--- title: "Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois 2027: dates, programme & getting there" description: "A weekend in May, Semur-en-Auxois. A weekend of medieval fantasy, music and a banquet beneath the towers of Semur-en-Auxois." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fetes-medievales-de-semur-en-auxois lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-09 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/events/fetes-medievales-de-semur-en-auxois.png --- # Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois > Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois: a weekend of medieval fantasy, music and a banquet beneath the towers of Semur-en-Auxois. Each May the historic centre of Semur-en-Auxois returns to the Middle Ages for its Fêtes médiévales. More than fifty exhibitors from across France and Europe set up along the Promenade du Rempart, and troupes of musicians, players and fighters fill the streets. The town counts more than 30,000 visitors over the weekend. ## Key facts - Type: Tradition - Semur-en-Auxois - 1 h 06 from Beaune - When: A weekend in May. The 2027 dates are not announced yet. - Venue: [Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/semur-en-auxois) - Organised by: [Ville de Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.ville-semur-en-auxois.fr/) - Official website: [ville-semur-en-auxois.fr](https://www.ville-semur-en-auxois.fr/fete-medievale/) - Where: Semur-en-Auxois · Côte-d'Or - Location: 65 km north-west of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.4914, 4.3336 - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 06 · 84 km - €230 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## History The first medieval fête was held in 2000 to showcase the town's medieval heritage. For years its themes drew on Semur's own history, with a programme spread across the whole month of May. In recent years the emphasis has moved to medieval fantasy, with elves, fairies and beggars roaming the streets to the sound of flutes, drums and bagpipes. Troupes have come from Catalonia, Belgium and Brittany, and the singer Luc Arbogast drew large crowds in 2018. ## What to expect Expect old trades, combat demonstrations, taverns and shows, with costumed crowds moving between the towers of the old castle and the Promenade du Rempart, which overlooks the Armançon valley. The traditional medieval banquet, served on the Place Notre-Dame with entertainment, is a highlight of the weekend. ## Tips for the day Crowds are large, so arrive early and wear comfortable shoes for the cobbles. Check the town's website for the date and the programme. Semur is about an hour from Beaune, and a driver spares you the search for parking on the town's busiest spring weekend. ## Did you know? The Fêtes médiévales draw more than 30,000 people to Semur over a single weekend. ## Around Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois What to combine with Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois on the same day, nearest first. ### Other events in May 2027 - **Usually the first weekend of May, Saturday 10:00 to 18:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00** · [Bienvenue à Savigny](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/bienvenue-a-savigny): Savigny-lès-Beaune's growers open their cellars on the first weekend of May. (Wine festival · Savigny-lès-Beaune) - **Long held over five days in late August and early September; in 2026 it moved to a May weekend and an early-October weekend.** · [Festival Musique au Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-musique-au-chambertin): Classical concerts and tastings in the wine villages around Gevrey-Chambertin since 1988. (Music · Gevrey-Chambertin) - **Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early July** · [Mois des Climats](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mois-des-climats): A festival of visits, walks and tastings celebrating Burgundy's UNESCO-listed Climats. (Culture · Beaune and the Côte-d'Or vineyards) - **Usually the first half of July, with a prelude of concerts on weekends in May** · [Festival De Bach à Bacchus](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-de-bach-a-bacchus-meursault): Meursault's summer festival of music and wine, with concerts in the village and tastings with the musicians. (Music · Meursault) - **The week of Ascension in May; the 14th festival ran from 12 to 17 May 2026.** · [Festival Cluny Danse](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-cluny-danse): Contemporary dance in the streets and theatres of Cluny over the Ascension week. (Culture · Cluny) - **A Thursday in May, from late afternoon into the evening; in 2026 it fell on 14 May.** · [Chardonnay Day à Chardonnay](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/chardonnay-day): The world's favourite white grape is toasted in the Mâconnais village that gave it its name. (Wine festival · Chardonnay) ### Nearby - **Monday, 31 May 2027 (Expected dates, not yet confirmed)** · [Fête de la Bague](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-la-bague-semur-en-auxois): France's oldest horse race, run every 31 May along the chestnut-lined mall of Semur-en-Auxois. (Tradition · Semur-en-Auxois) - **The last weekend of August.** · [Mystère de sainte Reine](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mystere-de-sainte-reine): A village pageant retelling the martyrdom of Saint Reine, with torchlit and costumed processions. (Tradition · Alise-Sainte-Reine) - **Sunday, 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marché de la Saint-Simon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-de-la-saint-simon-flavigny): Flavigny's great autumn fair, with crafts, farm produce and aniseed sweets in the lanes of a hilltop village. (Food & markets · Flavigny-sur-Ozerain) - **Monday, 16 November 2026 – Tuesday, 16 February 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [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) - **Saturday, 28 November 2026 – Sunday, 10 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Exposition de crèches et féerie de Noël](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/exposition-de-creches-flavigny-sur-ozerain): About ninety nativity scenes light up the windows of a medieval hilltop village through the Christmas season. (Christmas · Flavigny-sur-Ozerain) - **The Ascension weekend, from Thursday to Sunday.** · [Journées gourmandes du Grand Morvan](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/journees-gourmandes-du-grand-morvan): Saulieu's food fair on Ascension weekend, with cooking contests in a town famous for its great chefs. (Food & markets · Saulieu) ### Châteaux - [Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/donjon-de-semur-en-auxois), 1 km away: Four huge towers of the dukes of Burgundy's castle still guard the old town of Semur. - [Château de Lantilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lantilly) (7 km away): The 'château of a hundred windows', with 18th-century interiors and a celebrated flowering kitchen garden. - [Château de Bierre-lès-Semur](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bierre-les-semur) (8 km away): Once called the 'little Versailles of Burgundy', an 18th-century estate now slowly coming back to life. ### Things to do - [Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/semur-en-auxois) (1 km away): A fortified town on a pink granite spur, looped by the river Armançon and guarded by great towers. - [Collégiale Notre-Dame de Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/collegiale-notre-dame-semur-en-auxois) (1 km away): A tall, narrow Gothic church whose windows show the drapers and butchers of Semur at work, and one remembers American soldiers. - [MuséoParc Alésia](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/museoparc-alesia) (11 km away): The battlefield where Caesar defeated Vercingetorix, with a modern museum, Roman siege works and a Gallo-Roman town. ## Questions about Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois ### When is Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois 2027? The 2027 dates of Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois have not been announced yet. Usual timing: A weekend in May.. The organiser publishes them on ville-semur-en-auxois.fr. ### Where does Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois take place? Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois takes place in Semur-en-Auxois (Côte-d'Or), at Semur-en-Auxois. ### How do you get to Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois from Beaune? Semur-en-Auxois is about 1 h 06 from Beaune by road (84 km). The easiest way is a private driver: from €230 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 Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you enjoy Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois and drives you back. For the busiest weekends, book a few weeks ahead. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:semur): 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: