillan)
📆 Weekends from mid-January to Mardi Gras / early March 2027 — this is considered one of the longest carnivals in the world, rooted in 16th-century Occitan tradition. Celebrations take place nearly every weekend from January through March with multiple parades per day featuring bands (Fecos), masked figures (Goudils), music and street performances, concluding with the judgment and symbolic burning of Majesté Carnaval. Full 2027 dates are typically confirmed in late autumn/December but, based on 2026
April 2027
🏃 Trail Quillan – Trail des 3 Quilles
📍 Quillan
📆 24–25 April 2027 (expected) — multi-distance trail running event with routes from 11 km up to 40+ km, set against the rugged landscapes of the Pyrénées Audoises. Known for its friendly, festival-style atmosphere, it attracts over a thousand participants each year.
🔁 Annual recurring (typically held the last weekend of April)
