Avignon Festival
Avignon, France - July - 3 weeks
Avignon’s immaculately preserved medieval buildings provide a magnificent backdrop for its prestigious festival (www.festival-avignon.com), a feast of culture that draws performers and art enthusiasts from around the world. Non-commercial

Bastille Day
Paris and across France - July 14 - 1 day
France celebrates its national holiday (la fête nationale) with a combination of pomp and circumstance, street parties and a general letting down of hair. Declared a holiday for all French men.

Giants of Douai
Douai, France - July - 1 day
Many towns in northeast France and Belgium hold festivals involving giants made of wood or papier-mâché. But the one in Douai is the oldest, the biggest and the best. Built.

Inter-Celtic Festival
Lorient, France - August - 10 days
One of the largest Celtic gatherings in the world, the Inter-Celtic Festival (www.festival-interceltique.com) draws crowds of around 350,000 to this small Breton town from the first Friday to the.

Mondial du Snowboard
Les Deux Alpes, France - October - 3 days
The French Alpine town of Les Deux Alpes kicks the snow season off a bit earlier than its near neighbours with the mammoth Mondial du Snowboard (www.mondialdusnow.com), the wildest.