Rencontres musicales de Vézelay
Four days of choral and vocal music in and around the basilica of Vézelay at the end of summer.
- Music
- Vézelay
- 1 h 28 from Beaune
€320one way from Beaune with a private driver
Book a driver
At a glance
- Entry
- Paid or by invitation
- Organised by
- La Cité de la Voix
- Official website
- lacitedelavoix.net
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 28 by road (125 km), €320 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the event
Each August the Rencontres musicales de Vézelay bring some of Europe's finest vocal ensembles to the hill of Vézelay. Over four days, more than twenty concerts fill village churches, gardens and unusual venues, and the great evening concerts take place in the basilica itself.
What to expect
Daytime concerts move between settings as different as the Gothic church of Saint-Père, the terraced garden of the writer Jules Roy's house and churches in Avallon and Vault-de-Lugny. The high point of each day is the concert at 9 pm, or 4 pm on the Sunday, when nearly 1,000 listeners gather in the Romanesque basilica for major works of the choral repertoire. Between concerts, audience and artists mix easily in the village streets.
History
The festival has been held every summer since 2000. It is run by the Cité de la Voix, the centre for vocal music based in Vézelay, whose home is a former hospital bought and restored by the Burgundy region and opened in 2010.
The 2026 edition, the 26th, ran from 20 to 23 August under the title Da pacem. Each year close to 10,000 music lovers from across Europe climb the hill for the festival.
Good to know
Tips for the day
Book the basilica concerts early on the Cité de la Voix website, and note that some afternoon seats have no view of the performers. A free shuttle climbs from the foot of the village to the basilica, and paid shuttles serve the concerts in Avallon and Vault-de-Lugny. Vézelay is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Beaune; a driver waiting after the late concert makes the evening far more relaxed.
Around here
What to combine with Rencontres musicales de Vézelay on the same day, nearest first.
- Wine festival
Les Vin’dredis de la Halle
Friday evenings through the summer, from late MayGevrey-Chambertin - Culture
Lumières à Beaune
Every evening from late June to late September, and from the Vente des Vins weekend in November to early JanuaryBeaune
- Tradition
Pèlerinage de sainte Marie-Madeleine
Every year on 22 July, the feast of Mary MagdaleneVézelay - Food & markets
Fête de l’Automne et des Associations du Morvan
A weekend in early OctoberSaint-Brisson
Irancy
28 km away
- Abbey or church
Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay
1 km away
Questions
The 2027 dates of Rencontres musicales de Vézelay have not been announced yet. Usual timing: Four days in late August, from Thursday to Sunday.. The organiser publishes them on lacitedelavoix.net.
Did you know? The evening concerts gather close to 1,000 listeners under the vaults of a basilica listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
Sources
A private driver for the day
No parking to find, no one left as the designated driver: everyone enjoys a glass.