This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our small business.
Deauville’s calendar is anchored by horse racing, cinema and the sea. The two marquee events are the Deauville American Film Festival in early September and the August race meeting, but there is something running in most months from Easter to Christmas. Here are the key Deauville events and festivals by season, part of the complete Deauville guide.
Deauville Events in Spring (March to May)
Deauville Asian Film Festival (March)
Held each March, this is the European showcase for Asian cinema, screening around 50 to 60 films across the town’s venues including the Casino Barriere. The 2026 edition runs in early March. Individual screenings are open to the public, with passes available for the full programme. This is the quieter sibling of the September festival, easier to attend without long queues.
Jumping International de Deauville (Easter)
An international show-jumping competition held over the Easter weekend at the Pôle International du Cheval, an equestrian venue just outside town. Top riders compete across several days, and tickets are sold per day. It marks the start of Deauville’s equestrian season and draws families as much as riders.
Deauville Events in Summer (June to August)
Deauville-La Touques Summer Racing (July to August)
The flat-racing season peaks in August with a series of premium meetings at Deauville-La Touques racecourse. The Prix Jacques Le Marois, run around mid-August, is a Group 1 race worth over 1 million euros in prize money and the single biggest racing day of the Deauville year. Grandstand entry starts near 5 euros and rises for the August fixtures; book in advance for the feature days.
August Yearling Sales (Arqana)
Every August the Arqana auction house stages Europe’s most important yearling thoroughbred sales in Deauville, moving hundreds of millions of euros in horses over a few days. The sales are open to spectators and free to watch, and they fill every hotel in town. Even non-racing fans find the bidding theatre worth an afternoon.
Les Planches Summer Concerts
Free open-air concerts and DJ sets run along the boardwalk and on the beach through July and August, usually on weekend evenings. The programme is published on the town’s tourism site in early summer. Arrive early to grab a spot on the sand; most shows start around 19:00 or 20:00.
Deauville Events in Autumn and Winter (September to December)
Deauville American Film Festival (Early September)
The 52nd edition runs from 4 to 13 September 2026, ten days of American premieres, retrospectives and red-carpet arrivals at the Centre International de Deauville, the Casino Barriere cinema and the Morny cinema. Around 100 films screen, many 24 hours a day, and the boardwalk ceremonies are free to watch. Passes sell out, so buy early; hotels book out months ahead for these dates.
Deauville Christmas Market (December)
The Christmas market sets up around Place Morny in December, with wooden chalets selling Normandy cider, calvados, cheese and gifts, plus a skating rink in most years. It runs daily from late November or early December through to just before Christmas. Combined with the illuminated boardwalk, it is the main reason to visit Deauville in winter.
To plan around the race meetings and film festival, check the best time to visit Deauville article, which explains when prices and crowds spike, and read the Deauville travel tips page for getting to each venue.
For how to fill non-event days, see things to do in Deauville, and pick a base using the where to stay in Deauville guide.
The Deauville neighborhoods breakdown shows which areas are quietest during festivals, and Deauville weather by month has the seasonal climate for packing.
