The Bordelaise summer is usually quite chill and laid back, filled with open air concerts and summer events on the banks of the Garonne. In contrast, September is a more active month, with plenty of festivals and gastronomy events.
This is the perfect list for those of you looking to go out and explore Bordeaux’s surroundings as it includes many events taking place just a few minutes ride from the city’s center.
This September we have: The Climax festival in Darwin, the Marathon of Medoc, a street art festival in Pessac, a beer festival and much more.  So tie up your shoe laces and let’s go!
Here are the best things to do this month in and around Bordeaux:

Climax Festival 

The Climax festival taking place in Darwin focuses on environmental issues and climate change. Conferences and debates will take place throughout the four day festival (September 6-9) and will be accompanied by art and cultural events. Every night, a rich lineup of electronic music will make the festival more attractive and dynamic. This is one of the biggest festivals in the center of Bordeaux and its location only adds to the attractiveness of the event. Take a look at the full program on the site of the festival, for tickets click here.

When: September 6-9
Where: CASERNE DARWIN (87 Quai des Queyries, 33100 Bordeaux) and ROCHER PALMER (1 Rue Aristide Briand, 33152 Cenon)

Medoc Marathon

Running 42km is only a small part of the Medoc Marathon experience. It is mostly about enjoying great wine, food and the great scenery. No wonder that it’s considered the longest marathon in the world. This year the marathon will take place in the vineyards of the Médoc region on September 8 and will include plenty of activities such as: musical breaks, wine tasting stops and eating a steak at the 39th km (try finishing the race after that stop 🙂 ). You don’t have to run to enjoy this event, many activities will take place on the day of the marathon and the day before, follow the program here.  For more info check out the website of the marathon and the facebook page of the event.

When: September 6-8
Where: the Marathon will start in Pauillac

Vign en Ville

This is the 3rd edition of Vign en Ville, an event dedicated to the know how of wine making. During the weekend of September 8-9, wine makers from the Bienvenue à la ferme network will teach you all about wine production through a series of workshops and activities. The event will take place in Jardin Public and besides wine activities will include a special lunch (on Sunday) with products coming from different farmers in the area.  The event is free and open to everyone. For more info check out the facebook page of the event.

When: September 8-9
Where: Jardin Public

Bordeaux Food truck Festival

This is the biggest gathering of food trucks in the region of Nouvelle Aquitaine, with around 60 food trucks registered to participate in the five events of the festival, which are spread on different dates until the end of September. This festival aims to mix street food with the finesse of the wine world. As part of this gastronomic event, visitors can taste the wines of the hosting châteaux and specialty food coming from all corners of the world: French, Italian, Brazilian and many more.

Two food truck events will takes places this months: September 8-9  in  Château Léognan and September 29-30 in the Hippodrome Bordeaux in Le Bouscat. See all the details about the five weekends of the Bordeaux food truck festival here.

When: September 8-9
Where: Château Léognan 88, Chemin du Barp, 33850 Léognan, Aquitaine and Hippodrome Bordeaux-Le Bouscat, 8 avenue de l’Hippodrome, 33110 Le Bouscat

Ouvre La Voix Festival

Ouvre La Voix Festival gives you the opportunity to discover the beautiful Entre-Deux-Mers region in Gironde in a special way. The  three day program of the festival (September 7-9) combines concerts, wine and gastronomy with biking routes taking you to places like Créon, Frontenac, Sauveterre de Guyenne and more. Concerts and gastronomy events will take place in the towns on the bike trail. Most of the concerts are free, some activities (including the shuttle from Bordeaux to Créon) require reservation. See more details and the full program here.

When: September 7-8
Where: Different places at the  Entre-Deux-Mers region (check out the program)

Shake Well Festival

Shake Well Festival is an international graffiti festival that will take place in the university campus of Pessac on September 14-16. This is a free event that gathers more than a hundred graffiti artists and gives them a huge space of 2000 m2 to express themselves during the weekend of the festival. The event will be accompanied by a lineup of different electronic music artists that will take the scene from  10:00 to 21:00. For more info check out the website of the festival.

When: September 14-16
Where: Domaine Universitaire, BORDEAUX MONTAIGNE, 19 esplanade des Antilles, 33607 Pessac

Journées Européennes du Patrimoine

The European Heritage days are a great opportunity to discover from within some of the most beautiful and interesting places in Bordeaux. During the weekend of September 15-16 many public and private buildings will open their doors to the public and allow you to taste some of the history of this city. Some of the most interesting places to visit during the weekend are: the Opera of Bordeaux, Grosse Cloche, Hôtel de Nairac, Tribunal de grande instance de Bordeaux and many more.

You can see the full list of the places that will be open to visits here.

When: September 15-16
Where: Many places across the city, check out the program above.

Swing on the streets

Swing In Kiosque is a series of improvised dance events that are taking place in Jardin Public two times a month. This month the events will take place on September 9 and September 16. Take a look on the full program of events on their facebook page.

When: September 9 and September 16  at 15:00
Where: Jardin Public, 33000 Bordeaux

Festival L’Effet Papillon

The third edition of the Effet Paillon Festival will take place in Martignas-sur-jalle on September 14-15. The festive weekend will be packed with music, street art shows, a designers market, workshops and an outdoor food area. For more details and the lineup click here, to purchase tickets click here.

When: September 14-16
Where: 14 avenue de Verdun, 33127 Martignas-Sur-Jalle

Last Chance to see the street art expo in Base Sous Marine

Legendes Urbaines, the beautiful street art exhibition that has been presented at the Base Sous Marine in the last 2 months is going down on September 16 so this is your last chance to go and see it.  The exhibition, hosting more than 50 street artists, follows the evolution of street art from the 80s until today and presents different art styles from graffiti, to video art, vitrage paintings, works on wood, fabric and much more. The entrance to the Base Sous Marine will be free on the weekend of September 15-16.

For more details check out the facebook page of la Base Sous-marine.

When: until September 16
Where: La Base Sous Marine, Boulevard Alfred Daney, 33300 Bordeaux

Festival Arts Mêlés

This is the 10 year anniversary of Arts Mêlés, a festival of magic and supernatural experiences that is organized by the town of Eysines. As always the program is full of shows of magicians, illusionists , acrobats and more making it also fun for kids. The event is free and will take place on the weekend of September 22-23 at the Parc du château Lescombes. Check out the full program here. Read more about the festival and the performing artists here.

When: September 22-23
Where: 10 Rue de l’Église, 33320 Eysines

Open Air Festival

Bordeaux Open Air continues into September with more cool events of Electronic Music at different locations in the city center. The next events of the Open Air Festival will take place On September16 in Jardin Public and September 23 at Square Dom Bedos.

When:  September 16 and September 23
Where: Jardin Public anat Square Dom Bedos in Bordeaux

Festival Le Maquis

Le Maquis festival is taking place in one of the best summer spots in Bordeaux: “Chez Alriq”, the tavern on the banks of the Garonne that hosts concerts every weekend. Before the place closes for winter it has cooperated with the Kélé association to celebrate the African continent, to show its beauty and richness and to create a bridge between the African and Bordelaise people. The festival will take place on September 28-29 and will include a list of African musicians who will introduce us to the great music coming from this continent. See the full program here.

When: September 28-29
Where: ZA Quai des Queyries, Port Bastide, 33100 Bordeaux

BLIB – the beer festival of Bordeaux 

This is the 4th edition of Bordeaux’s beer festival taking place on September 25-29. During the five days of the festival you can attend and participate in plenty of activities around craft beer in cellars, bars, restaurants and breweries. The grand finale (September 29) of the festival will gather all the brewers in one event, you can buy the tickets for the final event here. Check out the facebook page of the event for more info. The exact bars participating in the festival will be published on the BLIB site.

When: September 25-29
Where: Different places in Bordeaux

La Nuit Verte de PanOramas

During the last five years the PamOramas event has been trying to get the public familiarized with the green spaces at the right side of the Garonne and this year it’s Floriac’s turn. On September 29, a Nuit Verte (green night) will take place at the  parc de l’Observatoire in Floirac with a program of contemporary and digital arts. Check our the full program for the evening here.

When: September 29
Where: 2 rue de l’Observatoire, 33270 Floirac

Hope you enjoyed the list! Now don’t be shy, share it with your friends!

Do you have other events to add to the list? Please share them in the comments so all of us can enjoy them 

If it’s your first time in Bordeaux and you want to discover it properly, check out my ultimate guide to your first visit in Bordeaux.

Enjoy the Summer!