There's no doubt that summer festivals are great fun!
For unique festivals with truly spectacular backdrops, there's no place quite like the Alps! Here's a round-up of some of our favourite summer events happening in the mountains...
Les Deux Alpes Outdoor Festival
Head to Les 2 Alpes for the annual Outdoor Festival in June. Its abundance of activities include skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, paragliding, trail running, street golf, slacklining, yoga, hiking, swimming and electric biking. Once you've worn yourselves out head back to the resort and share your adventures at the big outdoor picnic!
- Mountain biking: 3 races open to the public, biking tours for families and a relaxed circuit with food tasting
- Trail running: A 7k race, a 3k race and a 11k race on Les Balcons de Venosc
- Serious runners can take part in the Trail de la Fée (20k) and the 3600 Summit Trail (39k) - Europe’s 2nd highest skyrunning race
- A party on the Diable run
- Watch a stage of the World Cup during the Festival!
- A Freestyle competition on the glacier
- Introductory sessions on the 9-hole golf course
Pass'Portes du Soleil MTB Ride
Not technically a festival, but an event well-worth attending if you're a fan of mountain biking! The Portes du Soleil region kickstarts the summer with the Pass’Portes du Soleil MTB in June. There's an 80km circuit across two countries including five French resorts where you can start from (Avoriaz, Châtel, Les Gets, Morzine and Montriond-Les Lindarets) with stops for traditional food, an MTB fair and magnificent scenery!
Samoëns American Festival
Over in Samoëns, don your cowboy hats and feel the Western vibe at the 'American Festival' in July! Think country music concerts, line dancing workshops and horse-riding stuntmen!
- Parade: cowboys, American cars, Harley Davidsons
- Line dancing workshops
- Barrel racing competitions
- Equestrian shows
- An Indian village
- Pony rides
- Vehicle show with customised American cars, gleaming Harley Davidsons and motorcycle event with 'Infernal Varanne'
Cosmo Jazz Festival
If you're a fan of jazz music then July is a great time to visit Chamonix! The resort is home to the week-long CosmoJazz music festival set against breathtaking backdrops! Spend your days up the mountains watching the free concerts, head back to the resort for afternoon performances on the green, and you can spend the evenings enjoying gigs at the local bars.
Annecy Fête du Lac
Lake Annecy, Europe's cleanest lake, hosts the biggest fireworks show in Europe, the Fête du Lac. It's a 70-minute, non-stop, themed show organised by a pyrotechnic master! They use music, lasers and fountains to tell detailed stories such as the 2018 show themed as "around the earth" telling the story of a father and daughter travelling across the world through the Americas, Africa and the Mediterranean.
Au Bonheur des Momes
Creative families should definitely add Au Bonheur des Momes to their bucketlist! At the end of August, Le Grand Bornand holds a five day performing arts festival dedicated to children! There are hundreds of performances, big and small, tailored to wow and inspire children; a truly spectacular event set against an awe-inspiring backdrop.
- 450 performances with shows suitable from 18 months
- 30 children's workshops suitable for ages 3+
- A collection of unusual wooden games in the village centre
- A dedicated reading tent
- 1 competition with a young public literary prize up for grabs
- 150 French and foreign performers
FestiPlagne
This family festival encourages children and parents to work together and have fun with four days of unique team-building activities! This year at FestiPlagne, parent-child duos must conquer a world of cartoons, an outer space experience, a tropical paradise and an acrobatics wonderland! Teams will receive a stamp on their ‘event passport’ and participants that complete at least 12 of the 16 activities of the challenge will be entered into a draw at the closing party! La Plagne and wider Paradiski can be accessed by car or by using the lifts from Champagny or Bourg St Maurice.
These are some of the best local festivals Europe has to offer. Keep you eyes peeled for our winter edition...
