October is an amazing month to visit the Bordeaux region and enjoy a variety of events and festivals. Some of the main events include a hot air balloon festival, open doors in wineries, a big art festival, and more. This article includes a list of the best events and things to do this October in the Bordeaux region and beyond. I hope it’ll help you plan the best stay in our beautiful area.
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Best events in and around Bordeaux (Gironde) in October 2025
LUMINISCENCE: The Celestial Odyssey (sponsored)
After touring across France, LUMINISCENCE returns to Bordeaux with a new creation — The Celestial Odyssey. ✨
I was lucky to experience their first orchestra and choir night, and the combination of lights, music, and the cathedral’s atmosphere was unforgettable.
📍Cathédrale Saint-André, Bordeaux
🗓️ Sept 26–Nov 29, 2025 | Wednesday to Saturday, two shows nightly (will soon be extended until January 3rd)
🎶 Live choir version (from €23) | Choir & orchestra version (from €36) on Oct 17–18, 24–25, 31 & Nov 1
👶 Free for kids under 2
Tickets and info: luminiscence.com/bordeaux
FAB – International Art Festival
FAB is the annual International Art Festival of Bordeaux Metropole taking place this year from September 26 to October 11. Two weeks with a rich program of dance and street art performances will take place in many locations in Bordeaux. Click here to see the full program of the festival.
Nuit des Bibliothèques
La Nuit des Bibliothèques, the libraries’ night, taking place on October 4, is a great opportunity to discover the libraries across the city. 27 libraries in Bordeaux Metropole will participate in this event and will offer such activities as concerts, theater shows, science workshops, games for kids and more. See the full program here.
Burdicolor
La Grande Transhumance Urbaine
The Grande Transhumance Urbaine is a fun event taking place on October 5th in Villenave d’Ornon (one of Bordeaux’s southern suburbs). The main idea is to connect city people to local agriculture with a big sheep march, passing through different farms. On the way, you can enjoy concerts and markets with local products. See details here.
Participate in the fun color -run on the University campus in Pessac. If you’re not into running, you can go straight to the village where all the fun activities will take place. The event takes place on October 4, see all the details here.
La Grande Transhumance Urbaine
The Grande Transhumance Urbaine is a fun event taking place on October 5th in Villenave d’Ornon (one of Bordeaux’s southern suburbs). The main idea is to connect city people to local agriculture with a big sheep march, passing through different farms. On the way, you can enjoy concerts and markets with local products. See details here.
Vibrations Urbaines Festival in Pessac
Vibration Urbaines is a cool urban festival taking place every year in Pessac (one of Bordeaux’s suburbs). The program includes events like an international BMX contest, a skating contest, a hip-hop dance battle, urban sports, workshops, street art exhibitions, and more. The festival is taking place from September 13 to October 8 in the campus area of Pessac. See all the events on the website or facebook page of the festival.
FIFIB- Bordeaux international festival of independent movies
The Bordeaux Independent Films Festival will take place on October 7-12 at Rue Mably in the center of Bordeaux. The program includes film screenings, concerts, and meetings with special guests. In the evenings, the festival village transforms into an open cinema theater and a dance floor. The full program will be published soon on the site of the festival.
Festival Les Spiritives : dégustations & cocktails inédits
A spirits festival will take place at the Palais de la Bourse on October 10-11. The program includes spirits tasting, mixology workshops, and a lot of cocktails. For more info, click here.
Village des Sciences
Cap Sciences will celebrate the Fête de la Science with its Village des Sciences on October 11–12, 2025 in Bordeaux. This year’s theme, “Intelligence(s),” looks at human thinking, AI, the living world, and even space. Over the weekend, you can join workshops, games, escape rooms, exhibitions, and talks with scientists and researchers.
👉 Full program here
Open Air at Château Formont
On October 11, 2025, Château Formont in Ambarès-et-Lagrave (20 minutes from Bordeaux) hosts its last Open Air of the year. From 4pm to 6am, expect 18 hours of music, with a lineup featuring Darius, Molécule, Jaëss and the robots, and many more. Food, drinks, creator stands, and a happy hour from 4pm to 7pm complete the party vibe.👉 Details and lineup here.
Festival Animasia
Animasia is a festival of Asian pop culture bringing together many elements like J-POP music, Yosakoi dance, karaoke, and Cosplay performances. The place will also include thematic areas with martial arts, video games, board games, and more. This year the events will be taking place on October 11-12 at the Parc des Expositions. For more info and tickets, check out the website of the festival.
Lire en Poche – books festival
Lire en Poche is a pocketbook festival that will take place in Gradignan on October 10-12. Besides a huge book sale, a wide range of activities are offered to the participants such as reading sessions, theater shows, music, games, workshops for kids, and more. For more info click here.
Foire aux Seconds Vins de Bordeaux
The Bordeaux Second Wines Fair takes place on October 11 at Hangar 14, where you can meet renowned wineries and taste their second wines while finding great deals. See all the details here.
* Learn more about the different Bordeaux wine regions in my article.
The Fête des Vendanges
The Fête des Vendanges is an exceptional weekend celebrating the Grands Crus Classés of Saint-Émilion, featuring 51 prestigious estates. Held over two days, visitors can enjoy exclusive activities, vineyard tours, tastings, and workshops. It’s a weekend of discovery, conviviality, and celebration of wine and heritage in the heart of Saint-Émilion. The event will take place on October 11-12.
See the full program here.
It’s also a great opportunity to try my Saint Emilion self-guided audio tour 🙂
Le Pressoir – a festival in Entre deux Mers
Le Pressoir is an annual festival celebrating the end of the harvest season in the Entre Deux Mers wine region with plenty of concerts and fun activities. The event will take place on October 10-12 in Targon, Check out the program here.
Grande Brocante Antiquites À Rauzan
Every year, the village of Rauzan in the Entre deux Mers region hosts one of the best brocantes (antiques and flea markets) in the SW of France. This year, the big market will take place on October 10-12. See all the details here.
Bon! Festival Gourmand
This year, Bordeaux will host the BON! Festival, from October 13 to 19. The gastronomic festival features cooking classes, shared meals, gardening workshops, and cultural events, focusing on sustainable, local, and plant-based food practices. See the full program here.
Foire aux Plaisirs
This is the fall edition of the traditional Bordelais Fair that is taking place at Place des Quinconces from October 10 to November 2. It’s a perfect activity for kids and for those who are young in spirit as La Foire aux Plaisirs de Bordeaux has it all: a big wheel, roller coasters, ghost trains, bumper cars, donuts, crèpes, candyfloss and more. See more info about the fair here.
Open doors in the Chateaux of Graves
On October 18-19, the Graves appellation, one of Bordeaux’s biggest wine areas, will hold an open-door weekend. During the weekend you’ll be able to visit plenty of stunning chateaux and enjoy wine tastings, wine workshops, and activities for kids. See the full program here.
* Discover all the other open-door events in the Bordeaux wine region in my article.
Fascinant Week-end
The third edition of “Fascinant Weekend” is about to take place on October 17-19. Throughout the long weekend, plenty of wineries and wine-related venues and museums are offering concerts, tastings, workshops, yoga classes, and more. Check out the full list of Chateaux and wine-related activities here.
Margaux Saveurs
The town of Margaux in the Medoc wine region is hosting its annual Margaux Saveurs on October 16-19. The idea of the festival is to make you discover the great wines of the Margaux appellation and to get to know the winemakers, merchants, and restaurants of this gourmet region. During the weekend, you can enjoy special workshops in the different wine domains and enjoy fun activities. For more details, click here.
If you’re attending this event, be sure to read about other places to visit in the area in my article about the Medoc region.
Bordeaux Electronic Week
From October 16 to 20, 2025, Bordeaux hosts the BEW Festival, dedicated to electronic music and digital arts. Supported by 11 local collectives, the festival brings alternative electronic culture to historic venues and green spaces across the city. Expect concerts, performances, and creative installations celebrating innovation and diversity.
👉 Full program here.
Celebrate Halloween
There are quite a lot of fun Halloween events taking place every year in the city and the different chateaux around the region. To see what’s planned for this year, go to my article about where to celebrate Halloween in Bordeaux.
Fête du Vin nouveau & de la brocante
Every year at the end of October, the lovely neighborhood of Chartrons in Bordeaux celebrates the autumn with the festival of new wine and Brocante. For two days, the main street, rue Notre Dame, will be transformed into a brocante (antique market) with wine stands, roasted chestnuts, and a lot of music and dancing. Come and spend a festive weekend on one of the most interesting streets in Bordeaux. The new dates for this year will be updated here.
Portes ouvertes dans les châteaux
Fronsac & Canon Fronsac wine appellations will hold their annual open-door weekend on October 25-26. Tens of wineries will open their doors to the public offering guided tours and wine tastings. The list of participating wineries will be published here.
See more open-door events in the region in my article.
Sonora, an electro festival in Bordeaux
The Sonora Festival will electrify Bordeaux’s Parc des Expositions from October 31 to November 2, with three nights of immersive electronic music. See info and tickets here.
More events in the Southwest of France (October 2025)
Laruns La Foire Au Fromage / Hera Deu Hromatge
Every first weekend of October Laruns in the Pyrenees celebrates the end of the summer pastures grazing season with a big cheese fair. The event introduces the different cheese producers in the region and has an entertaining program for adults and kids. This year, the event will take place on October 4. See more details here.
Festival Toulouse les Orgues
Every year, Toulouse hosts the International Organ Festival. During the days of the festival, several churches in Toulouse are hosting daily Organ concerts. This year, the event will be taking place on October 1-12. See all the info here.
See all the best events taking place in Toulouse in my article.
Circa – A circus festival
Circa is an international contemporary circus festival taking place every year in Auch (about 1.5 hour’s drive from Toulouse). The shows in this festival are beyond traditional circus and include elements of dance, music, and digital arts. This year, the festival is taking place on October 17-25, see more info here.
Bastides en Fête
Celebrate the bastides of Lot-et-Garonne from October 24-26 with Bastides en Fête! Explore these historical gems through family-friendly activities, including an exciting investigation game, treasure hunts, local markets, concerts, and guided tours. Don’t miss out on this fun-filled weekend in the beautiful medieval bastides of the region! See more details here.
Armagnac en Fête
Armagnac en Fête is a fun festival celebrating the beginning of the distillation process in the Armagnac region. The event will take place on the main square of LaBastide d’Armagnac on October 25-26. See all the details here.
Labastide d’Armagnac is a beautiful little village in Les Landes, that’s really worth a visit if you’re traveling in the region. See my article about this part of the Les Landes department.
Fête du Piment d’Espelette
Piment d’Espelette is the red pepper that decorates every market in the Basque country and every shop selling Basque products. Like every important ingredient in the French kitchen, this little pepper needs a “fête”.
Fête du Piment d’Espelette is taking place on October 25-26 in the beautiful village of Espelette. The program includes a big parade, a huge market, musical concerts, activities for kids, a mass with the choir of Espelette, and more. For more details, click here.
Fête du Piment d’Espelette
Piment d’Espelette is the red pepper that decorates every market in the Basque country and every shop selling Basque products. Like every important ingredient in the French kitchen, this little pepper needs a “fête”.
Fête du Piment d’Espelette is taking place on October 25-26 in the beautiful village of Espelette. The program includes a big parade, a huge market, musical concerts, activities for kids, a mass with the choir of Espelette, and more. For more details, click here.
If you’re looking for more ideas for day trips in the Bordeaux region, here are a few other articles you might want to read:
Day trips around Bordeaux – wine, beaches, and villages
10 day trips from Bordeaux by Public transport
A weekend in Medoc – Bordeaux wine tours
What to do and eat in Saint Emilion
What to do and eat in Arcachon
You can also get plenty of tips on things to do in the Southwest of France via lost in Bordeaux’s social media accounts and email list, check them out here:
