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Beaune’s calendar revolves around wine, and the third weekend of November is the single biggest date of the year. Music and a winter light festival fill the rest of the seasons. Most events center on the Hotel-Dieu, Les Halles, or the surrounding wine villages, and the auction weekend in particular requires planning months ahead. For dates and daily logistics, see the best time to visit Beaune guide, and pair these events with the attractions in our things to do in Beaune guide.
Beaune Events and Festivals: The Wine Auction and Les Trois Glorieuses
Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction
The world’s most famous charity wine auction is held on the third Sunday of November (15 November 2026) in the Halles de Beaune, organized by Sotheby’s. It sells barrels from the Hospices de Beaune estate, more than 60 hectares of mostly Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards built up through donations over 500 years, with proceeds going to the hospital and its charities. Tickets to attend are limited, and bidding is by registered buyers, but the surrounding street fair, tastings, and events are open to everyone. This article is part of our Beaune weather guide. Month-by-month numbers are in our Beaune weather by month.
Les Trois Glorieuses (14 to 16 November 2026)
The Three Glorious Days wrap around the auction. Saturday features the Chapitre de la Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin banquet at Clos de Vougeot, Sunday is the auction itself, and Monday is La Paulee, the harvest-workers’ lunch. The 166th edition runs 14 to 16 November 2026. Accommodation sells out months ahead, and many tastings are by invitation, so casual visitors should focus on the public auction-day market and street events. The areas are mapped in our Beaune neighborhoods guide.
La Paulee de Meursault
On the Monday after the auction, the village of Meursault, 7 km south of Beaune, holds La Paulee, a long communal lunch that began as the celebration of the harvest. Tickets are hard to get and sell to Burgundy regulars, but the village atmosphere and open-cellar tastings spill into the streets. Hotel picks are in our where to stay in Beaune guide.
Beaune Events and Festivals: Music and Arts
Beaune International Baroque Opera Festival
The Festival International d’Opera Baroque de Beaune runs through July, staging rarely performed 17th and 18th-century operas in the courtyard and halls of the Hotel-Dieu and the Basilique Notre-Dame. Programs are announced in spring, and evening performances in the floodlit courtyard are the highlight. Book seats early, as the courtyard holds only a few hundred. Getting there and tipping are covered in our Beaune travel tips guide.
Summer Concerts and Vineyard Evenings
Through July and August, wineries and chateaux around the Cote de Beaune host evening concerts, often with a tasting or dinner. Check the Beaune tourist office board on the Place de la Halle for the current week’s listings, since most are small and advertised locally rather than online.
Beaune Events and Festivals: Winter and the Light Festival
Lumieres a Beaune
From late November through early January, Beaune runs Lumieres a Beaune, a light festival that projects illuminated artworks onto the Hotel-Dieu, the ramparts, and church facades around the old town. It is free to walk, runs nightly after dark, and makes a cold December visit worthwhile despite 45 hours of monthly sunshine.
Saint-Vincent Tournante
The Saint-Vincent Tournante, the rotating festival of Burgundy winegrowers, is held in late January and moves to a different village each year. When a nearby village hosts it, Beaune fills with day-trippers, and the region opens hundreds of tasting stations. Check the year’s host village before planning, and expect January weather of 0°C to 5°C (32°F to 41°F).
