This summer was all about music festivals, Autumn however brings a variety of events to Bordeaux. The big climax festival in Darwin, the European patrimony days, a Latin music festival and the Velotour are only some of the things to do this month in Bordeaux.
If it’s your first time in the city, you should definitely check out my ultimate guide to Bordeaux to get familiar with all the must-see places. To help you choose a hotel I’ve gathered a list of the best hotels in the center of Bordeaux . Here’s the list of things to do in Bordeaux in September 2019 🙂
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 5-8) 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 located in one of the hippest places in the city. Take a look at the site of the festival for the full program.https://www.youtube.com/embed/FKcZOb91ZpY?feature=oembed
When: September 5-8 / Where: 87 Quai des Queyries, 33100 Bordeaux
Medoc Marathon
Running 42km is only a small part of the Medoc Marathon experience. It’s 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 7 and will include plenty of activities such as: musical breaks, wine tasting stops and eating a steak at the 39th km!! 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.https://www.youtube.com/embed/-sFl_knJbyg?feature=oembed
When: September 7 / Where: the Marathon will start in Pauillac
Get to know your neighbors at the Pique-nique des Quartiers
Do you ever feel like you have no idea who is living around you? Then this is your chance to socialize a bit with your neighbors. On September 6, Pique-nique des quartiers with take place all around Bordeaux. The picnics are organized by the local associations operating in the neighborhoods. Find the event near you in the list published by the town hall.
When: September 6 at 19:00 / Where: Different locations in Bordeaux, check out the program
Bordeaux Food-truck Festival
The food truck festival aims to mix street food with the finesse of the wine world. The program of the festival also includes free concerts, exhibitions, escape games, activities for kids and more. The next event will take place on September 7-8 at the Château de Rayne-Vigneau in the Sauternes appellation. The events are free but require a reservation – you can do it here. For more details click here.
When: September 7-8 / Where: 4 Le Vigneau, 33210 Bommes
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 7-8) 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 a reservation. Check out the full program here.https://www.youtube.com/embed/H-sVGfi86Kk?feature=oembed
When: September 7-8 / Where: Different places at the Entre-Deux-Mers region (check out the program)
Vélotour Bordeaux
Did you ever ride a bike in a museum or a hotel? Discover Bordeaux by bike through places where bicycles are usually not allowed: museums, sports centers, cultural and historic places and more. More than ten places have opened their doors for this unusual experience. The tour will take place on September 15 and will start at the Maison Écocitoyenne Bordeaux. For tickets click here and for more info about the event click here.
When: September 15 / Where: Quai Richelieu, 33000 Bordeaux
Vign’ en Ville
This is the 4th edition of Vign en Ville, an event dedicated to the know-how of winemaking. During the weekend of September 14-15, winemakers 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 is free. For more info check out the facebook page of the event.
When: September 14-15 / Where: Jardin Public
Vélotour Bordeaux
Did you ever ride a bike in a museum or a hotel? Discover Bordeaux by bike through places where usually bicycles are not allowed: museums, sports centers, cultural and historic places and more. More than ten places have opened their doors for this unusual experience. The tour will take place this Saturday (September 15) and will start at the Maison Écocitoyenne Bordeaux. For tickets click here and for more info about the event click here.
When: September 15 / Where: Quai Richelieu, 33000 Bordeaux
Festival Love Tattoo Urban Street
The Love Tattoo Urban Street festival will take place on September 14-15 at the Parc des Expositions in Bassin d’Arcachon. In the program tattoos, creative market, concerts, fashion, workshops for kids and more. For more info click here.
When: September 14-15 / Where: 940 Avenue de l’Europe, 33260 La Teste-de-Buch
The big scooter race
The Nire Laguna Thomas association organized a wonderful event to help raise funds for research on pediatric cancer. A kids scooter race will take place on September 14 on the Quai of Bordeaux, starting from la Maison Eco-citoyenne. More than 300 kids, ages 5 to 10 will take place in the event. If you want your kids to participate in the race, register here.
When: September 14 10:30 to 16:30 / Where: la Maison Eco-citoyenne , 33000 Bordeaux
Journées Européennes du Patrimoine
The European Heritage Days are a great opportunity to discover some of Bordeaux’s most beautiful and interesting buildings. During the weekend of September 21-22 many public and private edifices will open their doors to the public and allow you to peak into parts of this city’s history otherwise hidden from our daily view. Some of the most interesting places to visit during the weekend are: the Opera of Bordeaux, Grosse Cloche, 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 21-22 / Where: Many places across the city, check out the program above.
Festival Arts Mêlés
Arts Mêlés is a festival of magic and supernatural experiences organized by the town of Eysines. As always the program is full of magic shows, illusionists, acrobats and more making it super fun for kids. The event is free and will take place on the weekend of September 21-22 . Check out the full program here. Read more about the festival and the performing artists here.
When: September 21-22/ Where: 10 Rue de l’Église, 33320 Eysines
Latin Music Festival
Corazon Latino, a Latin Music and dance festival will take place this weekend (September 20-22) in Rocher de Palmer in Cenon. The Program includes music concerts, dance shows, three Latin parties and international dancers that came especially to teach you some moves. And of course plenty of Salsa , Bachata, Kizomba, Chacha, Semba, Tango, Lady Styling and Forró. For more info and tickets to some of the concerts check out the website of the event.
When: September 20-22 / Where: 1 rue Aristide Briand, 33150 Bordeaux, France
Festival Cadences d’Arcachon
Festival Cadence is a famous dance festival taking place every year in Arcachon. The program of the festival is known for its diversity including classic, contemporary, hip-hop, flamenco and more. The festival will take place on September 19-22, for the full program click here, for tickets click here. https://www.youtube.com/embed/FaIIfsfiIXM?feature=oembed
When: September 19-22 / Where: Arcachon
Open Air Festival
Bordeaux Open Air continues into September with more cool electronic music parties at different locations in the city center. The next events of the Open Air Festival will take place on September 8, September 15 and September 29. The exact locations have not been published yet. They will be announced here together with lineups and other details.
When: September 8, 15, 29 / Where: the locations haven’t been published yet
Les Campulsations
Les Campulsations is a students festival, celebrating the beginning of the new academic year in different locations in the Aquitaine region: Bordeaux, Talence, Pessac, Gradignan, Bayonne, Périgueux, Agen and Pau. In Bordeaux Metropole, the events will take place in many different locations from university campuses to museums and theaters. The program is varied and includes such events as a brocante party, music concerts, theater shows, exhibitions and more. Check out the full program and find an event near you. The festival will take place from September 26 to October 5.
When: September 26 to October 5 / Where: Different locations, consult the program.
Salon ABC Kidz
A big event dedicated to future parents and young families will take place on September 28 – 29 in Hangar 14. Salon ABC kids is the annual gathering of all the important companies and organizations related to babies and little kids from clothing to room decoration, toys and different services like childcare companies and health providers. The event allows young parents to meet all the relevant products and services in one place. Many activities will take place at the Salon to make it more entertaining, among them a massage space, workshops for kids, soft play for toddlers and more. For tickets and more info click here.
When: September 28-29 / Where: 115 Quai des Chartrons, 33000 Bordeaux
Classical music in the Cathedral
During the month of September, Saint-André, the main Cathedral of Bordeaux will host more than 10 classical music concerts. You can see the full program here.
When: see dates in the program / Where: Place Pey Berland, 33000 Bordeaux
Dance at la guingette chez Alriq
La Guinguette chez Alriq is a tavern at the Bastide neighborhood, on the rive droite of the Garonne. During the summer the place is full with locals who escape the more touristy rive gauche and come to enjoy live concerts on the river bank. The Guinguette is open from Thursday to Sunday. For the concerts program of September click here.
When: every weekend during September / Where: ZA Quai des Queyries, Port Bastide, 33100 Bordeaux
Go see an exhibition
If you’re in a mood for some art there are plenty of good exhibitions in Bordeaux. you can read about some of the best ones here.
Finally, if you are looking for a fun and delicious activity in Bordeaux, check out my food tours in which I’ll take you through a three hours journey in the culinary scene of the Southwest of France.
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