20 things to do in Bordeaux in May

There are several important events related to wine about to take place this May in Bordeaux. One of them is the Open doors in the chateaux of Saint Emilion, a great opportunity to visit this magical village. We all know, however, that Bordeaux is not all about wine and so this month we’ll also have several festivals of arts, dance, and circus as well as cultural events like the European museums night. All you have to do to get up-to-date about things to do in Bordeaux this May is to keep on reading…

Open doors in Saint-Emilion

An open door weekend will take place on May 4-5 in Saint Emilion where 81 wine producers will open their chateaux to the public. The weekend will include many activities such as wine tastings, visits to the chateaux, games for kids and bike rides. Check out the full program for the participating châteaux, the activities and the wine tasting proposed for that weekend – here.

When: May 4-5 / Where: different locations around Saint Emilion

The opening of La Guinguette chez Alriq

The best place for sunny weekends in Bordeaux is about to reopen for their summer season. La Guinguette chez Alriq is a taverne at the la Bastide neighborhood, on the rive droite of the Garonne. On a sunny day you can enjoy a cold beer, nice food and daily concerts with a magnificent view of the Garonne. The opening night will take place on May 2 with a concert of Bojan Krstic. See the full program for the weekend here.

When: Starting May 2 / Where: ZA Quai des Queyries, Port Bastide, 33100 Bordeaux

Let your kids discover the art of circus at the Jubil’à Jongle festival

The 13th edition of the festival will start with an inauguration evening on May 3, which will include magic and fire shows, different activities for kids and even a rock concert. On the second day of the festival (May 4), you will discover the art of circus and street entertainment through shows of Juggling, magic, games and introductory workshops. The festival will take place at the Parc de Fongravey in Blanquefort. For more info click here.

When: May 3-4 / Where: 4 Parc de Fongravey in Blanquefort

Search for beautiful antiques at the Brocante

The big brocante of Bordeaux is hosted twice a year at place des Quinconces with 200 antique dealers, horticulturists, restaurants and craftsmen. It’s the biggest brocante event in the area and the selection is huge, from vintage home decor, to paintings, antique furniture, garden accessories and more. The brocante started on April 19 and will continue until May 5. For more info and the list of exhibitors click here.

When: April 19 – May 5 / Where: Place des Quinconces, Bordeaux

Bordeaux Tango Festival

The 7th edition of the Bordeaux Tango Festival will take place on May 7-12. This hot festival connects Bordeaux and the place where Tango was born, Buenos Aires. A variety of activities will be offered to celebrate the link between these two cities, such as dance, music, art, literature and even food. Most of the events will take place in Espace St. Remi and Rocher Palmer in Cenon. See the program of the festival.

When: May 7-12 / Where: Different locations in Bordeaux

Vinexpo Bordeaux

Vinexpo is one of the most famous wine-related events in Bordeaux, intended for professionals in the wine world. The program includes master classes, wine tastings, conferences, and networking events. The fair will take place at the Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux on May 13-16. For the full program and more details click here and for tickets click here.

When: May 13-16 / Where:  Cours Jules Ladoumègue, 33000 Bordeaux, France

European Museums Night

On May 18 some of the best museums and cultural establishments in Bordeaux will open their doors to the public with free exhibitions and activities. This year the event will have a 90’s vibe to it and the organizers encourage you to dress up in a 90’s style: so pull out your high jeans and too colorful clothes, you know the drill :). Besides exhibitions, the museums will host lots of kids friendly activities, concerts and more. See the full list of museums and events here.

When: May 18 – 6pm until midnight / Where: Different museums around the metropole

Big Bang – Air and Space Festival

The Big Bang festival in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles will take place on May 14-18. This year the cultural and scientific festival is dedicated to the moon. The program includes art and science exhibitions, conferences, films, concerts and much more. Check out the full program of the event.

When:  May 14-18 / Where: Le Carré des Jalles, Place de la République, 33160 Saint-Medard-En-Jalles

Le Marché des créateurs

The 29th edition of the creators market (Marché des créateurs) will take place on May 18-19 at Place Camille Jullian (next to Utopia cinema). This market proposes a great variety of items giving everyone a chance to find something fitting their tastes and budget: clothes, accessories, jewelry, decorations, kids accessories, toys and more.  For more details check out the facebook page of the event.

When: May 18- 19 / Where:  Place Camille Jullian, 33000

Belem, the famous French vessel arrives to Bordeaux

Belem, the oldest big French vessel (launched in 1896, 51 meters long) will arrive in Bordeaux for five days and will be open to the public. The beautiful ship, classified as a historic monument, will dock at Quai Richelieu on May 16-20. Follow the facebook page of Belem for updates about the hours you can visit the vessel.

When: May 16-20 / Where: Ponton d’Honneur, Quai Richelieu, 33000 Bordeaux

Go to a secret event at the Festival de Caves

Festival de Caves (the Cellars festival) is an underground theater festival, gathering a small number of spectators in cellars and other underground places throughout the city. In Bordeaux, the festival will take place on May 11-25 and will run the whole month of May in different cities in Aquitaine. The festival will premier on May 11 (at 18:30) at the Maison Cantonale. Check out the full program on the website of the event. For more details click here.

When: May 11-25 / Where: Different locations in Bordeaux

Festival Echappée Belle in Blanquefort

The Echappée Belle festival is a great entertaining event for the whole family merging theater, dance, circus and other forms of art. The festival will take place from May 23-26 in Blanquefort, starting in Parc Majolan and continuing for the weekend in Parc de Fongravey.  See the full program here.

When: May 23-26 / Where: Different locations in Blanquefort (see the program)

Grand Crus Weekend

One of the most anticipated events in Bordeaux’s wine world is the Grand Crus Weekend that will take place on May 23-26. This event, organized by the Union des Grands Crus (the regional wine classification), aims to create an international meeting of wine lovers. The highlights of this weekend will include tasting wines from over 110 Grand Crus and meeting different chateaux owners as part of pre-organized dinners in the châteaux. Read more about the event and the full program here.

When: May 24-26 / Where: many locations in Gironde, see the program

Take your kids to an  inflatable water park in Biscarrosse

The huge inflatable water park in Biscarrosse (about an hour drive from Bordeaux) is about to reopen for the Summer at the beginning of May. The AquaPark is equipped with water ziplines, several diving boards of different heights, trampolines, catapults, climbing walls, slides and more. The park is accessible to kids over 4 years old. For more details and tickets click here.

Where: Port Maguide, 18 Chemin de Maguide, 40600 Biscarrosse

If you need more ideas of activities with kids check out my post about 30 things to do with kids in Bordeaux.

Enjoy a cocktail party on the Iboat

The Iboat, mostly known as a concert venue, is a three-level ferry spanning 687m2, anchored to one of the docks of Bassins a flot. One of the special features of the place is the Upper deck where events and exhibitions are held during the evenings. Every Wednesday at 19:00 the Iboat hosts the SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE, an after-work party with very creative cocktails :).  For this and other events taking place at the Iboat click here.

Where: bassin a flot n°1 – Quai Armand Lalande

To discover more cool places in Bacalan, read my post about the best things to do in the North of Bordeaux.

Quatre tendances – Dance show

Quatre tendances is a collaboration between several ballets groups and choreographers. Like every two years,  Quatre tendances will take the stage for several nights to perform a number of contemporary choreographies. This year the national ballet of Bordeaux will collaborate with Ballet Preljocaj – CCN d’Aix-en-Provence, le Malandain Ballet Biarritz and le CCN-Ballet de l’Opéra National du Rhin. Four choreographies will be performed during nine shows, taking place on May 22-31. For more details and tickets click here.

When: May 22-31 / Where: Grand Théâtre, place de la Comédie, 33000 BORDEAUX

Last chance to see the D’un soleil à l’autre exhibition

In the D’un soleil à l’autre exhibition artists present their poetic journey in space. Aspects like elastic distances, weightlessness, dazzling, infinitely large landscapes and incandescent materials are beautifully translated into contemporary digital art. La Base sous marine is known for the phenomenal use of their unique space for art, so don’t miss this one. The exhibition will be presented at the museum until May 19. For more info click here.

When: March 9 – May 19 / Where:Boulevard Alfred Daney, 33000 Bordeaux

When art and design take on glass

A new temporary exhibition was inaugurated at the Cité du Vin in March. The exhibition beautifully combines the wine and glass worlds. It includes the works of several glass designers who all modified and reinvented wine glasses and bottles. For more details click here.

When: March 15 – June 30 / Where: Esplanade de Pontac, 134 quai de Bacalan, 33300 Bordeaux

Les chōchin du Japon- exhibition

This is the last chance to see the Les chōchin du Japon exhibition at the Musée des art décoratifs that is dedicated to special lamps that were declared a “traditional craft knowledge” in Japan. The exhibition will be presented at the museum until May 19. For more info click here.

When: until May 19 / Where: Musée des Arts décoratifs et du Design, 39 rue Bouffard, 33000 Bordeaux

Festins – a funky exhibition at the Bernard Magrez Cultural Institute

Yet another great exhibition is presented these days at the Institut Bernard Magrez. Festins is an exhibition by two artists, Gérard RANCINAN  and Caroline GAUDRIAULT, that have been working together in the last 20 years and have now agreed to present their works at the museum. For more details click here.   The exhibition will be presented at the institute until June 9.

When: March 7 – June 9 / Where: 16 rue de Tivoli, 33000 Bordeaux

If you’re visiting Bordeaux for one of the wine events, be sure to check out my ultimate guide to Bordeaux, that will get you familiar with all the “must” places to visits in Bordeaux. Also, if you have more days to spend in our beautiful region, check out my article about the best day trips from Bordeaux.

Need more ideas for things to do in and around Bordeaux? you should definitely join my newsletter where I share a lot of info about the area – sign up here.