During the All Saints' half-term
French school holidays (all zones) run from Saturday 17 October 2026; classes resume on Monday 2 November 2026.
Argileum: ceramic “Flower garden” exhibition through 18 October
National Ceramics Days bring 20 potters from the Hérault Valley to Argileum's gardens in Saint-Jean-de-Fos — a perfect craft stop between Montpellier and Lodève.
International Guitar Festival: 31st edition with a free opening week
20 September–18 October across the Hérault. Free week in Montpellier 21–25 September, then paid concerts county-wide — including Angélique Kidjo at Opéra Berlioz on 11 October.
Béziers: the Hors Cadre photo festival takes over the city from 9 October to 1 November
For its 3rd edition, this free photo trail displays work by more than 30 photographers in some 20 venues, including the Saint-Nazaire cathedral cloister and the Musée Fayet. A contest also features 15 amateur photographers from Occitanie, and visitors can vote for their favourite.
Lunel: street art on show at Espace Louis Feuillade in "L'Original à l'épreuve"
From 9 October to 14 November, the free exhibition "L'Original à l'épreuve" sets unique works alongside fine-art screen prints by street artists including Mist, Da Cruz and Shaka, with the publisher Anagraphis. A talk, guided tours and screen-printing workshops are planned; open Tuesday to Saturday.
Pérols: Montpellier International Fair, Canada theme (9–19 October)
Eleven days at the Exhibition Park with a Canadian village, food and activities. Open 10:00–19:00 (some evening openings). Tram T3 stop Parc Expo. From €6.
Pic Saint-Loup: the early-music festival fills churches and villages from 9 to 18 October
For its 13th edition, the festival offers six concerts across Montpellier, Guzargues, Gignac, Le Rouet and Saint-Martin-de-Londres, with a carte blanche for Argentine lutenist Eduardo Egüez. It closes on 18 October at 5pm in the church of Saint-Martin with Jean-Marc Andrieu and Les Passions; full price €20, reduced €15.
Pézenas Enchantée: 20th opera festival from 10 to 18 October
The festival opens on 10 October with a “La Traviata, from Dumas to Verdi” gala at the Foyer des Campagnes. The week continues with “Sacre Mozart” by the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, a Little Prince musical tale, a lyric gala, a jazz night and the master-class final concert on the 18th; the two Apér’Opéra events are free.
Lodévois–Larzac: 3rd Water Week, 12–18 October
Talks, film debates, workshops and a round table on “Water, me and others… Living with water” in Lodève and nearby (including Saint-Étienne-de-Gourgas).
Béziers: the Hérault Hérault Patapon festival opens the Scène de Bayssan to children
From 16 to 18 October, the Scène de Bayssan devotes three days to young audiences with this festival designed for children up to the age of 10. Theatre and circus shows, workshops and activities give families a first gateway into live performance.
Montpellier: the 48th Cinemed rolls out Mediterranean cinema from 16 to 24 October
Around 200 films will screen at Le Corum, the Centre Rabelais and cinemas across the city. The preliminary line-up includes retrospectives of Marco Bellocchio and Vittorio De Sica, a tribute to Pablo Berger, a focus on new Egyptian cinema and screenings for children; the full programme is out on 1 October.
Vignobles en Scène: three days of wine tourism around Saint-Chinian
For this national event of the Vignobles & Découvertes network, the Canal du Midi–Saint-Chinian destination is running activities in Saint-Chinian, Cruzy, Quarante and Assignan. Highlights include the Grand Dîner des Vignobles on 16 October (from €60) and a bike ride through the Saint-Chinian vineyards (from €20, bookable online).
Agde celebrates its new wine and traditional costume
Run for more than 90 years by the Escolo dai Sarret with the Belles Agathoises, this festival brings folk groups and brotherhoods together around wine freshly drawn from the vats. Sunday’s programme: a costumed parade from the Musée Agathois at 10am, the New Wine mass at Saint-Étienne cathedral with the song “Lou Vi Nouvel”, a grape offering, then folk dancing on the Promenade at 2.30pm, all free of charge.
Bédarieux: watch the birds of the Orb from the Pont Vieux with the LPO
On Saturday 17 October, from 10am to noon, the LPO’s Upper Orb Valley local group runs a fixed-point birdwatching session on the riverbanks, meeting on the Pont Vieux behind the post office. It is free, with no booking needed, and accessible to people with reduced mobility; binoculars are lent on site.
Marseillan celebrates the Thau lagoon eel for the 11th time
On Saturday 17 October, from 10 am to 9 pm, Place du Théâtre in Marseillan-Ville hosts the 11th Eel Festival, with traditional recipes (Provençal style, with parsley, bourride, ravioli) to eat on the spot or take away. Entry is free, as are the eel-smoking workshops (1 pm and 7 pm) and the boat trips that leave the harbour every hour from 11 am to 5 pm.
Roujan: a guided tour of the Château-Abbaye de Cassan with Ronan Jahény
On Saturday 17 October, guide-lecturer Ronan Jahény shows visitors around the Cassan priory, between monastic heritage and princely residence. The tour takes place in the afternoon; adult tickets cost €16 (€10 for students, jobseekers and people with reduced mobility, free under 7).
Saint-Martin-de-Londres: 44th departmental hiking festival on 18 October
FFRandonnée Hérault meets on Sunday 18 October in the Grand Pic Saint-Loup area: three routes (10, 16 and 21 km) through vines, garrigue and pastoral paths. Registration required before 16 October.
Montpellier: the Va Savoir ?! festival brings citizen science to everyone
For its 4th edition, this festival run by Instant Science and Les Petits Débrouillards Occitanie takes over the Metropole’s libraries, in seven Montpellier neighbourhoods and eight towns, from 20 to 22 October. After a professional day on the 23rd, families are welcome on 24–25 October at the Émile-Zola library for workshops, games, stands and walks.
Laroque: guided walk on the Thaurac plateau and cliffs
On Wednesday 21 October, the association Demain la Terre leads an outing of up to 4 km on the Thaurac, taking in a pond, woodland and centuries of human traces, with a reading of the landscape. Open to ages 10 and up, it is part of the Gorges de l'Hérault Grand Site de France programme.
Sérignan: nature walk at Les Orpellières with the Conservatoire du littoral warden
On Thursdays 22 and 29 October, from 4 to 6 pm, the Conservatoire du littoral warden takes visitors, binoculars in hand, along the paths of the Orpellières Natura 2000 site, with its salt marshes, meadows, dunes and beach. Tickets start at €9 (free for under-6s); booking through the Béziers Méditerranée tourist office.
Sète: the 22 V’là Georges festival celebrates Brassens from 22 to 29 October
For its 12th edition, the Cap Brassens festival offers a week of concerts, open stages and talks at Le Dancing (Brassens Village), the Espace Brassens and the town’s libraries. Highlights include an Occitan-themed opening day, a complete Boby Lapointe performance and a jazz day; evening concerts cost €12 and many events are free.
Vias: free guided tour of the Canal du Midi and the Libron works
On Fridays 23 and 30 October, from 10 to 11:30 am, a free guided tour leaves the Vias tourist office to tell the story of the Canal du Midi, the Libron works and the engineers behind them. Groups are limited to 30 people.
Montpellier: Abracadabouh, a colourful Halloween for children at Château de Flaugergues
On 24–25 October, from 11am to 7pm, the château and its grounds take on Día de los Muertos colours for 4- to 13-year-olds and their families: craft and cooking workshops, face painting, a sweet hunt, climbing, story readings and fantastic creatures. All activities are included in the ticket (€20 per child, €5 per accompanying adult), and a big Halloween party rounds off the day, the aim being a joyful rather than scary Halloween.
Saint-Pons-de-Thomières: the Chestnut Festival returns on 24–25 October
On the last weekend of October, the streets of this marble town fill with stalls from local producers, craftspeople and food makers. On Place du Foiralet, chestnuts are roasted over a wood fire and served in paper cones; the detailed 2026 programme has not yet been released.
Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare: the Castagnade will roast chestnuts on Place du Quai
On Sunday 25 October, from 10am to 6pm, the Maison cévenole holds its traditional chestnut day around a local produce market and roasted chestnuts. The programme includes craft workshops for children, a chestnut jam workshop, music with Balèti and meals from local producers; entry is free.
Cap d’Agde: the Autumn Boat Show gathers nearly 500 boats, with Yannick Bestaven as patron
From 28 October to 1 November, the 27th edition of this free show expects around 250 exhibitors and nearly 500 sail and motor boats, afloat or on land, with test sails, demonstrations, talks and a focus on protecting the marine environment. Vendée Globe winner Yannick Bestaven is its patron, and an international Optimist regatta for 9- to 14-year-olds is held at the Centre Nautique from 26 to 30 October.
Laurens: the Féria d’Hallowine brings spooky fun to the Faugères vineyards on 30–31 October
For its 2nd edition, this “Southern Halloween”, organised with the Faugères AOP, expands its horror trail to the entire ground floor of Laurens castle, with one version for children and one for adults. About a hundred dancers parade at 8pm at the foot of the castle (costumes welcome), and 19 estates from the appellation pour their wines in four bodegas shared with village restaurants.
Lunel: Luneloween invites the whole family to celebrate Halloween in costume
For its 4th edition, the Arts et Cultures association’s celebration starts in the afternoon with activities on the allées Baroncelli and a parade through the town centre. In the evening, Parc Jean-Hugo hosts a horror trail full of monsters and fantastic creatures, followed by music; the organisers estimate around 3,000 people take part over the day, most of them in costume.
The rest of the autumn
Stories dated 22 September 2026 to 20 December 2026.
Sète: the Latin American film festival celebrates its 20th edition from 3 to 10 October
The S.A.L.S.A. association screens around fifteen subtitled films at Le Comoedia, including a competition and a Ricardo Darín retrospective. At the François-Mitterrand library, all activities are free: a photo exhibition on Cuba, circus, children’s workshops, a craft village and a closing concert on 10 October.
Hérault Valley: Science Festival “Savvy flavours” 3–11 October
Fourth local Science Festival edition: a cooperative flavours banquet in Gignac on 3 October, then workshops, games and talks through 11 October exploring the science behind food and cooking. Free, all ages.
Frontignan: Blue Week marks 75 years of links between the generations
From 5 to 9 October, the CCAS and the town offer five days of free or bookable activities for seniors, children and associations, under the theme “Connecting all ages”. On the bill: gentle exercise, creative workshops, a big intergenerational bingo, cooking with lycée students, then a closing carnival at the seniors’ centre.
UNESCO Global Geopark Terres d’Hérault festival 6–10 October
Now a UNESCO Global Geopark (111 communes, ~2,000 km²), the area hosts 6–10 October walks, hikes, workshops, tastings and talks under the “Savvy flavours” theme — how rocks, soils and landscapes shape Hérault’s terroirs.
Béziers: Livres en scènes, a free book-themed weekend at Bayssan
On 10–11 October, the Scène de Bayssan invites families to a free book-themed weekend with shows, workshops, games, exhibitions and meetings. Highlights include an exhibition devoted to Olivier Douzou and Frédérique Bertrand’s Pyjamarama world.
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert: Grand Site label celebration on 10–11 October
The Gorges de l’Hérault Grand Site of France celebrates its label renewal: Saturday 10 October in Saint-Guilhem (stands, walks, biodiversity, abbey recital), Sunday 11 medieval visits at Issensac and Saint-Martin-de-Londres. Free.
Sète: the Scallop Festival pairs Saint-Jacques with Mediterranean flavours
On 10–11 October, on the fish auction car park, the association Les Copains d’abord welcomes producers from the Bay of Saint-Brieuc and stalls of Mediterranean specialities, including tielles, oysters and tuna. Local artists and makers also take part; entry is free (Saturday 10am–10pm, Sunday 10am–5pm).
Puéchabon: 5th Wine & Chestnut Festival on 11 October
Sunday 11 October, the 5th Wine & Chestnut Festival brings a market, tastings, open cellars, family activities and street shows celebrating autumn flavours in the Hérault Valley (info: Saint-Guilhem tourist office).
Lunas: an evening to discover the Eurasian otter
On Friday 16 October, from 6 to 8 pm, the Valquières community hall in Lunas-les-Châteaux hosts a film screening and talk on the Eurasian otter, in partnership with LPO Hérault. Entry €10, free for under-12s; places are limited.
Olargues: the Chestnut Festival warms up the medieval village on 7–8 November
In the heart of the Haut-Languedoc, the lanes of Olargues host a large market of regional craftspeople and producers, creative workshops and family activities, with hot chestnuts and the Chœur du Jaur choir. A fireworks display lights up the Champ des Horts on Saturday at 8pm and the museum opens over the weekend; entry is free.
Mérifons: a walk through the terroir, geology and landscapes of Salagou
On Saturday 14 November at 2 pm, the association Demain la Terre ! leads an easy 5 km walk in the Salagou valley to show how rocks and vegetation shape the work of local producers. It ends at the Mérifons farm, which raises red Duroc pigs and presents its trade and charcuterie; booking via the Destination Salagou ticket office.