--- title: "Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône 2027: dates, programme & getting there" description: "26 Feb – 7 Mar 2027, Chalon-sur-Saône. Ten days of parades, brass bands and the burlesque Gôniots, ending with the burning of Old Carnival." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/events/carnaval-de-chalon-sur-saone lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-09 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/events/carnaval-de-chalon-sur-saone.png --- # Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône > Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône: Ten days of parades, brass bands and the burlesque Gôniots, ending with the burning of Old Carnival. Chalon's carnival is one of the best known in France, and its heart is the Gôniots: locals in deliberately grotesque costume who caricature the events of the year. Two Sunday parades, a night of music and a closing evening on the river fill ten days in late winter. ## Key facts - Type: Tradition - Chalon-sur-Saône - 35 min from Beaune - When: Friday 26 February – Sunday 7 March 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser) - Usual timing: Ten days in late February and early March - Venue: [Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/centre-historique-chalon-sur-saone) - Organised by: [Comité des Fêtes de Chalon-sur-Saône](https://www.carnavaldechalon.com/) - Where: Chalon-sur-Saône · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 25 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.7812, 4.8567 - From Beaune: ≈ 35 min · 35 km - €125 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Add the vineyards: our [half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day). ## History The organisers trace the carnival back to the medieval Feast of Fools, when a mock bishop was elected in Saint-Vincent cathedral. Banned from the churches, the revelry moved into the streets. Later the butchers' guild paraded fat oxen and a straw effigy that was burned on the Pont Saint-Laurent and thrown into the Saône. Organised parades with floats began in the early twentieth century, and since 1910 a contest has rewarded the best Gôniot groups. Their king, Cabache, and his wife Moutelle are said to watch over the town from the Île du Moutiau, under the motto Honneur et Peuterie. ## What to expect The carnival opens with an evening parade and the handing of the town's keys to the King of the Gôniots. Two afternoon parades of floats and bands follow on Sundays, with a children's day, the Carnaband's Show at the Colisée and a Carnival Night at the exhibition park. On the last evening illuminated floats gather on Place du Port-Villiers, Old Carnival is sentenced and executed, and fireworks rise from the Tour du Doyenné. A funfair runs alongside. ## Tips for the day Check the programme on the official site for parade times and for events that need tickets, such as the Carnaband's Show and Carnival Night. The centre is crowded on parade days, so a driver who drops you near the route and collects you afterwards saves a long walk from distant car parks. Dress warmly: the closing evening is outdoors by the river. ## Did you know? Around a thousand Gôniots take part in the parades, preparing their floats and costumes in secret. ## Around Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône What to combine with Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône on the same day, nearest first. ### Other events in February 2027 - **Runs Monday, 16 November 2026 – Tuesday, 16 February 2027** · [Noël à l’abbaye de Fontenay](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/noel-a-l-abbaye-de-fontenay): A giant crèche, illuminated gardens and a Christmas market at a UNESCO-listed Cistercian abbey. (Christmas · Marmagne) - **Runs Wednesday 6 January – Sunday 28 February 2027** · [Saint-Vincent de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-de-dijon): Dijon honours the patron saint of winegrowers with a parade and a tasting village. (Tradition · Dijon) - **Saturday 6 – Sunday 7 February 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Saint-Vincent tournante du Chablisien](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-tournante-du-chablisien): The winter wine festival of the Chablis vineyard, hosted by a different village each year. (Tradition · Maligny, 2027 host) - **Mid-February, on a Sunday** · [Trail de Pommard](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/trail-de-pommard): A winter trail race on gravel tracks and paths through the vineyards of Pommard. (Sport · Pommard) ### Nearby - **Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Paulée de la Côte Chalonnaise](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/paulee-de-la-cote-chalonnaise): Chalon celebrates the end of the harvest with a weekend of tastings, confréries and photography. (Wine festival · Chalon-sur-Saône) - **Four days in the second half of July; the 2026 festival ran from 23 to 26 July.** · [Chalon dans la Rue](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/chalon-dans-la-rue): Four days of street theatre, circus and dance that take over the centre of Chalon every July. (Culture · Chalon-sur-Saône) - **Saturday, 20 March 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marathon des Vins de la Côte Chalonnaise](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marathon-des-vins-de-la-cote-chalonnaise): A costumed marathon through the Côte Chalonnaise vineyards, with wine and local food at the refreshment stops. (Sport · Givry) - **A weekend in early April, Friday evening to Sunday; the 2026 market ran from 3 to 5 April.** · [Marché aux Vins de Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-aux-vins-de-givry): Givry's winegrowers pour the new releases under the town's round market hall each spring. (Wine festival · Givry) - **Late August, over about six days; the 2026 festival ran from 25 to 30 August.** · [Musicales en Côte Chalonnaise](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/musicales-en-cote-chalonnaise): Chamber music in Romanesque churches around Buxy, each concert followed by a tasting with a local grower. (Music · Buxy) - **A three-day weekend in early September; the 2026 fête ran from 4 to 6 September.** · [Fête de la Vigne de Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-la-vigne-givry): Givry's traditional village fête on the eve of the harvest, with music, a flea market and local wine. (Tradition · Givry) ### Villages - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (8 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. - [Mercurey](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) (12 km away): The largest vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise, known above all for its reds. - [Rully](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/rully) (14 km away): Crisp whites, supple reds and a cradle of Burgundy's sparkling wine, below a medieval château. ### Châteaux - [Château de Taisey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-taisey) (3 km away): A graceful house of the 1680s beside an old square tower, on a terrace above the Saône. - [Château de Germolles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-germolles) (8 km away): The best-preserved residence of the Valois dukes of Burgundy, a country palace made for a duchess. - [Château de Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-saint-germain-les-buxy) (10 km away): A moated medieval castle reinvented in the romantic troubadour style by Viollet-le-Duc's son-in-law. ### Things to do - [Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône (Centre historique de Chalon-sur-Saône)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/centre-historique-chalon-sur-saone), 1 km away: Half-timbered houses, riverside quays and an island in the Saône, explored on a signed walking trail. - [Nicéphore Niépce Museum (Musée Nicéphore Niépce)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-nicephore-niepce), 1 km away: A museum of photography in the home town of its inventor, from the first cameras to digital images. - [Chalon-sur-Saône Market (Marché de Chalon-sur-Saône)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-de-chalon-sur-saone), 1 km away: A Friday and Sunday morning food market on Place Saint-Vincent, in front of the cathedral. ### Restaurants - [Cédric Burtin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cedric-burtin-saint-remy) (4 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Two stars in a converted mill on the southern edge of Chalon-sur-Saône. ## Questions about Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône ### When is Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône 2027? Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône 2027 takes place in Chalon-sur-Saône (Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône): Friday 26 February – Sunday 7 March 2027. ### Where does Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône take place? Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône takes place in Chalon-sur-Saône (Saône-et-Loire), at Old Town of Chalon-sur-Saône. ### How do you get to Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône from Beaune? Chalon-sur-Saône is about 35 min from Beaune by road (35 km). The easiest way is a private driver: from €125 for the whole car, up to 4 guests, with no parking to find and nobody at the wheel after a glass of wine. ### Can we book a private driver for Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you enjoy Carnaval de Chalon-sur-Saône and drives you back. For the busiest weekends, book a few weeks ahead. → [Half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver for this day](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:oldchalon&date=2027-02-26): No parking to find, no one left as the designated driver: everyone enjoys a glass. Your driver waits and drives you back: no parking to find, and everyone can enjoy a glass. ## Sources - - - - - [The full events calendar](https://www.cote-privee.com/events) --- Canonical page: