Dates of main french festivals and sports events in 2025

FROM NANTES CATHEDRAL'S REOPENING TO THE TOUR DE FRANCE, EXPLORE THE MAJOR CULTURAL AND SPORTING EVENTS SHAPING FRANCE THIS YEAR. LE TOUR DE FRANCE The annual cycling race will entirely

take place in France for both the women's and men’s versions, for the first time since 2020.  It will begin near Lille on July 5, and include stages in Normandy, Brittany, and the Alps

and Pyrenees.  The final stage, on July 27, will finish on the Champs-Elysées again (in 2024, it moved to Nice due to the Paris Olympics).  Northern regions will feature heavily in the

itinerary.  Read more: Tour de France 2025 route revealed: will it pass near you? PARIS MARATHON  The Paris marathon will take place on April 12 in 2025. The race snakes through Paris, along

the quais de Seine in full view of the Eiffel Tower.  More than 60,000 runners are expected to take part, cheered along by more than 250,000 spectators.  Read more: The French marathon

where runners eat cheese and drink wine along the route VENDÉE GLOBE The prize-giving ceremony for the tenth annual Vendée Globe sailing race will take place on May 10 in Sables-d’Olonne

(Vendée).  The solo sailors, who are attempting to circumnavigate the globe without stops or help, set sail on November 10 and the winner is due to arrive back in France in mid-January. 

DRAKKAR  Orkan, a 28m drakkar (Viking-style longship) that can sail at up to 28 knots is expected to set sail to the USA from France in 2025.  It is planned that the boat will sail along the

route used by Leif Eriksson, the first known European to have travelled to North America in around 1,000.  Read more: 'We are building the world’s fastest Viking ship to sail France -

US' CÉSARS The 50th edition of the French equivalent to the Oscars will be at Olympia in Paris on February 28, presided over by Cathérine Deneuve.  Voting for nominations will open on

January 2 and these will be announced on January 29. Julia Roberts will be presented with a César d’honneur for her career. NANTES CATHEDRAL REOPENS Nantes cathedral will reopen to the

public in September after restoration, more than five years after an arson attack caused extensive damage to the building. NICE CARNIVAL  France’s biggest carnival will take place in Nice

from February 15 to March 2. More than 100,000 people will flock to the city to join in the festivities and see the parade, complete with extravagant floats and costumes. The theme is

'King of the ocean'.  CONCERTS IN PARIS  Many world-famous artists will be performing in Paris this year, including Linkin Park, Robbie Williams, Dua Lipa, Ludovico Einaudi and

Lenny Kravitz.  SWIMMING IN THE SEINE The Paris mairie hopes to finally offer public swimming in the Seine this year, with three sites due to open in the summer at Port de Grenelle, bras

Marie and near Bercy. Read more: Paris aims for a (safely) swimmable Seine by 2025