--- title: "Rencontres musicales de Vézelay 2027: dates, programme & getting there" description: "Four days in late August, Vézelay. Four days of choral and vocal music in and around the basilica of Vézelay at the end of summer." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/events/rencontres-musicales-de-vezelay lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-09 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/events/rencontres-musicales-de-vezelay.png --- # Rencontres musicales de Vézelay > Rencontres musicales de Vézelay: Four days of choral and vocal music in and around the basilica of Vézelay at the end of summer. 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. ## Key facts - Type: Music - Vézelay - 1 h 28 from Beaune - When: Four days in late August, from Thursday to Sunday. The 2027 dates are not announced yet. - Venue: [Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-de-vezelay) - Entry: Paid or by invitation - Organised by: [La Cité de la Voix](https://www.lacitedelavoix.net/) - Official website: [lacitedelavoix.net](https://www.lacitedelavoix.net/festival/rencontres-musicales-de-vezelay/) - Where: Vézelay · Yonne - Location: 95 km north-west of Beaune · Yonne - Coordinates: 47.4664, 3.7483 - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 28 · 125 km - €320 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## 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. ## 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. ## 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. ## 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. ## Around Rencontres musicales de Vézelay What to combine with Rencontres musicales de Vézelay on the same day, nearest first. ### Other events in August 2027 - **Runs Tuesday 25 May – Tuesday 31 August 2027** · [Les Vin’dredis de la Halle](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vindredis-halle-chambertin): Summer Friday tastings and gourmet evenings at the Halle Chambertin in Gevrey. (Wine festival · Gevrey-Chambertin) - **Runs Sunday 6 June – Thursday 30 September 2027** · [Lumières à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/lumieres-a-beaune): Light projections on Beaune's landmarks, every evening in summer and from the Vente des Vins to early January. (Culture · Beaune) - **Runs Thursday 24 June – Tuesday 31 August 2027** · [L’Été Frappé](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/l-ete-frappe-macon): A free summer-long festival of concerts and shows in the streets and parks of Mâcon. (Music · Mâcon) - **Runs Friday 25 June – Thursday 30 September 2027** · [Le Brunch des Halles](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/brunch-des-halles-dijon): Summer Sunday brunches cooked by local chefs under Dijon's iron market hall. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Runs Tuesday 6 July – Tuesday 31 August 2027** · [Montréal en Lumière](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/montreal-en-lumiere): A night-time walk through the history of a medieval hill village, told by some sixty costumed performers. (Culture · Montréal) - **Runs Monday 19 July – Tuesday 31 August 2027** · [Les Grandes Heures de Cluny](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/grandes-heures-de-cluny): A summer festival of classical music in Cluny's churches, with a wine tasting after each concert. (Music · Cluny) ### Nearby - **Saturday, 17 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Paulée du Vézelien](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/paulee-du-vezelien): A harvest-end day of parades through the four villages of the Vézelay appellation, ending with the blessing of the vintage. (Wine festival · Vézelay, Saint-Père, Asquins and Tharoiseau) - **A Saturday in mid or late January.** · [Saint-Vincent des Quatre Coteaux du Vézelien](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-des-quatre-coteaux-du-vezelien): The winter feast of the Vézelay growers, with mass, mulled wine, a procession and a long banquet. (Tradition · Vézelay, Saint-Père, Asquins and Tharoiseau) - **Thursday, 22 July 2027 (Expected dates, not yet confirmed)** · [Pèlerinage de sainte Marie-Madeleine](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/pelerinage-sainte-marie-madeleine-vezelay): Vézelay's pilgrimage on the feast of Mary Magdalene, whose relics drew medieval crowds to the hill. (Tradition · Vézelay) - **A weekend in early October.** · [Fête de l’Automne et des Associations du Morvan](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-l-automne-et-des-associations-du-morvan): The Morvan's autumn fair at the park headquarters, with farm produce, fruit pressing and local societies. (Food & markets · Saint-Brisson) - **A weekend in May.** · [Fêtes médiévales de Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fetes-medievales-de-semur-en-auxois): A weekend of medieval fantasy, music and a banquet beneath the towers of Semur-en-Auxois. (Tradition · Semur-en-Auxois) - **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) ### Villages - [Irancy](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/irancy) (28 km away): The red wine village of the Yonne, set in a bowl of vines and cherry trees. ### Châteaux - [Château de Vault-de-Lugny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vault-de-lugny) (9 km away): A moated castle with a tall square keep near Avallon, now an intimate five-star hotel. - [Château de Bazoches](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bazoches) (10 km away): The castle Vauban bought with a royal reward, and turned into a workshop for his military engineers. - [Château de Chastellux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chastellux) (14 km away): A towered fortress at the gateway to the Morvan, still lived in by the family of its name. ### Things to do - [Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay (Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-de-vezelay), 1 km away: A Romanesque masterpiece crowning a hill, where Saint Bernard preached the Second Crusade. - [Maison Jules-Roy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-jules-roy-vezelay) (1 km away): The writer Jules Roy's last home in Vézelay, with his study kept as he left it and terraced gardens facing the basilica. - [Zervos Museum of Modern Art (Musée départemental d’art moderne, collection Zervos)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-zervos-vezelay), 1 km away: Picasso, Calder and Miró in the Vézelay house where the writer Romain Rolland spent his last years. ### Restaurants - [Le Valucien](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-valucien-vault-de-lugny) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred table with Mauritian accents inside a moated castle near Avallon. ## Questions about Rencontres musicales de Vézelay ### When is Rencontres musicales de Vézelay 2027? 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. ### Where does Rencontres musicales de Vézelay take place? Rencontres musicales de Vézelay takes place in Vézelay (Yonne), at Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay. ### Is Rencontres musicales de Vézelay free to attend? No, Rencontres musicales de Vézelay is not free: you need a ticket or an invitation. Check the official website for prices and booking. ### How do you get to Rencontres musicales de Vézelay from Beaune? Vézelay is about 1 h 28 from Beaune by road (125 km). The easiest way is a private driver: from €320 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 Rencontres musicales de Vézelay? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you enjoy Rencontres musicales de Vézelay 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:vezelay): 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: